The S List: Anti-Racism Resources to Start Reading & Watching Now

Advice, Lifestyle

I’m sitting here starting over on this week’s blog post because nothing else matters more at this moment is for us all to talk about recent events. It’s hurtful to watch as things going on with protests and violence, and I cannot help but feel the need to share more of what I learn regarding the topics of racism on my platform here.

Understanding that this conversation is not about me but about serving a cause that is higher than me, I want to start with sharing a list of media and materials that I have compiled or curated from various sources (credited at the end of this post) in light of recent events. I stand in solidarity with my Black community and promise to do my best to learn and share that with others. This list with links of videos, films, and podcast episodes is my homework that I want to catch up on this week, and I hope you’ll join me as I share what I’ve learned along the way on my IG-stories.

Knowing we all come from different backgrounds and have different levels of understanding, it’s still important to start with education and learning the history of it all. Don’t feel like you have to learn it all at once because I know all of this can be overwhelming. I’d suggest you take it slow and pick one topic to learn from a day from activists and leaders within your community and credible sources available online. First, Listen. Then, Learn. Let’s unlearn together and start making a change. #BlackLivesMatter

Check out this first: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

TERMS TO KNOW:

  1. BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, People of Color
  2. Implicit Bias is also known as unconscious bias or implicit stereotype. It is the unconscious attribution of particular qualities to a member of a certain social group. Implicit stereotypes are shaped by experience and based on learned associations or “thoughts/attitudes/stereotypes about people you didn’t know you have.”
  3. Blue wall of silence also blue code and blue shield are terms used in the US to denote informal rules among police officers not to report on a college’s errors or crimes, including police brutality. It is an example of police corruption.
  4. Weapons effect is a controversial theory described and debated in the scientific field of social psychology. It refers to the mere presence of a weapon leading to more aggressive behavior in people.

YOUTUBE

  1. The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
  2. Public Address On Revolution: Revolution Now by Rachel Cargle
  3. Coming to Terms With Racism’s Inertia: Ancestral Accountability – a TED Talk by Rachel Cargle
  4. Not All Superheroes Wear Capes – How You Have the Power to Change the World – a TED Talk by Nova Reid
  5. Slavery By Another Name, a PBS Documentary
  6. Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers
  7. How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion – a TED Talks by Peggy McIntosh
  8. Terror Lynching in America
  9. How The Elite Stay In Power
  10. Armed in America: Police & Guns – by PBS
  11. Blacks’ Britannica
  12. The Black Power Mixtape 1967 1975 Documentary

NETFLIX

  1. 13th – Ava DuVernay – The 2016 documentary that highlights the “intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the US.” 13th or the Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII), read more here.
  2. American Son – American drama film directed by Kenny Leon based on the Broadway play of the same name by Christopher Demos-Brown. It tells the story of Kendra Ellis-Connor (Kerry Washington), the mother of a missing teenager, as she struggles to put the pieces together in a South Florida police station.
  3. Dear White People – Netflix Original show is written and directed by Justin Simien, 3 seasons and 10 episodes each, follows several black college students at an Ivy League institution, touching on issues surrounding modern American race relations. It is based on the 2014 film of the same name, directed and co-produced by Justin Simien.
  4. When They See Us – The 2019 American drama Netflix miniseries with 4 episodes created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix follows the story of five young teenagers aka the Central Park Five, who maintained their innocence and spent years fighting the convictions, hoping to be exonerated.

HULU

  1. If Beale Street Could Talk – The 2018 American romantic drama film directed and written by Barry Jenkins, and based on James Baldwin’s 1974 novel follows the story of a young woman (Clementine “Tish” Rivers ) who, with her family’s support, seeks to clear the name of her wrongly charged lover (Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt) and prove his innocence before the birth of their child.
  2. The Hate U Give (Hulu with Cinemax) – 2018 American drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. with a screenplay by Audrey Wells and based on the 2017 young adult novel of the same name by Angie Thomas follows the fallout after a high school student (Starr Carter) witnesses a police shooting.

HBO

King In The Wilderness – The 2018 documentary directed by Peter Kunhardt on the final chapters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life prior to his assassination in 1968.

