Thursday, July 16, 2020

Anti Racism Books

There are many excellent books on being an anti-racist available (that also explain why just being a non-racist is not enough.)

If you are white I suggest starting with Waking Up White, by Debbie Irving, which does an great job of explaining what white privilege is.  Then move on to White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo, which explains why white people have so much trouble talking about race.

Two books I think everyone will benefit from are How To Be An Antiracist, by Ibram Kendi, and So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo.

Other titles to consider (in no particular order):

Anxious to Talk About It: Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully About Race, by Carolyn Helsel
What If I Say The Wrong Thing? by Verna Myers
Witnessing Whiteness, by Shelly Tochluk
The Myth of Equality, by Ken Wytsma
White Awake, by Daniel Hill
The Color of Compromise, by Jemar Tisby
Good White Racist? Kerry Connelly
Me and White Supremacy, by Layla Saad
How To Be Less Stupid About Race, Crystal Fleming
This Book is AntiRacist, by Tiffany Jewell
White Rage, by Carol Anderson
Stamped From The Beginning by Ibram Kendi, also the version with Jason Reynolds
The New Jim Crow,by Michelle Alexander

See also my upcoming post on memoirs and other nonfiction by black authors, many of which also deal with racism and antiracism.