Resources for Racial Literacy

Resources for Racial Literacy

Understanding racism, white supremacy, and racial inequity requires both learning and unlearning. Below is a list of helpful resources to engage in the process.

• Latinx Heritage Month Resources
• Principles of Constructive Dialogue
• Courageous Conversations Compass
• Recognizing Microaggressions
• What Does it Mean to Be Anti-Racist? (Adapted from the Racial Healing Handbook)

Recommended for teen and young adult readers:

• "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
• "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• "Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice" by Bryan Stevenson
• "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
• "Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
• "This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work" by Tiffany M. Jewell

Recommended for adults and mature readers:

• "How to Be Anti-Racist" by Ibram X. Kendi
• "My Grandmother’s Hands" by Resmaa Menakem
• "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson
• "Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom" by Matthew R. Kay.
• "Racial Justice and the Catholic Church" by Fr. Bryan N. Massingale, S.J.
• "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" by Ibram X. Kendi
• "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
• "Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race" by Debby Irving
• "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson
• "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.

Additional resources from the SI Alumni Town Hall: A Discussion about Race.

• The 10 Commitments Companies Must Make to Advance Racial Justice from the Harvard Business Review
• 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice from Medium
• White Fragility:  Why it is so hard for White People to talk about Racism (Robin DiAngelo) 
• "Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People" (Mahzarin R. Banaii) 
• Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives (Howard J. Ross) 
• Microaggressions: Be careful what you say (NPR)  
• 1619 podcast on how slavery has transformed America 
• The Cost of Code switching (HBR)  
• Talking to Children about Racial Bias  
• What If All the Kids Are White?: Anti-Bias Multicultural Education with Young Children and Families (Louise Derman-Sparks and Patricia G. Ramsey)  
• The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates- The Atlantic