Resources
Featured Resources
Self-Care
Recommended Resources
Resources for Parents, Caregivers, Researchers and Clinicians.
Articles & Resources on Race
Caregivers, parents, and educators may all benefit from the articles and resources listed below.
- 4 Ways to Push Back Against Your Privilege
Mia McKenzie
¬ Learn how to adapt your awareness from acknowledging privilege to actively pushing back against it. - 10 Book about Race to Read Instead of Asking A POC to Explain It To You
Bustle
¬ If you are not sure how to talk about issues of race in America, this list provides starting points. - 106 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
Corriene Shutack
¬ Corinne Shutack’s viral article on specific actions white people can take for racial justice. - A mother’s warning: If you have White teen sons, listen up…
Sara Sidner
¬ A look at how online extremists use social media to recruit and radicalize white teens. - An Anti-Racist Reading List
Ibram X. Kendi
¬ New York Times list of books to help America transcend its racist heritage. - An Essential Reading Guide To Fighting Racism
Arianna Rebolini
¬ Reading these books can be a great resource for understanding why people are protesting racial injustice. - Anti-Racism for Kids: An Age-by-Age Guide to Fighting Hate
Katie Arnold-Ratliff
¬ Experts provide skills and tactics for parents who seek to shield their children from hate. - Anti-Racism Resources for White People
Spreadsheet of Resource
¬ This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. - Anti Racist Allyship Starter Pack
¬ Ongoing spreadsheet filled with resources and tools regarding racism and anti-Blackness. - Apps and Games with Diverse Characters
Common Sense Media
¬ Reviews of games and apps that can help children experience a variety of diverse characters and perspectives. - B.I.PoC. Provider Directory
DMHS
¬ Mental Health & Cultural Wellness Professionals who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LGBTQIA+ & affirming providers. - Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equality
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
¬ Here are some books to help us move beyond tokens and icons to a deeper understanding of our history and its legacy. - Books on history and current issues in school reform and education policy
Social Justice Books
¬ These are recommended books on history and current issues in school reform and education policy. - Books to teach white children and teens how to undo racism and white supremacy
Charis Books
¬ We recommend the following books for all families, but especially for parents of white children who may be struggling to talk about racial injustice with their kids and teens. - Code of Ethics for White Anti-Racists
Tim Wise
¬ 10 suggestions for stronger solidarity. - Conversations about Historical Trauma
Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart
¬ A summary review of Historical Trauma and its community impact. - Corporal punishment in black communities: Not an intrinsic cultural tradition but racial trauma
Stacey Patton, PhD
¬ Insights into the historical roots of African parenting. - Fatal Force: The Washington Post Police Shootings Database
Washington Post
¬ This database is based on news reports, public records, social media and other sources. - Free Copies of Books focused on the Black Experience
Black Life Network
¬ This site is made possible by the generous funding of African-Choctaw Entrepreneur, Educator & Activist Dr. LaTatia Stroud (Rain Angeni). - George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children?
Alia E. Dastagir
¬ Why is it important to talk with children about what happened to George Floyd and other incidents of police brutality or racism in the news? - Help Your Kids Find Books with Diverse Characters
Regan McMahon
¬ We’re seeing a positive trend — kids of all backgrounds teaming up in stories. - How do I make sure I’m not raising the next Amy Cooper?
