We’ve seen a lot of people looking for guidance on what they can do and how to contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement and to ending racial violence and injustice.
While donating your time and/or money can be one of the most directly impactful ways to make a change, educating yourself is just as important. Not only will it make a lasting impact on your own thoughts and actions, it will arm you for difficult and often uncomfortable conversations about race with friends and family.
It is everyone’s responsibility to push for real change, and educating yourself is the first step. But now is NOT the time to ask your BIPOC network for that education.
So we’ve put together an extensive list of books, videos, and more that you can turn to that don’t rely on asking your BIPOC friends and family.
Books
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Negroland by Margo Jefferson
Coming of Age in Mississippi by Ann Moody
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Ain’t I a Woman by bell hooks
White Rage by Carol Anderson
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? by Mumia Abu-Jamal
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Blindspot by Mahzarin R. Banaji & Anthony G. Greenwald
How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? by Moustafa Bayoumi
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
Good Talk by Mira Jacob
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
When They Call You A Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele
Mindful of Race by Ruth King
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
Citizen by Claudia Rankine
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
America’s Original Sin by Jim Wallis
The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The 1619 Project by The New York Times
Need a place to buy these books? Instead of linking out to Amazon, we ask that you consider supporting any of these Black-owned bookstores online or in-person (or a local bookstore in your town).
Documentaries/Shows/Movies
13th by Ava Duvernay
When They See Us by Ava Duvernay on Netflix
I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
Got 10 Minutes a Day? For just a few minutes a day, you can work on becoming a better ally with this incredible resource from Autumn Gupta and Bryanna Wallace.
Other Resources and Sources
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.html
https://www.bossbabes.org/blog/2020/5/29/personal-and-professional-resources-for-anti-racism-work
