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Books, Movies and more: A Detailed List of Anti-Racism Resources
RESOURCES: June 4, 2020
Posting a “black out photo” on your social media for #blackouttuesday is a nice intention but it does not do much and in no way it should feel like an accomplishment. For those who are interested in getting more intentional about deepening anti-racism work, the below are a list of resources to educate yourself.
It is difficult to ignore the protests happening across the world this week over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis. What is even more difficult to ignore is the pervasive racism faced daily by the black community.
Understanding begins with all of us looking inward, reflecting on our own attitudes, and of course having difficult conversations with family and friends. Start by picking one book, one article or one podcast and hold yourself accountable.
WHAT TO READ
BOOKS
How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
Instead of working with the policies and system we have in place, author Ibram X. Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it.
In his memoir, Kendi weaves together an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science–including the story of his own awakening to antiracism–bringing it all together in a cogent, accessible form. H
How to Be an Antiracist promises to become an essential book for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step of contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society.
Books Movies Anti-Racism Floyd
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel 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.
From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.
White Fragility by Robin J. Diangelo
White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection builds white expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress.
White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. This book explicates the dynamics of White Fragility and how we might build our capacity in the on-going work towards racial justice.
Other suggestions:
– White Rage/Carol Anderson/2017
-Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race/Renni Eddo-Lodge/2017
-Between the World and Me/Ta-Nehisi Coates/2015
-The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness/Michelle Alexander/2010
-The World That Made New Orleans/Ned Sublette/2008
-Black Feminist Thought/Patricia Hill Collins/2000
CHILDREN BOOKS
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped hundreds of enslaved people escape the South on the Underground Railroad. The lives of ten Black women activists are featured in an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in — even when it feels like no one is listening. Ages 6–9.
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz, illustrated by AG Ford
Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice.
Together with acclaimed illustrator AG Ford, Ilyasah Shabazz gives us a unique glimpse into the childhood of her father, Malcolm X, with a lyrical story that carries a message that resonates still today—that we must all strive to live to our highest potential.
ARTICLES
- “The Death of George Floyd, In Context,” by Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker
- “Of Course There Are Protests. The State Is Failing Black People,” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for the New York Times
- “This Is How Loved Ones Want Us To Remember George Floyd,” by Alisha Ebrahimji for CNN.
- “How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change,” by Barack Obama in Medium
TIME Cover – June 15, 2020 -Painting by Titus Kaphar
WHAT TO WATCH
Just Mercy from the director Destin Daniel Cretton
In response to current events, Warner Bros. is offering free streaming rentals of its film “Just Mercy,” from the director Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx.
“Just Mercy,” released in theaters on January 10, tells the true story of Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), a civil-rights attorney who works to defend Walter McMillian (Foxx), who was wrongfully convicted of murder.
You can rent “Just Mercy” for free in June through a variety of digital movie services in the US, including Apple TV, FandangoNow, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Redbox, the PlayStation Store, Vudu, Microsoft, and YouTube.
When They See Us, by Director Ava Duvernay
Another important watch from Ava DuVernay, this miniseries tells the story of the Central Park 5 – five young Black men falsely accused and prosecuted for the sexual assault of a white woman.
With no evidence or DNA, the group still served sentences ranging from six to 13 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit; another damning story of systemic racism in the judicial system.
Books Movies Anti-Racism Floyd
“The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro,” James Baldwin declared on February 18, 1965, in his epochal debate with William F. Buckley Jr. at the University of Cambridge. Baldwin was echoing the motion of the debate—that the American dream was at the expense of black Americans, with Baldwin for, Buckley against—but his emphasis on the word is made his point clear. “I picked the cotton, and I carried it to the market, and I built the railroads under someone else’s whip for nothing,” he said, his voice rising with the cadences of the pulpit. “For nothing.”
WHAT TO LISTEN
- My podcast episode with Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan, and Bryan Stevenson about Just Mercy
- Still Processing, a New York Times culture podcast with Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morrison
- Seeing White, a Scene on the Radio podcast
- Hear To Slay, “the black feminist podcast of your dreams,” with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom
Some of these resources appeared on Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call newsletter. Subscribe here.
Books Movies Anti-Racism Floyd