Jennifer Harvey
¬ How to not raise a racist white kid. - How to Diversify Your Child’s Bookshelves
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
¬ Ways to step outside of your reading comfort zones into a world filled with stories. - How to Talk to Kids About Race: Experts Offer 8 Approaches to Broaching the Topic
Imani Razat
¬ Steps to take when talking with children about diversity, equity, inclusion and systemic change. - How White Women Use Themselves as Instruments of Terror
Charles M. Blow
¬ Contextualizes the historical role white women have had in instigating racial violence. - Learning about You: Who we are and where we come from matters – Worksheet & Therapist Guide
UW Medicine
¬ Part of the training available through the Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center. - Parenting Decolonized
Website Resource
¬ An online collective dedicated to helping parents who are struggling with being intentional and making conscious decisions. - Parents Guide to Talking with Kids About Protest (Ages 6 & Under)
Article Twenty Network
¬ A handbook for helping young children understand the reasons and purpose behind marching and protests for civil rights. - Performative Allyship is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead)
Holiday Phillips
¬ Tips for those who desire to express their support for civil rights. - #racialtraumaisreal
Maryam M. Jernigan, Carlton E. Green, Leyla Pérez- Gualdrón, Marcia Liu, Kevin T. Henza, Cynthia Chen, Kisha N. Bazelais, Anmol Satiani, Ethan H. Mereish, Janet E. Helms
¬ A concise guide on how to identify, cope, and manage racial trauma. - Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News
Child Mind Institute
¬ A guide to help parents assist children in processing their emotions around violent acts of racism they have experienced or witnessed. - Raising Race Conscious Children
Race Conscious
¬ An online community dedicated to supporting adults who are teaching young children about racial justice. - Raising white kids to be racially sensitive — and proactive
Jennifer Harvey
¬ The importance of family dialogues on race in helping children develop an anti-racist racial identity. - Recoiled (2018)
Missouri State University’s Electronic Arts Program
¬ Curated list of materials for helping you talk with young children about racism - Resources for Talking About Race, Racism and Racialized Violence With Kids
Center for Racial Justice & Education
¬ A carefully curated list of resources for use with youth and teens at home and in educational settings. - Supporting Youth Who Experience Racism
FAST-T Caregiver Handout
¬ This handout includes three parts to help parents and caregivers help children feel better about themselves after experiencing or witnessing racism. - Surviving & Resisting Hate: A Toolkit For People of Color
Dr. Hector Y. Adames & Dr. Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas
¬ 10 affirming and invaluable tips for daily life. - Talking About Unrest In Our Midst
Center for Adoption Support & Education
¬ Suggestions and tips on conversations with children and teens for parents during times of protest. - Talking About Race
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
¬ Educator tools and support for talking about race in an inspiring and productive way. - Talking Race with Young Children
NPR
¬ How to discuss race, diversity, inclusion, and racism with very young children. - Talking to Children About Racial Bias
Healthy Living
¬ A concise review of how children learn racial bias from an early age, and how to discuss the impact of bias. - Talking To Children About Racism, Police Brutality, and Protests
Dr. Laura Markham
¬ How to talk to children about racial violence, broken down by developmental age from toddlers to teens. - Talking With Students About Racism
Beth McMurtrie
¬ Advice, articles and resources for teachers for developing class materials on race and racism. - Talking To Children After Racial Incidents
Dr. Howard Stevenson
¬ Ways to provide children with the language tools for how to speak and express their emotions around racial issues. - What’s Missing From “White Fragility”
Lauren Michele Jackson
¬ A contemplative review of Robin DiAngelo’s 2019 workshop “Seeing the Racial Waters.” - What White Children Need to Know About Race
Ali Michael & Eleonora Bartoli
¬ Regarding the importance of racial education within educational settings beyond the family dinner table. - What White Colleagues Need to Understand
Learning for Justice
¬ White supremacy doesn’t stop at the teachers’ lounge door. - When black people are in pain, white people just join book clubs
Tre Johnson
¬ A critical look at the efficacy of white allyship in times of crisis. - White Fragility and Parenting
Tim Wise
¬ Some people really don’t want their kids knowing the truth about racism in America. - White parents: Here’s how to (and how not to) talk to your kids about racism
Sasha Emmons
¬ Don’t ignore the conversation, start earlier than you think and resist color-blind messages. - White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Peggy McIntosh
¬ The question is: “Having described white privilege, what will I do to end it?” - With hate crimes on the rise, I’m teaching my kids to be kind, not scared
Rachel Rabkin Peachman
¬ On the importance of racial socialization in developing emotional resilience during times of racial violence. - Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Round Up
Katrina Michie
¬ Curated list of materials for helping you talk with young children about racism.
There’s more! Here’s the link for @TheEMPOWERLab’s Twitter conversations for mental health discussions and conversations in real time and an archive of our psychoeducation flyers for clinicians and caregivers.
Undergraduate and Graduate School Resources
- College Planning Guide for Students with Mental Health Disorders, Intelligent.com Higher Education Team
- Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology, Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP
Audio/Podcast Recommendations
Prefer Audio? Here are a number of podcasts featuring episodes of particular note.
