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What You Need to Know for Black History Month
Thought-provoking reads on the struggle for civil rights.
Published on June 16, 2023
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man
Emmanuel AchoFormer NFL linebacker Emmanual Acho’s New York Times bestseller answers the tough questions he has been asked about, and confronted with, as a Black man in America. From white privilege to cultural appropriation and systemic racism, this is a must-read for white Americans looking for answers to questions they may have been afraid to ask, answered with Acho’s compassionate, understanding words.
Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America
Michael Eric DysonMichael Eric Dyson’s (“Tears We Cannot Stop,” “What Truth Sounds Like”) guide to reckoning with racism is essential reading. His latest work maps the history of anti-Blackness in the United States through letters penned to victims of racial injustice — from Emmett Till to Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor — while charting the way forward to a more just and equitable future.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, 10th Anniversary Edition
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, 10th Anniversary Edition
Michelle AlexanderMore than a decade after it was first published, “The New Jim Crow” remains a critically important book. Its role in the criminal justice reform movement has been undeniable, cited in judicial decisions and assigned as campus- and community-wide reads. In this 10-anniversary edition, author Michelle Alexander discusses the impact that the book has had over the years in a new, hopeful preface.
Light For The World To See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope
Kwame AlexanderPoet extraordinaire Kwame Alexander (“The Crossover,” “The Undefeated”) pens a call to action in this collection of three long-form poems, each covering a monumental beat in American history: George Floyd’s murder, Colin Kaepernick’s protests, and Barack Obama’s election. “Light for the World to See” digs into some of our darkest moments to reveal the racism at the heart of America’s past and present.
The Blood of Emmett Till
Timothy B. TysonThis book may have contributed to the Justice Department reopening the investigation into the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till in Mississippi. Part detective story, part political history, it reveals shocking new evidence and proves that some records demand reexamining.
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America
Michael Eric DysonIn his searing sermon to white America, Michael Eric Dyson writes: “There is a paradox that many of you refuse to see: to get to a point where race won’t make a difference, we have to wrestle, first, with the difference that race makes.” This is a fantastic place to start.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race: The Sunday Times Bestseller
Reni Eddo-LodgeWhat started as an impassioned blog by writer Reni Eddo-Lodge has become a touchstone for the conversation about race in England and around the world. “I’m no longer talking to white people about race,” she began, going on to articulate the exhaustion that BIPOC people experience while trying to educate and articulate the bias inherent in their everyday lives. Eddo-Lodge’s resulting book is a continuation of that conversation, studded with history, politics, and the framework for combating racism.
Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots
Morgan JerkinsThe Great Migration changed the face of America, as six million Black Americans left their rural homes in the South for jobs in the North, West, and Midwest. This movement, which took place between 1914 and 1970, offered new economic opportunities, but simultaneously cut off Black Americans from their culture and roots, according to author Morgan Jenkins. Jenkins explores the migratory routes of her own ancestors to understand her past, through oral histories and insights on the customs and roots that have formed today’s Black culture.
Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America
Candacy TaylorDuring a time when traveling through a divided, segregated America was a dangerous proposition for African Americans, the “Green Book” was an integral tool to navigating its roads. Black travelers were prohibited from buying gas, sleeping, or eating at most white-owned businesses on their travel routes; the “Green Book” gave them safe resources — hotels, restaurants, shops — to comfortably make it to their destination. “Overground Railroad” tells the stories of the business-owners who bravely stood up against segregation by listing themselves in the “Green Book,” pushing progress forward in a racist world. It’s also an examination of just how far we have left to go.
James Baldwin's Fire: The meaning and purpose of James Baldwin's work and how his words can help us navigate the current moment.
James Baldwin's Fire: The meaning and purpose of James Baldwin's work and how his words can help us navigate the current moment.
ThroughlineNPR’s “Throughline” podcast examines the work of writer James Baldwin, a gay Black man whose work is fundamental commentary on Black identity, racism, and American democracy. His work, from the 1940s to the time of his death in 1987, looked directly at the ugly side of American culture, bearing witness with power and clarity. In this podcast, hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei discuss Baldwin’s work with Eddie Glaude, chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton and author of “Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own."