Inspiring and challenging stories of freedom.

I've followed Jemar Tisby on social media for many year. When I saw that his next book, "True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance" was available for pre-order, I knew I wanted it for my library. Tisby begins with the history of slavery in America and the rise of racism and then identifies everyday black Americans who, through courage, advance the antiracist cause in our country.

The biographical stories of faithful men and women who fought for freedom and the dignity and rights of black Americans is inspiring and challenging. I greatly appreciate the historical aspect of Dr. Tisby's book and how we can advance antiracist goals in our country today. As a lifelong Marylander, I was inspired by the story of Marylander Benjamin Banneker.

The rise of white supremacy in our country today demonstrates the need to be vigilant in our opposition to racism and advocacy for the dignity of all humanity. Jemar Tisby inspires and challenges with these inspirational biographical stories.

The audiobook is narrated by the author and the narration is excellent.

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Inspiration to live out God's plan for justice/righteousness

A powerful, infotmative, and inspiring truth-telling account of heroes who were/are committed to imitating Jesus...

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Luke 4:18

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The Spirit of Justice Still Speaks

I have been twice blessed by Dr. Tisby. With his first book, "The Color or Compromise" his examples of what he calls in a recent interview "white people behaving badly", convict me. Now, with The Spirit of Justice, he inspires or "in-Spirits" me with what I would call "black people behaving courageously". In the sweep of Jemar's writing he both exposes and encourages. He calls me, as a white male, to both repent and to recommit.

Jemar acknowledges early on in the book that those he profiles (like the characters we find in the Bible) are not perfect. Yet, the Spirit of Justice, the One he embraces as the Holy Spirit, speaks in and through each personality.

I study history as an undergrad at the University of Michigan, So, I especially appreciate Jemar's effort to go beyond a secular examination of events. He finds the faith that fuels each figure. His choice to include William J. Seymour illustrates. Dr. Tisby sees a biblical faith at the root of the racially and economically diverse Azuza Street Revival. He also acknowledges that a misunderstanding of that faith causes the backlash or "whitelash" that inevitably follows.

I meet in Dr. Tisby's book some familiar friends. He also introduces me to some folks I wouldn't get to meet without his help. He gathers a diverse cast of characters. Yet, he also highlights four themes which tie them together:

1) Faith of a Franciscan sister
2) Courage of a Fannie Lou Hamer ( the 20th of 20 children)
3) Imagination of the Harvard Law School trained Charles Hamilton Houston
4) Resilience of Myrlie Evers-Williams after the racially motivated murder of her husband Medgar Evers. (Note the source of the title of the book)

Dr. Tisby draws on examples from a couple of centuries of Unites States history, Then, he concludes with examples of contemporary "Creators" through whom he believes the Spirit of Justice speaks. It is a refreshing and generous kind of footnoting.

Dr. Tisby writes the book with this question in mind: "How do you keep going when it looks like you are not winning?" By book's end, I, and perhaps you will as well, have the beginning of some answers.

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The Spirit of Justice - An Inspiring Reminder that we are Not Alone in the Struggle

Jemar Tisby elevates the details of the lives and impact of both lesser known and well documented actors in Justice work from the past through the present. In doing so he shows that we who take up the mantle of this holy call are not alone and are not without the same divine and human resources despite the sometimes overwhelming challenges we face. I was particularly encouraged by the breadth of diverse backgrounds in the individuals he featured. There were former slaves, formerly incarcerated, immigrants, women, single mothers, and persons rising from poverty and treacherous oppression who achieved amazing success despite the odds. The question I came away with was if they could do it, why can’t I being a person who in many ways has much more privilege and power? The key ingredients of courage and imagination helped all to have the resilience to move forward to face an unknown future. Thank you Dr. Tisby for this remarkable look into the inner lives of these heroes of Justice! I’m sharing this resource as broadly as possible, especially now as we face an era of a decline in civil and human rights in the U.S. and around the globe.

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Stories of resistance.

his is a natural next book for Jemar Tisby. His first book was a survey of the ways that the church in the US has been complicit with racism. The second book was a response to the question, “What should we do now” that he kept getting from people who read the first book. And this third book is designed as inspiration for continuing to work for justice.

I am fairly well-read in civil rights history and there were both well-known figures and people I did not know here. The balance between the known and the unknown (or lesser known) was good. You can’t ignore major figures like Martin Luther King Jr, but in some ways, those figures are less inspiring because they have become “saints” of the movement. The lesser-known figures I think are more inspiring because they worked toward justice without becoming well-known.

