Books/Articles
- The New Jim Crow
- Who: Michelle Alexander
- What: Michelle Alexander takes an extensive look at the history of mass incarceration and its direct connections to American slavery. Alexander uses a historian’s lens to examine the past as well as the policies, practices and cultures that have led to the present system of incarceration that particularly affects the Black community.
- How: This book is best used as an introductory guide to understanding systemic racism and the many systems, including the present prison system, that are created by systemic racism.
- Me and White Supremacy
- Who: Layla Saad
- What: Originating from a social media challenge, Layla Saad provides a 28 day guide to examining the many elements of white supremacy culture. Saad provides a description of several symptoms of white supremacy, its individual manifestations and insight into combating that symptom.
- How: This is best used for gaining an understanding of white supremacy culture and the language used to describe it.
- White Fragility
- Who: Robin D’Angelo
- What: Similar to Layla Saad’s book, Robin DiAngelo provides a step-by-step guide through navigating one’s own white supremacy but from the firsthand perspective and experience of a white person.
- How: This book is best used by white people who want to further explore their internalized white supremacy through a relatable lens. It provides BIPOC persons with language for their experiences.
- How to Be an Anti-Racist
- Who: Ibram X. Kendi
- What: Kendi writes an autobiographical text that provides insight into the world of Blackness in America while also noting encounters with systemic racism. Kendi also provides readers with direct actions to live a more anti-racist life.
- How: This book is best used by both white and BIPOC persons who want to learn how to apply anti-racist strategies to their lives.
- I’m Still Here
- Who: Austin Channing Brown
- What: Provides a both feminist and Christian perspective on navigating predominantly white spaces as a Black woman. Channing Brown is humorous, informative and deeply honest when conveying her life experiences.
- How: This book is an autobiography that provides insight into the intersectional experience of the life of a Black woman.
- The Case for Reparations
- Who: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- What: An article written to explain the necessity of reparations for Black Americans, the article is written through a historical lens and backed with economic statistics.
- How: This article is best used to understand how systemic racism affects the lives of Black and Brown persons economically today.
- How to Be Anti-Racist
- Who: Rebecca Ruiz
- What: Ruiz provides a summary and review of Ibram X Kendi’s book “How to Be an Anti-Racist” and highlights five of Kendi’s main points.
- How: This article is best used if you’re unable to read the entire How To Be An Anti-Racist book, you can use this article in the meantime.
- Invisibility of Anti-Asian Violence
- Who: Audiey C. Kao, MD, PhD
- What: Kao sheds light into her personal experience as an Asian-American during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent rise in anti-Asian violence that ensued. She goes on to provide a history of Anti-Asian racism and the laws and policies in America that have supported such racism. She ends by asking both Asian persons and allies alike to solidify anti-racism as a new way of life.
- How: To gain perspective and insight into the specific manifestations of anti-Asian racism.
Movies/Documentaries
- 13th
- Who: Ava Duvernay (Director)
- What: This documentary utilizes the expertise of politicians, historians and activists to tell the story of how the 13th Amendment to the American Constitution directly penalizes and leads to the over incarceration of Black Americans.
- How: To gain a historical knowledge of the policies and laws that have led to mass incarceration.
- Minari
- Who: Lee Isaac Chung (Director)
- What: This film offers the director’s autobiographical view of his life growing up in a family of first generation Korean immigrants in the US. The family moves to the Southwest in pursuit of an American dream and are met both by the mundane and nuance of systemic racism.
- How: To learn more about and grow an appreciation for the immigrant experience.
- If Beale Street Could Talk
- Who: Barry Jenkins (Director)
- What: This film offers a fictional telling of a Black family torn apart by the American prison system as written by James Baldwin. A young couple fall in love only to have the young man ripped away on false charges, with no money to afford bail and a new baby on the way.
- How: To enjoy the poetic narrative writing of James Baldwin while learning about the realities of the cash bail system and the ways in which it penalizes impoverished Black and Brown persons.
- Whose Streets?
- Who: Sabaah Folayan (Director)
- What: A documentary that focuses on the protests following the murder of Mike Brown and the subsequent acquittal of the police officer who shot him. The filmmakers work to provide an intimate and personal connection with the featured protesters, their lives and their passions in the streets.
- How: To gain an understanding of news media and its varying depictions of Black protest as well as an understanding of community organizing and Black LGBTQIA+ community.
- Coco:
- Who: Disney Studios
- What: An animated movie about a boy discovering his family secrets and traditions through music and the traditional Mexican celebrations of the afterlife.
- How: To gain an understanding of Mexican culture through a children’s story.
Podcasts
- 1619 Project
- Who: Nikole Hannah Jones
- What: Historian, Nikole Hannah Jones, tells the story of the first African slaves arrival on American shores in 1619 and illustrates how slavery has directly shaped the America of present day.
- How: To gain an understanding of the impact of American chattel slavery today and in the past.
- Code Switch
- Who: Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji
- What: Code Switch takes a look at the past and the present to provide a historical analysis on race and race relations in America. Topics range from school busing, immigration at the border and many other topics.
- How: To gain an understanding of the many intersections of racialized systems in the US.
- All My Relations
- Who: Matika Wilbur and Desi Small Rodriguez
- What: All My Relations is a podcast that explores the many ways in which Native people are relating to the world today; relating to land, ancestors and their community members. Every episode touches on a different subject that affects the lives of Native people now.
- How: To gain knowledge and understanding of the present issues facing the Native community now.
- United States of Anxiety
- Who: Kai Wright
- What: United States of Anxiety takes a look at the US and its complicated relationship with telling the whole truth of its complicated and violent history. Its host and guests take a weekly deep dive into what’s happened in the past and imagine new ways to respond in the future.
- How: To gain an understanding on new restorative, equitable and anti-racist solutions to our past problems and future.
- Momentum, a Race Forward Podcast
- Who: Chevon Drew and Hiba Elyass
- What: Momentum’s hosts use their unique perspectives and experiences to talk about an array of topics from pop culture to relationship with and to racial identity and culture. Conversations center around building momentum for radical racial justice work.
- How: To gain a clearer understanding of social justice movement work.
Workshops
- White People Confronting Racism
- Who: Training for Change
- What: An anti-racism training specifically created for white people to gain a set of specific skills. The training focuses on racism recognition skills, self awareness and intervention skills.
- Set Free
- Who: Roots of Justice
- What: A follow up to the Roots of Justice Anti-Racism Analysis Training that is geared specifically towards Black, Indegenous, People of Color to discuss, explore and dismantle their specific manifestations of internalized white supremacy.
- ROJ Anti-Racism Analysis Training
- Who: Roots of Justice
- What: A three day anti-racism training that provides participants with a historical analysis on the creation of race, caucus spaces to examine the unique manifestations of white supremacy within white persons and BIPOC persons and anti-racist organizing strategies.
- Managing to Change the World
- Who: The Management Center
- What: A training that combines general management strategies with inclusive antiracist strategies.