Talking about race and racism is something that Americans have typically avoided. That is until now. People, specifically, white people, are finally listening and acknowledging the racial injustices black people and people of color face in this country. In America, we are taught a white-washed history, which downplays the racism ingrained in our society. Thankfully, because these conversations are finally happening, people are reeducating themselves and making an effort to unlearn the white-washed history we have been taught in schools. If you are on the journey of unlearning & relearning, here are some really great resources on anti-racism and race in America.
Books
- The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
- When They Call You a Terrorist – Patrisse Khan-Cullors (co-founder of Black Lives Matter)
- Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? – Beverly Tatum
- The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
- White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo
- Even the Rat Was White – Robert V. Guthrie
- The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination – Alondra Nelson
- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl – Harriet Jacobs
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave – Frederick Douglass
- Citizen – Claudia Rankine
Notable Authors & Black Leaders
Documentaries
- 13th – exploring the criminalization of black Americans
- I Am Not Your Negro – based on an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin about racism
Related: 3 Documentaries You Need To Watch
Movies
- The Hate U Give (available on Hulu) – A teen witnesses the shooting of her best friend by a cop and has to decide whether to testify or not
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Based the true story of a woman’s search about her mother’s ‘immortal’ cells that saved millions
Interesting Videos
- James Baldwin’s “Black Lives Matter” Speech (1965)
- Angela Davis Speaks On Police Brutality
- Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality
- Debunking The Most Common Myths White People Tell About Race
- Dr. Frances Cress Welsing on the Phil Donahue Show – Psychiatrist discussing the minority myth & theorizing why racism exists
Podcasts
- 1619 – The New York Times covering the history of American slavery from the beginning
- 99% Invisible – all about design but covers racial elements as well.
- Episode 199: The Yin & Yang of Basketball – critics wanted to ban dunking to prevent black players from outshining white players
- Episode 207: Soul City – proposed town for black people in the 60’s
- Serial – season 3 covers the racial inequalities and failures of the criminal justice system in Cleveland, Ohio
Organizations To Donate To
- Black Lives Matter – fighting to end state-sanctioned violence, liberate Black people, and end white supremacy
- ACLU – donations help with legal battles and advocacy efforts to end police brutality
- Campaign Zero – donations support the research of policing practices across the country & finding effective solutions to end police brutality
- Reclaim the Block – donations help build the work to defund police in Minneapolis and move community dollars into safe resources
- The Bail Project – donations help people post bail who can’t afford it. Able to recycle every dollar donated at least twice per year
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund – donations help fight legal battles, protect voters, and advance the cause of racial justice & equality
- Black Visions Collective – donations help create conditions for long term success and transformation for Black people across Minnesota
- The Equal Justice Initiative – donations are critical to their efforts to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S.
Online Educational Resources
- Yale – African American History (free online course)
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Documenting The African American Experience in Las Vegas
- California African American History Museum
- PBS – African Americans Many Rivers to Cross
Topics to Explore
- Human Zoos – more here
- Eugenics
- Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
- Slave Insurance
- Fugitive Slave Act
- Slave Patrols
- Slave Compensation Act 1837 aka Slave Owner Reparations
- Chain Gang
- Jim Crow Laws
- 13th Amendment
- Grandfather Clause
- Voter Literacy Tests
- The Great Migration
- Back to Africa Movement
- The Murder of Emmett Till
- Martin Luther King Jr. – FBI Surveillance
- Redlining
- Black Panther Community Programs
- White Flight
- Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
- Black Wall Street
If you found this resource guide helpful, please consider donating to my PayPal account. It took a lot of time and effort to create this list and I would love to continue creating more resources like this one.
What other resources are helpful for learning about race?
