Social Justice Events and Resources
Trinity Episcopal Parish in Wilmington Delaware seeks social justice and equality where it does not exist today. Our sensitivities to the problems in our modern society were highlighted when the George Floyd protests exploded through the US and the world during the height of the pandemic lockdown. The problems can be addressed by reform in a wide range of areas: Police, Justice, Housing, Education, Employment, Voting rights and the list goes on in the City of Wilmington, the State of Delaware our region and country. Our parish members volunteer their time and get involved in order to improve our community and make positive change to help others in need. Below is a list of resources you might find helpful in order to learn more, raise your awareness and get involved in a cause that is close to your heart. This is a living document and if you have additional information to add please let us know.
UPCOMING
1. Policy
Review and discuss HB 125 (make breakfast and lunch free at public schools)
2. News
Newark tries again to enact UD student head tax
3. Community
Learn about issues highlighted in Fines, Fees, and You: Progress in the First State, including ability to pay, fee elimination, and fund stabilization. There are multiple ways you advocate for fines and fees reform: Meeting with legislators, Sending postcards to legislators, Sharing my story about how fines and fees have impacted me and my family, Receiving emails and updates from CEDP.
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- SB 2 (Early Voting) The first leg of a constitutional amendment to codify in-person early voting to make sure that our ability to vote early in person can not be taken away. Sign up to testify at the Senate Elections Committee on Wednesday at 3:00pm.
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- SB 3 (No-Excuse Absentee Voting) Right now if you want to vote absentee, you need to have a specific reason, while this constitutional amendment would make it so that anyone is able to vote by mail without needing an excuse, as long as they are eligible to vote. Sign up to testify at the Senate Elections Committee on Wednesday at 3:00pm.
- HB 62 (Utility Shut-Offs) In response to spiking Delmarva bills, this legislation would put more restrictions on utility companies to shut off heating and cooling. Sign up to testify at the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday at 4:00pm.
You can read more in our legislative update for this week.
Hi Friends,
Join Us for a Letter-Writing Event in Support of Rent Stabilization! 
Date: Thursday, March 27
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Provided upon RSVP
Stable housing is essential for thriving communities! Join us as we come together to write letters in support of rent stabilization policies that protect renters from unfair hikes and displacement. Whether you’re a tenant, advocate, or community ally, your voice matters!
RSVP to receive the location details and help us make an impact.
Join Us for a Letter-Writing Event in Support of Rent Stabilization! – Action Network
Let’s stand together for housing justice! 
Thursday, March 27, 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
With Groundskeeper William Jones and Volunteer Historian Dr. Regina Barry
Delaware, like many states, maintained separate burial grounds for African-Americans and Whites. Burials from several early African-American cemeteries belonging to church congregations in Wilmington were moved to Mount Olive in the early 1900’s. The remains of approximately 13,000 bodies now reside in Mount Olive, but a lack of record-keeping and on-going maintenance symbolized a disregard for the memories and contributions of these people. Join us to watch the documentary Restless Ground and have a discussion with groundskeeper, William Jones, and volunteer historian Dr. Regina Barry as we learn of efforts under way to restore dignity to this sacred resting place.
ACLU and NYCLU –
In the ongoing suit to protect the rights and safety of Mahmoud Khalil – ACLU, NYCLU, CLEAR, Center for Constitutional Rights, and Amy Greer just filed a motion for a preliminary injunction arguing his detention violates his First Amendment right and due process. We are fighting to return Mr. Khalil to his family and to stop the government from doing this to anyone else.
As a reminder of what’s unfolded so far:
- On March 8, 2025, federal immigration enforcement agents arrested Mr. Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University, because of his pro-Palestinian advocacy last spring.
- At his home, the agents indicated that the government had revoked his student visa. Mahmoud’s pregnant wife explained that he was a lawful permanent resident, not a visa holder – and even showed them his green card. They then claimed they’d revoked his green card, too.
- He was later put on a plane and sent to a detention facility in Louisiana without any notice to his wife or his legal team.
This is blatantly unlawful. Just like everyone else, Mr. Khalil is entitled to due process before something as serious as a green card revocation – and he also has the right to freedom of expression, including the right to take part in demonstrations and to publicly express opinions that the government doesn’t like.
You cannot detain someone and revoke their legal status because of their advocacy and political views. That’s not our opinion: It’s central to the Constitution.
While we fight this in court, you can take action as well by sending a message to ICE demanding the release of Mr. Khalil now. Please join us in this crucial advocacy.
| TAKE ACTION |
Letters of support by Mahmoud’s friends, colleagues, and professors tell us that before his unlawful arrest, he was busy thinking up names for his child and planning a surprise baby shower for his wife. Now he’s a thousand miles away from his family, his community, and his home, simply because of his political advocacy.
Let’s be clear: If the government can do this to Mr. Khalil, they can do it to any of us. We should all consider this a message from the Trump administration to anyone in America that if they dare to disagree – they will be punished.