- Dr. Jennifer Bloomquist on Learnings from 20 Years of Being a “First” At Gettysburg College
- Dr. Isha Metzger on Establishing Expectations and Boundaries in Mentoring and Balancing Academic & Community Work
- Dr. Wenimo Okoya on Immersing Yourself in the Communities You Study and Healing Teachers to Help Students
Psych Mic
- Culturally competent care | The path to psychiatry with Dr. Alexandra Canetti
- Healing communities from racial trauma | with Dr. Isha Metzger
- Reaching kids where they’re at | Nonprofit success with Kevin Scully
This American Life
There’s more! Here’s the link for Therapy For Black Girls, much more than a podcast, it’s a central source for mental health discussions in the Black community.
Books for Children
Description: This bestselling ABC book is written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. A continuous bestseller for Triangle Square, we heard from booksellers around the country who clamored for a large format edition that would appeal to children over the age of 5. This engaging book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future, and calls children and parents to action.
Alexandra Penfold; Illustrated by Suzanna Kaufman
Description: This picture book celebrates diversity by showing how children in one classroom all grow and learn from each other’s traditions.
Mary Hoffman; Illustrated by Caroline Binch
Description: Grace loves to act, but one day some kids tell her she can’t play the part of Peter Pan because of the way she looks. Grace’s grandmother helps this young girl realize that with effort anything can be achieved. It’s an inspiring and heartwarming story.
Description: Every year the narrator and his family take a trip down to Cottondale, Florida, to visit his grandmother, Bigmama. This autobiographical story recalls the joys of summer and the contrast between the author’s life in the city and Bigmama’s lush, rural home. While the illustrations suggest it was a period of segregation, this thought never overpowers the carefree summer celebration.
Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Ridin Cowboy
Andrea Pinkney; Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Description: The most celebrated Black cowboy was Bill Pickett, a fearless rodeo star with a knack for taming bulls that brought the crowds to their feet. The closing note in this book provides an overview of the history of rodeos and black cowboys.
Cheryl Hudson & Bernette Ford; Illustrated by George Cephas Ford
Description: Four African American children interact with one another in a preschool environment, exploring their facial features, skin tones, what they wear, what they do, and how they learn from and enjoy each other. A happy book and nice addition to preschool and kindergarten classrooms.
Description: After a fire destroys their home and possessions, Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother save their money to buy a big comfortable chair. Suffused with warmth and tenderness, the Caldecott Honor book celebrates family love and determination. A Spanish version is also available.
Taye Diggs; Illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Description: This book can prompt a discussion about racial bullying. Dr. Aisha White, Director of the P.R.I.D.E Program at the University of Pittsburgh says that parents should read it first themselves, get ready to answer tough questions about bullying, and make sure they can give important context about racism in America. “We don’t recommend that anyone start reading this book with a child unless they’ve had some practice and are prepared to have useful and productive conversation,” says Dr. White.
Daddy, There’s A Noise Outside
Description: This engaging story begins when two children are awakened by noises in the middle of the night outside the window of their inner-city neighborhood. Both their Dad and Mom spend the next morning explaining to them what was taking place in their community.
Jacqueline Woodson; Illustrated by Rafael López
Description: National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López bring this inspiring story to life about finding the courage to connect. It’s about how sometimes you can feel like an outsider, but sharing out stories can bring us together.
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems
Langston Hughes & Brian Pinkney; Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Description: The great American poet Langston Hughes chose the poems in this classic collection, originally published for young people in 1932.
Virgina Hamilton; Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Description: Newbery Award winner Virginia Hamilton describes how Lindy and her family suffer through a long drought. Then a mysterious boy comes and teaches them the secrets of finding water hidden in the earth.
Mildred Taylor; Illustrated by Michael Hays
Description: Set in the 1950s, this book by Mildred Taylor is frank in its portrayal of racism. Lois and Wilma are proud when their father buys a brand new gold Cadillac. Only their mother won’t ride in it. On a trip from their home in Ohio to Mississippi, there are no admiring glances only suspicion directed toward the Black man driving such a fancy car. For the first time, Lois knows what it’s like to feel scared because of her skin color.
Matthew A. Cherry; Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Description: This sweet story is about a little girl with beautiful hair. When her dad has to help style it for a special occasion, he has a lot to learn, but is ready for the challenge since he loves his daughter so much.
Description: This ode to female empowerment is the perfect gift for any little girl in your life. It’s all about loving who you are, kindness, and respecting others.
Rosa Parks & James Haskins; Illustrated by Wil Clay
Description: The famous civil rights activist Rosa Parks has simplified her autobiography for young readers in this Puffin Easy to Read book. She describes how she was arrested for not giving up her bus seat and shows that her personal role was part of wider political struggle.
