Social Justice Team

The Roslindale Congregational Church initiated a Social Justice Team early in 2022. As a team, we aim to educate ourselves, become a resource for information related to social justice efforts within and outside the church, and actively pursue projects for positive change.

Prison Book Program

Members of our Social Justice Team volunteer with the Prison Book Program, an initiative that connects with incarcerated individuals by providing books based on their interests. If you’d like to get involved, you can sign up directly through their website: https://prisonbookprogram.org. For more details, including travel arrangements to the Quincy location, please reach out to Laura, Sue, or Caroline.

We also welcome book donations! Boxes are available at the rear of the sanctuary for contributions to the Prison Book Program.

Please keep in mind the guidelines for donations: all books must be paperback and in good condition—no water damage, minimal highlighting or underlining, with intact spines and covers, and free from stains or mildew. You can find more information on the printed sheets attached to the donation boxes or by visiting https://prisonbookprogram.org/donate-books/guidelines/.

Events we’ve hosted or participated in:

  • Film screening and discussion: I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1982), featuring James Baldwin.  The event was co-sponsored with the Forum for Racial Equity in Hyde Park.
  • Film screening and discussion: Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (2023). This film is based on the work of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. The event was co-sponsored with the Forum for Racial Equity in Hyde Park.
  • Film screening and discussion: 13th (2016), directed by Ava DuVernay. Special guest Mac Hudson from Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts spoke about his time incarcerated in Massachusetts.
  • Racial Justice Workshop led by Pastor Chip.
  • The Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry, an exhibit featuring a series of quilts memorializing the words of George Floyd, held at the Congregational Library & Archives in Downtown Boston.
  • Black History Walk from the Embrace statue to the Robert Gould Shaw and MA 54th Regiment Memorial, part of the Black Heritage Trail in Beacon Hill.

Books we’ve read and discussed: 

  • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
  • South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
  • The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
  • What White People Can Do Next by Emma Dabiri
  • The Color of Money by Mehrsa Baradaran
  • The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Social Justice Team hosts a monthly discussion after church to help educate the greater church community. You don’t need to be a member of the church to attend—everyone is welcome!

Resources: