Since the protests that have arose from the murder of George Floyd, I have been actively sharing information and following the national developments on my personal social media platforms, engaging in discussions with those that I live with, donating to bail funds, emailing and calling representatives, and attending protests. I also realized though amidst all of this that so many major cultural institutions and museums were conspicuously silent at the start of the recent uprising, or showed support in a very cautious way. Additionally, I know that as a white woman I need to do more than express outrage.
So, I've come here to my professional platform to be more constructive. I could write for days about systemic racism, white privilege, or on museums not being neutral but pretending that they are, but as a white woman I know that my voice is not the one that needs to be centered and given preference. We are all responsible for our own learning and self-awareness and improvement. With this in mind, I will link below to resources that include nonprofits engaging directly in equity work, as well as books and readings allies can use to become more knowledgeable and mindful activists. I have chosen to focus on organizations that are on the ground right now putting in the work, books centered around race and education for adults, a more general selection of books discussing race, and finally a list of books that adults and young children can read together and use to guide conversation. There are not by any means exhaustive lists, but I hope that it can be a start for you. Additional resources including films and podcasts can be found here: bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES.
Activist and Education Organizations:
American Civil Liberties Union: https://www.aclu.org/
Audre Lorde Project: https://alp.org/
Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/
Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: https://www.naacp.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/national-bail-fund-network
The Conscious Kid: https://www.theconsciouskid.org/
Books on Education and Race for Adults:
Centering Women of Color in Academic Counterspaces by Annemarie Vaccaro and Melissa Camba-Kelsay
Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School by Mica Pollock
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin
Lift Us Up, Don't Push Us Out!: Voices from the Front Lines of the Educational Justice Movement by Mark R. Warren and David Goodman
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
The Power in the Room: Radical Education Through Youth Organizing and Employment by Jay Gillen
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Dr. Bettina Love
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Books on Activism, Society, Self-work, and Race for Adults:
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The House that Race Built by Wahneema Lubiano
Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
White Rage by Carol Anderson
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Books on Race for Children:
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
I Am Enough by Grace Byers
Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinso
Lets Talk About Race by Julius Lester
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan by Chris Barton