Grace Byers; Illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo
Description: This gorgeously illustrated book lets all kids know that, no matter their background, they can love and believe in themselves.
IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All
Description: The brainchild of three women-of-color sociologists, IntersectionAllies, is a smooth, gleeful entry into intersectional feminism. The nine interconnected characters proudly describe themselves and their backgrounds, involving topics that range from a physical disability to language brokering, offering an opportunity to take pride in a personal story and connect to collective struggle for justice. The group bond grounds the message of allyship and equality. When things get hard, the kids support each other for who they are: Parker defends Katie, a genderfluid character who eschews skirts for a superhero cape; Heejung welcomes Yuri, a refugee escaping war, into their community; and Alejandrea’s family cares for Parker after school while her mother works. Advocating respect and inclusion, IntersectionAllies, is a necessary tool for learning to embrace, rather than shy away from, difference. Featuring gorgeous illustrations on every page by Ashley Seil Smith, as well as powerful introductions by activist and law professor Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term “intersectionality,” and Dr. Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, author of Intersectionality: An Intellectual History.
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Andrea Davis Pinkney; Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
Description: Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped more than three hundred slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The lives these women led are part of 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. Andrea Davis Pinkney’s moving text and Stephen Alcorn’s glorious portraits celebrate the lives of ten bold women who lit the path to freedom for generations. Includes biographies of Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm.
Monica Clark-Robinson; Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Description: In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hate, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world. Frank Morrison’s emotive oil-on-canvas paintings bring this historical event to life, while Monica Clark-Robinson’s moving and poetic words document this remarkable time.
Julius Lester, Illustrator: Karen Barbour
Description: As Lester discuss how we all have a story, he brings up questions about why we think race is important and what it means to have a racial identity. This gorgeous book – great to read with kids of any age – allows for open-ended conversation and questions.
Little Leaders: Bold Black Women in History
Description: Through sweet illustrations and educational text, the biographies of 40 remarkable Black women are brought to life. Scientists, artists and activists from history are all included in this inspiring book.
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X
Ilyasah Shabazz; Illustrated by. Ag Ford
Description: 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. Bolstered by the love and wisdom of his large, warm family, young Malcolm Little was a natural born leader. But when confronted with intolerance and a series of tragedies, Malcolm’s optimism and faith were threatened. He had to learn how to be strong and how to hold on to his individuality. He had to learn self-reliance. 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.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Doreen Rappaport; Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Description: Martin Luther King Jr. grew up fascinated by big words. He would later go on to use these words to inspire a nation and call people to action. In this award-winning book, powerful portraits of King show how he used words, not weapons, to fight injustice.
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
Description: This Caldecott Award wininng book is inspired by a traditional African folktale that is a classic Cinderella story. It also introduces children to the history and culture of Zimbabwe.
Eloise Greenfield & Jan Spivey Gilchrest
Description: A boy and his father enjoy doing everyday activities together, from laundry to sharing a book and more. The simple pleasures of family life are conveyed affectionately through easy but flowing language and realistic paintings in a sturdy format.
Description: When Mack gets teased and taunted at school about her unruly hair, she turns to her neighbor Miss Tillie for comfort and help. To help make learn to care for her hair – and appreciate herself – Miss Tillies uses the metaphor of her lush garden to show Mack the many kinds of beauty and all the nurturing they require.
Ana Machado; Illustrated by Rosana Faria
Description: This delightful book is set on a Caribbean island and features a little white rabit who admires a beautiful Black girl. He asks her what her secret is and she tells him to drink lots of black coffee and to eat lots of black beans. He doesn’t give up though and in the ends finds what change he can make.
Not My Idea: A Book about Whiteness
Description: Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness is a picture book about racism and racial justice, inviting white children and parents to become curious about racism, accept that it’s real, and cultivate justice.
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
Ibtihaj Muhammad, S. K. Ali; Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Description: A powerful, vibrantly illustrated story about the first day of school — and two sisters on one’s first day of hijab — by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad. With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It’s the start of a brand new year and best of all, it’s her older sister Asiya’s first day of hijab — a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, an din the face of hurtful, confusing words, Faizah will find new ways to be strong. Paired with Hatem Aly’s beautiful, whimsical art, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Morris Award finalist S.K. Ali bring readers an uplifting, universal story of new experiences, the unbreakable bond between siblings, and of being proud of who you are.
