Last year we cobbled together a summer reading list complete with professor recommendations.

This year, we want to share a must-read from the Center on Community Philanthrophy at the Clinton School of Public Service. A small caveat: This isn’t your typical beach read, so make sure your thinking cap is securely fastened.

The title is a little dense (Pathways to Racial Healing and Equity in the American South: A Community Philanthropy Strategy), but the topic of race relations is a timely one.

Just last week, the Supreme Court struck down the part of the Voting Rights Act that determined which areas around the country needed Justice Department approval of voting law changes. Many of those areas were states in the South with a history of discrimination at the polls.

This book, now available online, shares how communities handle race relations, from creating an institute on race to confronting racism in order to heal. It features essays from UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson, Little Rock Nine member Minnijean Brown Trickey, and civil liberties expert John A. Powell.

Why read this? If you are alive in the American South today, this is your reality. We should all be aware of the world around us and the big issues before us. These are the people who are trying to collectively work to improve our communities by creating pathways and dialogues.

The digital release of the second edition compendium follows the launch of the printed publication at the Center on Community Philanthropy’s third annual summit on Racial Equity and Healing earlier this year. The event was held as a special commemoration of the 15th anniversary of President Bill Clinton’s “One America in the 21st Century” initiative on race.