Anti-Racist Reading List for Active Allies of the Movement for Black Lives
Educating yourself on anti-racist histories and theories is a crucial part of becoming an active ally to the Movement for Black Lives. Taking this knowledge and turning it into action won’t be easy, but it’s critical to the fight to end entrenched white supremacy and structural racism.
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That’s why we’re taking this time to gather the tools to help us better understand what this moment is and how we got here. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 10 essential anti-racist reads, covering everything from Black feminist primers to policy prescriptions to dismantle systems of oppression and over-policing. And, as a bonus, we’ve included three things to remember when combing through all of the awesome anti-racist resources out there.
Now, it’s time to get reading. And remember, be sure to buy your books from Black-owned, independent bookstores!
1. “Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement” by Angela Davis
Description: “Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today’s struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement. She highlights connections and analyzes today’s struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine.”
2. “Feminism is for Everybody” by bell hooks
Description: “What is feminism? In this short, accessible primer, bell hooks explores the nature of feminism and its positive promise to eliminate sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. With her characteristic clarity and directness, hooks encourages readers to see how feminism can touch and change their lives — to see that feminism is for everybody.”
3. “Hood Feminism: Notes from Women that A Movement Forgot” by Mikki Kendall
Description: “In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux.”
4. “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
Description: “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? 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 enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides.”
5. “Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States” edited by Joe Macare, Alana Yu-Lan Price, Maya Schenwar, with a foreword by Alicia Garza
Description: “This collection of reports and essays (the first collaboration between Truthout and Haymarket Books) explores police violence against black, brown, indigenous and other marginalized communities, miscarriages of justice, and failures of token accountability and reform measures. It also makes a compelling and provocative argument against calling the police.”
6. “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown
Description: “For readers who have engaged with America’s legacy on race through the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Eric Dyson, I’m Still Here is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God’s ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness — if we let it — can save us all.”
7. “An African American and Latinx History of the United States” by Paul Ortiz
Description: “Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history, arguing that the ‘Global South’ was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Scholar and activist Paul Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress as exalted by widely taught formulations like ‘manifest destiny’ and ‘Jacksonian democracy,’ and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms US history into one of the working class organizing against imperialism.”
8. “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
Description: “Alexander shows that, by targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness.”
9. “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism” by Robin DiAngelo
Description: “In this ‘vital, necessary, and beautiful book’ (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and ‘allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence.”
10. “One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy” by Carol Anderson
Description: “Focusing on the aftermath of [the Shelby decision], Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans.”
Hopefully, you’ve found these recommendations useful and enlightening. If you want to get more involved with anti-racist efforts, check out this list of organizations dedicated to supporting Black women. And lastly, our three tips for reading and practicing anti-racism.
- Reading isn’t activism. Action is activism. Reading gives critical background and context to the real-world changes and transformations that you’ll need to advocate for.
- Reading can be private. It’s not necessary to broadcast every text you buy, or every figure you find inspirational. Sitting with the knowledge and history you’re acquiring is a truly powerful experience — but the entire journey doesn’t need to be shared.
- Anti-racist work is forever. After you finish the last book in your stack, you’ll be ready to ask yourself: What’s next? What else can I learn? What else can I do? Being an anti-racist is a lifelong commitment, not only to your community, but to yourself. You commit to holding yourself accountable for your role in systemic racism and doing the work to dismantle white supremacy.