Description: Publishers Weekly called this delightful book a “landmark in children’s literature.” Made from her old pajamas and curtains, a young girl’s new quilt inspires a dream adventure. The squares of the quilt become part of the dreamscape she enters into in order to find her lost stuffed dog. An ALA notable Children’s Book.
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
Description: Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a “Whites Only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.
Sharon Wyeth; Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet
Description: A young girl learns to find beauty in her sometimes gritty urban neighborhood, showing how the way sees makes a difference that affects others. Luminous watercolors detail the child, her neighborhood, and suggest what she sees around her.
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice
Marianne Celano, Marrietta Collins, Ann Hazzard; Illustrated by. Jennifer Zivoin
Description: Emma and Josh heard that something happened in their town. A Black man was shot by the police. “Why did the police shoot that man?” “Can the police go to jail?” Something Happened in Our Town follows two families — one White, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children’s questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues. Free, downloadable educator materials (including discussion questions) are available at apa.org.
Ann Cameron & Roberta Smith; Illustrated by Roberta Smith
Description: These five short and funny stories show the mischief that Huey gets into in daily adventures with his annoying brother, Julian. The stories are filled with fun and warmth.
Lupita Nyong’o: Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Description: This Coretta Scott King award-winning picture book is about self-esteem and beauty within. It’s a whimsical and heartwarming story about a little girl who learns to embrace her unique self.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Deborah Hopkinson & James Ransome; Illustrated by James Ransome
Description: Clara is born into slavery but learns an important skill when she becomes a seamstress. Her quilting ability allows Clara to put together directions to escape north to freedom when she overhears a conversation about a route to Canada.
Margaret Holmes, Sasha J. Mudlaff, Carry Pillo
Description: Sherman Smith saw the most terrible thing happen. At first he tried to forget about it, but something inside him started to bother him. He felt nervous and had bad dreams. Then he met someone who helped him talk about the terrible thing, and made him feel better.
Description: Six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American to integrate an elementary school. Her memories of that year, when so much hatred was directed at her, makes for a powerful memoir. A 1999 Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner.
Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales
Julius Lester; Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Description: One of the most well known of African American folktales are the Uncle Remus tales, originally written down by Joel Chandler Harris over a hundred years ago. This four-book series drops the heavy and difficult dialect of the original tales and adds contemporary language and references to Brer Rabbit’s fun.
Books on Racism & Racial Trauma
Are Racists Crazy? How Prejudice, Racism, and Antisemitism Became Markers of Insanity
Sander L. Gilman, James M. Thomas
Description: The connection and science behind race, racism, and mental illness. In 2012, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Oxford reported that – based on their clinical experiment – the beta-blocker drug, Propranolol, could reduce implicit racial bias among its users. Shortly after the experiment, an article in Time Magazine cited the study, posing the question: Is racism becoming a mental illness? In Are Racists Crazy? Sander Gilman and James Thomas trace the idea of race and racism as psychopathological categories., from mid-19th century Europe to contemporary America, up to the aforementioned clinical experiment at the University of Oxford, and ask a slightly different question than that posed by Time: How did racism become a mental illness? Using historical, archival, and content analysis, the authors provide a rich account of how the 19th century ‘Science of Man’ – including anthropology, medicine, and biology – used race as a means of defining psychopathology and how assertions about race and madness became embedded within disciplines that deal with mental health and illness. An illuminating and riveting history of the discourse on racism, anti semitism, and psychopathology, Are Racist Crazy? connects past and present claims about race and racism, showing the dangerous implications of this specious line of thought for today.
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
Dorothy Roberts
Description: In 1997, this groundbreaking book made a powerful entrance into the national conversation on race. In a media landscape dominated by racially biased images of welfare queens and crack babies, Killing the Black Body exposed America’s systemic abuse of Black women’s bodies. From slave masters’ economic stake in bonded women’s fertility to government programs that coerced thousands of poor Black women into being sterilized as late as the 1970s, these abuses pointed to the degradation of Black motherhood – and the exclusion of Black women’s reproductive needs in mainstream feminist and civil rights agendas. Now, some two decades later, Killing the Black Body has not only exerted profound influence, but also remains as crucial as ever – a rallying cry for education, awareness, and action on extending reproductive justice to all women.
me and white supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
Layla F. Saad
Description: Me and White Supremacy: A 28-Day Challenge to Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy, so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in The Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander
Description: Seldom does a book have the impact of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Since it was first published in 2010, it has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Most important of all, it has spawned a whole generation of criminal justice reform activists and organizations motivated by Michelle Alexander’s unforgettable argument that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” As the Birmingham News proclaimed, it is “undoubtedly the most important book published in this century about the U.S.” Now, ten years after it was first published, The New Press is proud to issue a tenth-anniversary edition with a new preface by Michelle Alexander that discusses the impact the book has had and the state of the criminal justice reform movement today.
