“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist“
Angela Y. Davis
Anti-racist and antiracism is an ideal my husband and I are trying to achieve and impart upon our little ones. I just wanted to share some of the books, documentaries, podcasts, and articles that we have consumed to begin this journey. I must warn you, once you start down this road, it is not going to be easy. This is a journey of self discovery and changing of bias and ideas. I am a science geek with a flare for history, so even though, this path has not been easy, it has been very entertaining. I love learning the truth behind history and using these truths to raise an antiracist family.
I will say that this list is NO WAY complete and there is so much information available. This is just the antiracist work that I have completed thus far. As my journey continues, I will keep updating this list. As your journey continues, google “antiracism” any time.
A good primer is to click on the link below from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
BEING ANTIRACIST
Books
The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter
This book documents the invention of whiteness. It is over 500 pages of historical data that gives great context of how the white identity emerged. I have not read this book yet, however I have heard some excerpts on the Podcast, Scene of Radio referenced below. Also, my husband discussed a lot of it with me while he was reading it.
Stamped from the Beginning:The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Dr. Ibram Kendi
This is a thoroughly researched book documents anti-black racist ideas from the inception of anti-blackness to present day.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
This version of Stamped is for young readers. It is a condensed version of the original Stamped from the Beginning, but dissected in a manner that young readers will love. It is a good overview for adults that want to read Stamped, but may not have as much time in invest in that book at this time. For me, it was a great precursor to diving into the original Stamped. There are so things discussed in this book that I need more detail on, so I glad I have another book that can give me that detail.
Superior: The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini
I am half way through reading this book and love it. This book documents how racist ideas have influenced science and scientific research.
White Fragility: Why Its So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin Diangelo
This is the next book on my list. You can listen to this author discuss this book on June 2, 2020 here
How in To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is a book about self evaluation and self discovery. It helps you confront your own racist behavior and helps you work through this and became an Antiracist. It is a call to action to make a happier and healthy society and world.
The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America by Khalil Gibran Muhammad “explores how the myth of black criminality became deeply embedded in American thought and was important in the making of urban America.” ―Washington Post
This is a great book that I listen to on occasion. It gives a thorough and in depth look at how blackness has been associated with criminality.
Netflix
Update: June 10, 2020- This documentary is now on YouTube
13th is a documentary regarding the 13th amendment to the constitution.
The Amendment states:
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/thirteenth-amendment
This documentary directed by Ava Duvernay highlights how the italicized portion of this amendment written above has been misused to disproportionately mistreat African Americans.
Amazon Prime Video
Liberty & Slavery: The Paradox of America’s Founding Fathers is one of my favorite documentaries. It is a documentary that discusses how the Forefathers could fight for liberty and freedom while enslaving a group of people. I especially enjoy that it pushes back on the narrative that justifies slavery because “that was just the way it was back then”. This documentary interviews various historians that discuss an interesting paradox of American history.
After Selma is a documentary that chronicles the voter suppression. It gives a timeline and tactics used to suppress certain population’s from voting.
PBS Documentaries
I love anything Henry Louis Gates, Jr produces. His body of work is masterful. I would recommend all of his work, but the ones above are my top three.
Africa’s Great Civilizations is a great mini series filled with such historical richness about Africa and untold stories that are never discussed in mainstream curriculum.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross is a mini series that documents African American history and culture from slavery to modern times.
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War is a 4 hour series that life in America after the civil war.
Podcast
The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
The New York Times Magazine
This podcast provides narrations of stories from this project. It gives an narrative of American history through the lens of African Americans.
Scene on Radio (Seeing White episodes)
This podcast is created by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Season 2, the Seeing White episodes, discuss various topics from what is whiteness, Thomas Jefferson, the hanging of 38 Dakota warriors, the killing of unarmed black men, and a whole host of historical events in US history. It is a very thought provoking podcast.
Update: June 11,2020 I am adding two new podcasts. The Intercepted podcast has a great discussion regarding the push to defund the police. It provides historical context and the reasons behind this movement.
The Uncivil Podcast is a great US History and Politics Podcast to listen to also. It provides a lot of in depth discussions regarding our nations history and current events.
https://theintercept.com/2020/06/10/ruth-wilson-gilmore-makes-the-case-for-abolition//
Newspaper
Again, this is not a complete this. This is just a beginning. To truly be anti-racist, you have to reexamine history. Understanding the historical facts, it provides context to understand why is it is invaluable to be antiracist.