Facebook Watch

Red Table Talk – Three women (Jada, Willow, & Gammy – Will Smith’s family) from three generations with diverse backgrounds join the Red Table to discuss the concept of white privilege, and how it affects the relationships between white women and women of color.

PODCASTS

  1. White Fragility by Call Your Girlfriend podcast, co-hosted by Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow
  2. Allyship and the Power and Pain of Unlearning Racism with Selina Barker by Conversations with Nova Reid podcast
  3. 1619 by The New York Times
  4. The Daily – by The New York Times, hosted by Michael Barbaro
  5. Intersectionality Matters! – Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
  6. Uncivil – a Podcast by Gimlet Media, the official history of the Civil War
  7. Identity Politics – a Podcast on race, gender, and Muslims in America
  8. Code Switch – a Podcast by NPR
  9. Five Pandemic Parenting Lessons with Cindy Wang Brandt

ARTICLES

  1. The 1619 Project by The New York Times
  2. Why You Need to Stop Saying “All Lives Matter” by Rachel Elizabeth Cargle in Harper Bazaar *stating that black lives matter doesn’t insinuate that other lives don’t.
  3. How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change – by Barack Obama in Medium
  4. Who Gets to Be Afraid in America? – by Ibram X. Kendi in The Atlantic
  5. 6 Ways Asian Americans Can Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families by Kim Tran
  6. In Defense of Looting by Vicky Osterweil
  7. We Need To Rethink Our “Pics Or It Didn’t Happen” Approach To Activism by Yomi Adegoke
  8. Fashion is Part of the Race Problem by Jason Campbell and Henrietta Gallina

BOOKS:

  1. An Antiracist Reading List by Ibram X. Kendi in NYTimes
  2. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
  3. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
  4. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
  5. White Fragility by Robin J. DiAngelo
  6. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  7. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
  8. Women, Race, Class by Angela Y. Davis


DONATE TO:

*Please be careful with the support and the money you’re donating to. I’ve seen some ‘influencers’ branding themselves as BIPOC advocates and ask for money instead of redirecting that to the actual credible organizations and people who are actually in need. Be careful of scams. I SUGGEST YOU TO DIRECTLY DONATE TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT RESONATE WITH YOU & SIGN UP TO THEIR EMAILS TO STAY UPDATED:

  1. The Conscious Kid – Parenting and Education through a Critical Race Lens. Diverse #OwnVoices Books. Black and Brown Owned. COVID-19 #RENTRELIEF for Families. Learn more HERE
  2. NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – Their mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
  3. ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union is a foundation that handles cases on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated by individuals or organizations.
  4. The Minnesota Freedom Fund – a community based nonprofit that combats the harms of incarceration by paying bail for low-income individuals who cannot. Learn more about Criminal Bail and Immigration Bond HERE.
  5. Campaign Zero – The comprehensive platform of research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America.
  6. EJI – Equal Justice Initiative works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality.
  7. M4BL – The Movement of Black Lives – formed in 2014 and was created as a space for Black organizations to debate, discuss, and develop political interventions in order to achieve key policy, cultural and political wins. Take part in their Week of Action plan HERE
  8. Black Futures Lab works with Black people to transform our communities, building Black political power and changing the way that power operates locally, statewide, and nationally.
  9. Know Your Rights Camp – provides resources for black and brown communities, including hiring defense attorneys for anyone arrested protesting police brutality.
  10. Fair Fight – ensures fair elections and combats voter suppression

LINKS TO VALUABLE ORIGINAL RESOURCES THAT INSPIRED THIS LIST:

  1. Rachel Elizabeth Cargle
  2. A Detailed List of Anti-Racism Resources by Katie Couric in Medium
  3. Anti-racism Resources by Rachel Ricketts
  4. Anti-racism Resources For White People – a list compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020
  5. For the UK and international audiences, please check out THIS LIST.
  6. Black Lives Matter: A Working Resource for Mobilizing on Ssense

Comment your favorite films, TV shows, books, or articles you’ve watched and read recently as I’d love to add them to this blog post! Thank you for being here, and stay tuned for part two (coming at the end of this week) of this anti-racism resource which I will include local businesses and brands for you all to continue your support.

I hope you will find your voice and use it. Speak the truth and treat others kindly. Stay healthy and stay safe.