The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning
Description: In The Quaking of America, therapist and trauma specialist Resmaa Menakem takes readers through somatic processes addressing the growing threat of white-supremacist political violence. Through the coordinated repetition of lies, anti-democratic elements in American society are working to incite mass radicalization, widespread chaos, and a collective trauma response in tens of millions of American bodies. Currently, most of us are utterly unprepared for this potential mayhem. This book can help prepare us—and possibly prevent further destruction. This preparation focuses not on strategy or politics, but on practices that can help us
• Build presence and discernment in our bodies
• Settle our bodies during the heat of conflict
• Maintain our safety, sanity, and stability in dangerous situations
• Heal our personal and collective racialized trauma
• Practice embodied social action
• Turn toward instead of on one another
The Quaking of America is a unique and perfectly timed guide to help us navigate our widespread upheaval and build an antiracist culture.
Description: A Race Is a Nice Thing to Have: A Guide to Being a White Person or Understanding the White Persons in Your Life is designed to help White people fully recognize and accept their racial identity, assume the proper responsibility for ending racism, and develop an understanding of how racism impacts their own racial group. This powerful text encourages positive racial adjustment and deeper levels of self-understanding. The book explores the meaning of race in society, the “color-blindness” movement, the problem of ignorance about Whiteness, the various phases of internalized racism, and other critical topics. Evocative and meaningful activities throughout the text foster reflection an increased levels of self-awareness and acceptance.
Racism without Racists
Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
Description: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s acclaimed Racism without Racists documents how, beneath our contemporary conversation about race, there lies a full-blown arsenal of arguments, phrases, and stories that Whites use to account for — and ultimately justify — racial inequalities. The fifth edition of the provocative book makes clear that color blind racism is as insidious now as ever. It features new material on our current racial climate, including the Black Lives Matter movement; a significantly revised chapter that examines the Obama presidency, the 2016 election, and Trump’s presidency; and a new chapter addressing what readers can do to confront racism — both personally and on a larger structural level.
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America
Jennifer Harvey
Description: Living in a racially unjust and deeply segregated nation creates unique conundrums for White children that begin early in life and impact development in powerful ways. Raising White Kids offers age-appropriate insights for teaching children how to address racism when they encounter it and tackles tough questions about how to help white kids be mindful of racial relations while understanding their own identity and the role they can play for justice. Raising White Kids is a book for families, churches, educators, and communities who what to equip their children to be active and able allies in a society that is becoming one of the most racially diverse in the world while remaining full of racial tensions.
So You Want to Talk About Race
Ijeoma Oluo
Description: Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy – from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans – has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it’s a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate his jokes are racist? Why did you sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair, and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to “model minorities” in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.
Stamped From the Beginning
Ibram X. Kendi
Description: Some Americans insist that we’re living in a post-racial society. But racist thought is not just alive and well in America — it is more sophisticated and more insidious than ever. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues, racist ideas have long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit. In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. He uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to drive this history: Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and legendary activist Angela Davis. As Kendi shows, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. They were created to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation’s racial inequities. In shedding light on this history, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose racist thinking. In the process, he gives us reason to hope.
White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Robin DiAngelo
Description: In a groundbreaking and timely book, antiracist education Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotion such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth examination, DiAngelo explores how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race
Description: The classic, New York Times-bestselling book on the psychology of racism that shows us how to talk about race in America. Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? How can we get past our reluctance to discuss racial issues? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about communicating across racial and ethnic divides and pursuing antiracism. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious. This fully revised edition is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand dynamics of race and racial inequality in America.
Books for Teens
All American Boys
Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely
Description: A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement? There were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before. Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this four-starred reviewed tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken directly from today’s headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
Description: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi
Description: This is NOT a history book. This book is about the here and now. A book to help us understand why we are where we are. A book about race. The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited. Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas–and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.
