For patrons searching for books on race and justice, our librarians have brought together a wide range of social justice resources that we hope you’ll find helpful in these uncertain times. Whether you’re discussing current events unfolding with your children, your teens, one another, or you’re merely learning for yourself (and we are always learning and growing) the following articles, podcasts, films, and more are here for you to use. Books are linked to their ebooks online, where you may check them out and reserve them.
All titles are linked, even if they are not highlighted in red.
Books for Adults (Fiction):
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (ebook, other ebook edition, audio)
- A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (ebook)
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (ebook, audio, Hoopla)
Books for Adult (Facts):
- An African American and Latinx History of the United States, by Paul Ortiz (ebook, audio)
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper (audio, ebook)
- Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid To Ask, by Anton Treuer (Hoopla ebook, Hoopla audio)
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (ebook, audio)
- Friends Disappear: The Battle for Racial Equity in Evanston by Mary Barr (ebook)
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon (ebook)
- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (ebook, audio)
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (ebook, audio)
- An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (ebook, YA ebook, audio, Hoopla audio)
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (ebook, audio, YA ebook, YA audio)
- Lies my Teacher Told Me, by James Loewen (ebook, other ebook edition, YA ebook, Hoopla ebook, other Hoopla ebook edition)
- The Making of Asian America, by Erika Lee (ebook, audio, Hoopla audio)
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad (ebook, audio, Hoopla)
- Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, by Derald Wing Sue (ebook)
- A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn (ebook, other ebook edition, audio, other audio edition, Hoopla)
- Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America, Fifth Edition, by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (Hoopla audio)
- Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (Hoopla audio)
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (ebook, audio, Hoopla audio)
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (ebook, audio, Hoopla audio)
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (ebook)
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson (Hoopla audio)
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD (ebook, audio)
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: and Other Conversations about Race, by Dr. Beverly Tatum (ebook)
Articles to Read:
- “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)
- An Antiracist Reading List by Ibram X. Kendi | The New York Times (May 29, 2019)
- Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
- The Combahee River Collective Statement
- “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
- NAACP’s Criminal Justice Fact Sheet.
- The National Museum of the American Indian Education Office. Native Knowledge 360 Framework for Essential Understandings about American Indians.
- The Sentencing Project, Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System, April 19, 2018
- Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
- Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction, developed by the National Congress of American Indians
- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
Films and Series to Watch on Kanopy
- America After Ferguson
- Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Oregon
- Copwatch: An Organization Dedicated to Filming the Police
- Every Mother’s Son: Policing and Race in America
- I Am Not Your Negro
- Let the Fire Burn: Tragedy in Philadelphia
- Peace Officer: The Militarized State of American Police
- Policing the Police
- Profiled: The Mothers of Murdered Black and Latino Youth
- P.S. I Can’t Breathe: Black Lives Matter
- When Justice Isn’t Just: Unarmed Police Incidents
Additionally, Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein compiled the following resources in May 2020. Consider this a helpful list of links to follow-up on as well:
Videos to Watch:
- Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)
- “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” | Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)
Podcasts to Subscribe To:
- 1619 (New York Times)
- About Race
- Code Switch (NPR)
- Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
- Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
- Seeing White
Organizations to Follow on Social Media:
- Antiracism Center: Twitter
- Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Muslim Girl: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- SisterSong: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- United We Dream: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
More Anti-Racism Resources to Check Out:
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
- Anti-Racism Project
- Jenna Arnold’s resources (books and people to follow)
- Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism
- Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide by Tatiana Mac
- Showing Up For Racial Justice’s educational toolkits
- “Why is this happening?” — an introduction to police brutality from 100 Year Hoodie
- Zinn Education Project’s teaching materials