Resources to Stay Informed About Racial Inequality

For the past few weeks I’ve been wondering what to say about the state of this country and its embedded systemic racism, but instead of adding my white voice to a sea of others, I want to point my readers towards the people they need to be listening to right now.

Here is a list of web articles, books, and even a list of lists filled with helpful resources about racism, activism, and things for allies (and kids) to learn. It is by no means full right now, so if you have any more additions (or subtractions) comment here, or find me on my social media profiles.

Web:

“Why We Need A Black Lives Matter Activist In Congress” by Cori Bush

“The Floyd protests are the broadest in U.S. history — and are spreading to white, small-town America” by Lara Putnam, Erica Chenoweth and Jeremy Pressman

“Police: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)” (Video) 

“What is Systemic Racism?” (Videos)

“Racism and Health” APHA

“Being Antiracist” National Museum of African American History and Culture

“Racism: in Depth” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

“6 Common Logical Fallacies to Avoid” art by Noelle Cress

Innocence Project

“Actions You Can Take Today To Support The Black Lives Matter Movement” by The Good Trade Staff

“How to support Black Lives Matter, wherever you are” by Time Out editors

“Breonna Taylor Is One of a Shocking Number of Black People to See Armed Police Barge Into Their Homes” by Samantha Michaels

“Deaths in police custody in the United States: Research review” by Denise-Marie Ordway, John Wihbey, and Leighton Walter Kille

“No-Knock Warrants Banned In Louisville In Law Named For Breonna Taylor” by Barbara Campbell

"How It Feels to Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston

"The Significance Of “The Doll Test”" LDF

“13 Microaggressions Black People Deal With All The Time” by Kelsey Borresen

“Aunt Jemima: It was Never About the Pancakes” by Sarah Doneghy

“Unearthing the Impact of Institutionalized Racism on Access to Healthy Food in Urban African-american Communities” by Kate Meals

“The gut-wrenching history of black babies and alligators” by Domonique Foxworth

“This Is Why Juneteenth Is Important for America” (Video) 

“The Story of Seneca Village” by Central Park Conservancy

“Does Allegory Prevent Star Wars From Being Anti-Racist?” by Emmet Asher-Perrin

“8:46 - Dave Chappelle” (Video)
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*Books:

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon

Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership by Ed Gordon

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches By Audre Lorde

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations about Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race edited by Jesmyn Ward

Race Matters by Cornel West

Caste: The Origins of our Discontents By Isabel Wilkerson

A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind by Harriet A. Washington

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul By Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do By Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhD

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman Jr.

How We Fight White Supremacy edited by Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin

Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment by Angela J. Davis, Bryan Stevenson, Marc Mauer, Bruce Western, and Jeremy Travis

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Boy by Richard Wright

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

White Fragility: Why It's so Hard For White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison

*For any of the books you want to buy, be sure to buy directly from the author’s website, or even utilize your local library. If you do want to purchase them, here is a list of indie black booksellers you can purchase from.


A List of Lists:

“Articles on Racism” The Conversation

“Anti-Racist Resource Guide” created by Victoria Alexander, MEd

Black Lives Matter Resources

National Resource list

“Read a F*cking Zine: 50 Zines by Queer People of Color” by Daniela Capistrano

“62 great books by Black authors, recommended by TED speakers” 

“Resources for Unlearning and Transforming Racism” The Gratefulness Team

“Black Performers You Probably Don't Know About — But Should” by David Gordon and Pete Hempstead

“20 Great Horror Books by Black Authors” by The Angry Princess

“20 Black Horror Creatives You Need to Know” by Joy Robinson

“24 Black Bookstagrammers Who Should Be On Your Radar” by Arianna Rebolini

“20 Books To Read If You Want To Get Into Black Sci-Fi And Fantasy” by Arianna Rebolini

“21 Ways To Support Black Lives Matter If You Can’t Protest” by Griffin Wynne


Things for Allies to Know:

“For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies” by Courtney Ariel

“10 common phrases that are actually racist AF.” by Bronwyn Isacc

“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh

“Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead)” by Holiday Phillips

“How I Check My Biases” by @shes_mightymighty

“Want To Have Better Conversations About Racism With Your Parents? Here's How” by Sarah McCammon

“How I Discovered I am White” by renegademama

White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise

The Wages of Whiteness by David R. Roediger


​Resources for Kids and Teens:

“11 Facts About Racial Discrimination” DoSomething.org

“Books About Racism and Social Justice” 

“30 books to help you talk to your kids about racism” By Alex Mlynek

“Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News”

“Teaching Juneteenth”

“Black Lives Matter at School”

“Black Lives Matter: From Hashtag to Movement” ADL

“It's Uncomfortable and Awkward to Talk with Your Kids About Racism. Do it Anyway.” by Kristin Shaw

Again, there is so much more I want to add to this list, and will continue to update it as I find (or am given) more resources. It’s really just a primer, a bare scratch on the surface of a long history full of erasure, violence, and blatant ignorance. By my own admission there are a lot of things I still need to learn about, and listen to, when it comes to the black experience in America. And I hope others will want to learn too. 

I want to thank the people who have told me about different  any more suggestions for resources to add to this list and keep it growing.

For the future of this blog, I do want to write a comprehensive list for movies, documentaries, and TV related to racism and black lives. I also want to start a series about BIPOC in horror, and of course still mix in my own writing and blog posts. 

Thank you all!

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Photo Courtesy by Josh Hild

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