Below are a number of resources curated by The Rev. Sr. Veronica Dunbar, Canon for Spirituality and Race for you to explore during this Black History Month.
Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray, by Rosalind Rosenberg A thorough and well-researched biography of Pauli Murray’s evolution from childhood, through law practice, to teaching, and ordination in the Episcopal Church
Toni at Random, by Dana A. Williams Details Toni Morrison’s career as an editor at Random House publishing and how she mentored other writers in their careers
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight A door-stopper of a biography, but well worth the read
On James Baldwin, by Colm Toibin Essays from the Irish writer on the impact of the life and work of Baldwin on his own literary formation
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK, Malcom X and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, by Anna Malaika Tubbs An exploration of the women whose political and social activism influenced their more famous sons
American Sublime, by Elizabeth Alexander This volume of poetry was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005; Alexander was selected to read her poetry at the inauguration of Barak Obama in 2009
Thinking with Trees, by Jason Allen-Paisant Afro-Caribbean poet living in the UK reflects on memory residing in the body and his communion with the natural world
The Disordered Cosmos, by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Memoir of a physicist’s experience pursuing her love of the workings of the universe as one of fewer than one hundred black women to ever earn a PhD in the field
Our Ancestors Were Messy https://thesecretadventuresofblackpeople.com/our-ancestors-were-messy A fun and funny exploration of popular culture history in the African diaspora
Code Switch https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/ The podcast hosts a wide range of conversations on the history of race and racialized injustice and how that legacy persists today
The Godmother https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-godmother-141201920/ The little-known story of the first Black woman to become an Assistant District Attorney in New York who orchestrated the prosecution of Mafia bosses in the 1930s
MLK/FBI 2020 This documentary examines the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King, Jr. during his work in the Civil Rights Era. Available on AMC+, YouTube TV, Apple TV, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Tubi. Watch the trailer here
My Name Is Pauli Murray, 2021 Biography of the attorney, activist, and Episcopal priest. Available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Roku. Watch the trailer here
Rustin, 2023 A fictionalized account of Bayard Rustin’s work organizing the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Available on Netflix and Roku. Watch the trailer here
Jazz, 2001 Twenty-five years after it debuted, this documentary by Ken Burns is a classic account of the birth and evolution of a uniquely American art form. Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS. Watch on PBS here
Beginning in March of 2025, the Detroit Institute of Arts closed its galleries of African American art for a full renovation. The grand opening of the re-imagined galleries took place in October 2025. Click here to explore the programming
Bishop’s Visit – All Saints’, Detroit
Sunday, February 1 at 11:30 a.m.
3837 W. 7 Mile Rd
www.allsaintsdetroit.org
Celebration of New Ministry and Seating of the Dean
The Rev. Joseph Alsay
Saturday, February 7 at 11:00 a.m.
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit
www.detroitcathedral.org
The Feast of The Rev. Absalom Jones
Sunday, February 15 at 4:00 p.m.
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit
www.edomi.org/absalomjones
Civil Rights Pilgrimage
February 19-23
Alabama
www.edomi.org/civilrightspilgrimage
#716 Consecrated October 9, 1976, Diocese of Michigan
Bishop Suffragan of Michigan
Born in Cleveland, Ohio. Graduate St. Augustine’s College. Vicar, St. Philip’s Church, Akron, Ohio. Director, Department of Christian Social Relations, Diocese of Ohio. Archdeacon of Michigan.
If you would like to have your event for Black History Month listed, please Contact Dennis Boyd Jr., Canon for Communications by phone at (313) 833-4425 or by email at dboyd@edomi.org
