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• ↓ COVER STORY: The Rev. Dr. Reginald Smith’s new memoir, ‘Roosevelt Park Rising,’ shows us that hope for America at 250 is right there ‘on the other side of fear.’
• ↓ Care to read the other parts of our America at 250 series?
• ↓ And, more news from our authors—
• ↓ Want to see all the holidays?
• ↓ Join us for a month-long all-American film series
• ↓ 2 Films from Black Auteurs
• ↓ Top Alternatives to readthespirit.com

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"COVER STORY—This is the fifth in a series of five columns ReadTheSpirit magazine is publishing through July 2026 to explore the U.S. 250th anniversary from a wide range of perspectives."

"This week, we have given the ‘last word’ in this series to the Rev. Dr. Reginald Smith—a prophetic voice for community renewal who is about to launch his inspiring memoir, Roosevelt Park Rising, published by Reformed Journal Books. Dr. Smith’s memoir tells the true story of how he and his wife risked their lives by moving into a tragically divided community with the commitment that they would live and work among their neighbors for years to rediscover hope and eventually build a wide range of new community institutions. Yes, this really happened—including the bullets that raked the front of the Smiths’ home as they made this commitment to community service. If you read this Cover Story and then read Dr. Smith’s book—you’ll discover lots of pragmatic wisdom about finding healthy ways to rebuild relationships one neighborhood at a time. This is a great choice for individual empowerment and for small-group discussions, as well."

"And, there’s even more for movie lovers in July: In our weekly Faith & Film sections throughout July we are unfolding a movie-discussion series about films that inspire and provoke us to think about our culture and values. That’s below!"

Key Topics & Focus Areas for readthespirit.com:

COVER STORY: The Rev. Dr. Reginald Smith’s new memoir, ‘Roosevelt Park Rising,’ shows us that hope for America at 250 is right there ‘on the other side of fear.’

Care to read the other parts of our America at 250 series?

And, more news from our authors—

Want to see all the holidays?

Join us for a month-long all-American film series

2 Films from Black Auteurs