We will continue to fight for Mr. Khalil’s release and for the protections of the First Amendment. And we hope you’ll consider taking action with your own message to ICE today as well.
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We are looking forward to seeing you at our Monthly Meeting! We will discuss the details of Advocacy Day in Dover and recap the gun violence prevention bills we have advocated for in the past. Be SMART Secure Storage/Suicide Awareness & Prevention will be covered, as well as our partner events.
Additionally, we would like to help and support any events you have coming up on the horizon. Please reply with any upcoming events and let us know how we can help. We look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Sunday, April 13th, at 3:00 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Mark your calendars for Sunday, April 13th at 3:00 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church and Thursday May 8th for Advocacy Day in Dover! It will be an exciting day!
Kind regards,
Kerry Meluskey
Community Engagement
Antiracism RESOURCES
YWCA Antiracist Resource page
Here you can find Antiracist resources such as books, movies and podcast to further your personal education. To register or find out more about our programs visit: www.ywcade.org/what-we-do/rsj/
Books
Non-fiction
Roll Jordan Roll by Eugene Genovese
Displaying keen insight into the minds of both enslaved persons and slaveholders, historian Eugene Genovese investigates the ways that enslaved persons forced their owners to acknowledge their humanity through culture, music, and religion. He covers a vast range of subjects, from slave weddings and funerals, to language, food, clothing, and labor, and places particular emphasis on religion as both a major battleground for psychological control and a paradoxical source of spiritual strength.
Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabelle Wilkerson
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.
Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two “letters,” written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism.
Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to Alex Haley
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
Malcolm X by Manning Marable
Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America. Reaching into Malcolm’s troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents’ activism as followers of Marcus Garvey through his own work with the Nation of Islam and rise in the world of black nationalism, and culminates in the never-before-told true story of his assassination.
Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion.
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria and Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious.
Fiction
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings– Maya Angelou
The Underground Railroad-Colson Whitehead
The Bluest Eye-Toni Morrison
The Color Purple– Alice Walker
Anti-Racism
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness– Michelle Alexander
How to Be an Antiracist-Ibram X.Kendi
White Fragility– Robin Diangelo
So You Want to Talk About Race– Ijeoma Oluo
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
Movies
Glory – R – 1989 – 2hr. 2 min – Available on Netflix
Following the Battle of Antietam, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is offered command of the United States’ first all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. With junior officer Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), Shaw puts together a strong and proud unit, including the escaped slave Trip (Denzel Washington) and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle.
Do the Right Thing – R – 1989 ‧ Comedy-drama ‧ 2h 5m – Available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime
Salvatore “Sal” Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria’s Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin’ Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin’ Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
13th – 2016 ‧ Documentary/History ‧ 1h 40m – Available on Netflix
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation’s prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.
Just Mercy – PG13 – 2019 – Drama – 2h 17m – Available on HBOMax, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube
After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian’s life.
Green Book – PG13 – 2018 – Comedy/Drama – 2h 10m – Available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime
Dr Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.
If Beale Street Could Talk – R – 2018 – Romance/Drama – 1h 59m – Available on Hulu
In early 1970s Harlem, daughter and wife-to-be Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together, but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
12 Years A Slave – R – 2013 – Drama/History – 2h 14m – Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime
In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon’s life forever.
Malcolm X – PG13 – 1992 – Drama – 3h 22m – Available on HBOMax, Amazon Prime, Vudu
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the ’50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Mississippi Burning – R – 1988 – Mystery/Drama – 2h 8m – Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime
When a group of civil rights workers goes missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are sent in to investigate. Local authorities refuse to cooperate with them, and the African American community is afraid to, precipitating a clash between the two agents over strategy. As the situation becomes more volatile, the direct approach is abandoned in favor of more aggressive, hard-line tactics.
BlacKkKlansman – R – 2018 – Crime/Drama – 2h 16m – Available on YouTube, Amazon Prime
Ron Stallworth is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman, into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.
Crash – R – 2004 – Crime/Drama – 1h 55m – Available on Hulu, HBOMax, Amazon Prime
Writer-director Paul Haggis interweaves several connected stories about race, class, family and gender in Los Angeles in the aftermath of 9/11. Characters include a district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his casually prejudiced wife (Sandra Bullock), dating police detectives Graham (Don Cheadle) and Ria (Jennifer Esposito), a victimized Middle Eastern store owner and a wealthy African-American couple (Terrence Dashon Howard, Thandie Newton) humiliated by a racist traffic cop (Matt Dillon).
Selma – PG13 – 2014 – Historical Drama – 2h 8m – Available on Hulu, Sling, Amazon Prime
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Help – PG13 – 2011 – Drama/Romance – 2h 27m – Available on Netflix, Paramount Network
In 1960s Mississippi, Southern society girl Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns from college with dreams of being a writer. She turns her small town on its ear by choosing to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent white families. Only Aibileen (Viola Davis), the housekeeper of Skeeter’s best friend, will talk at first. But as the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward, and as it turns out, they have quite a lot to say.