That isn’t to say those lesser-known people are less important. Part of what Tisby is doing is bringing balance to the story. There is a whole chapter on women of the civil rights movement, not because they were completely unknown but because the sexism of the time impacted how we tell stories today. And many behind-the-scenes figures were essential to the organizational and movement-building work that allowed the well-known people to become well-known.

Immediately after finishing The Spirit of Justice, I picked up a new biography of John Lewis. Lewis was well known by his death, but part of what the biography illustrated was the long arc of that fame. Lewis spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, but that was after having led the Nashville student movement and then SNCC. But when he left SNCC leadership, he was only 26. He had several completely separate careers after that. He headed the Voter Education Project for 7 years, and under his leadership VEP registered an estimated 4 million people. He also spent several years working for the federal government in the Carter administration, six years on the Atlanta city council, and 34 years in Congress.

I bring up John Lewis because as well known as he is today, had he done any one of the many things (Freedom Rider, Nashville sit-in movement, SNCC leadership, SCLS board member, voting rights advocate, Selma Marcher, and a main mover of the remembrance of the Selma March, he may not be well-known. But whether he was well-known or not, his contributions mattered.

And that is why The Spirit of Justice matters. This is a book of inspiration to know those who have done the work to bring about the progress toward justice that has been accomplished thus far. While not every person is primarily known as a Christian, the reality is that justice, especially around racial issues in the US has been historically rooted in the Black Church. Most of the figures in The Spirit of Justice were themselves shaped by and a member of the Black Church. There were a lot of complaints about the Color of Compromise not telling the stories of how the church worked toward justice. Those complaints missed the point of the book in highlighting how the church was compromised. The Spirit of Justice now highlights the stories of those who worked for justice. And I think contextually important, it records how often those stories of justice were opposed by other members of the church in the United States.

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Powerful and thought-provikjng

Great information - both the history and the present-day efforts to disrupt racism. The challenge to be courageous is one of the ultimate calls to action and there is no substitution.

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Essential for sustainment and action

In this book Jemar Tisby provides a special inside look into the historical and personal experiences of African Americans that is not always included in other accounts of the people and events covered. Additional personal perspectives are presented of those in the abolitionist movement through Harriet Tubman and Robert Smalls through Civil Rights martyrs such as Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King and through to the 21st Century. For those already familiar with these events and people, Tisby further brings them alive as persons and not just as academic accounts in history.

Tisby deliberately highlights and emphasizes the spiritual aspects of the people he chronicles as central to their motivation and actions—everyone may relax on that point as Tisby does not proselytize. The spiritual aspects of the persons and events presented may be considered objectively central to the theme of the book, the title of which implies "spiritual" in the religious (especially Christian) sense. This perspective provides a view into the Black church and its joining of faith and justice into an essential whole of life's meaning that those outside that tradition may not have encountered previously.

The "spirit" of justice as presented by Tisby is therefore a necessary precondition for the actual accomplishment of justice. This is not at all limited to a Black and white binary viewpoint. Tisby lists several organizations across racial and cultural boundaries that are working toward practical justice with a spiritual motivation—among those mentioned are Vote Common Good, Faithful America, and the Jude 3 Project. These are all active 21st Century efforts by people who are fully aware of the obstacles in front of them and the need to resist evil in its contemporary forms.

Tisby suggests that the four common traits of the persons described in this book are Faith, Courage, Imagination, and Resilience. These traits are essential to right the ship in our own era. The impetus for injustice has a long history, starting with the Doctrine of Discovery through the convoluted justifications for slavery through embedded echoes of the Roman Empire throughout Christendom today that have precious little to do with the Nazarene. As the world spirals deeper into Fascism and oligarchic dominance, the spirit of justice may be an essential foundation from which to counter the rampant disinformation that society is marinated in. Let us claim it for sustainment and action.

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Inspiring stories of courage

I loved learning about the bravery and resistance of the many individuals profiled in this book. So many encouraging and uplifting vignettes— many unknown to me before reading this book. Once again, Dr. Tisby’s well-researched work inspires me to take sides for justice.

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So many people I never heard of but wish I did.

I am recently woke white guy now finally learning about the blacks struggle in this country. This book eloquently describes so many people that worked for justice.

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