Book Signing, Book Fair and ADLA Reception
The Book Signing for black authors on Feb. 15th at 5pm, will highlight the work of Pastor Ken Wheeler, US Resurgence of American Terrorism and LSTC’s Sharei Green God’s Holy Darkness. A reception sponsored by the Metro Chicago African Descent Strategy Team and the Chicago Chapter of the African Descent Lutheran Association will follow the book signing from 6:00 to 8:00pm.
Book Fair
Da Book Joint will be on campus selling black books and promoting black authors. Established in 2007, Da Book Joint bookstore is a Black woman-owned business committed to literary growth and positive engagement of the youth. Referred to as “Your African American Book Source,” Da Book Joint is a bookstore created with the purpose of uniting lovers of literature with diverse bestselling and rising authors. Since opening on Chicago’s Southside, they have been able to develop a thriving community for their customers, where book lovers can easily purchase books they love and come together with like-minded individuals through virtual and in-person gatherings. The store is in Bronzeville, on Chicago’s southside at 330 E. 51st St., Chicago, 60653. Contact them at (877) 726-6556 or orders@dabookjoint.com.
Black Authors
Dr. Kenneth Wheeler
In his book Pastor Wheeler calls on white Christians, in particular, to engage in the deeply personal yet collective work of facing ourselves in order to turn away from who we have become.
In US: The Resurrection of American Terror, Evangelical Lutheran pastor Kenneth Wheeler exposes white supremacy as America’s greatest threat. Transcending the boundaries of memoir, scholarship, theology, and sharp political critique, Pastor Wheeler takes readers on his own seven-decade-long journey that lays bare the terror of being Black in America. From his childhood in Jackson, Mississippi under the trauma of Jim Crow segregation to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Wheeler steadily holds a mirror up to a nation drowning in a rising tide of white supremacy.US: The Resurrection of American Terror offers a deeply vulnerable and piercing portrait of the human toll of white supremacy and points to the Cross as a place of hope and reconciliation.
A retired ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Wheeler is a sought-after preacher, public theologian, and writer. He is a guest lecturer on pastoral leadership in the 21st century at Wartburg Theological Seminary, where he received a Doctor of Divinity Degree honoris causa. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Pastor Wheeler earned a B.A. in Religion from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and an M.DIV from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
Sharei Green, Beckah Selnick & Nikki Faison
In God’s Holy Darkness, Sharei Green and Beckah Selnick deconstruct anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God’s people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. From the darkness at the beginning of creation to the blackness of the sky on the day when Christ’s birth was announced to the shepherds, children learn that blackness is something to celebrate as an important element of the life of faith. Perfect for reading for anti-racist reflection in worship, and as an affirmation and celebration with children.
Sharei Green is pursuing a Masters of Divinity as a seminarian at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Sharei has a strong commitment to community healing and Sabbath, especially in BIPOC communities. You can find her writings online at Living Lutheran, Gather Magazine, and Café Magazine.
Beckah Selnick is a writer focusing on storytelling for digital formats. She is the host and creator of PK/PK Podcast. Beckah is living at the intersection of faith, funny, and feminism in Portland, Oregon.
Nikki Faison is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving as the Program Director for African Descent Ministries. Nikki is the creator of MONadvocacy, a racial justice resource grounded in play. She is passionate about queer Black liberation, cultivating diverse leadership in faith spaces, and the art of creation. She resides in the Chicagoland area.