A Guide to Anti-Racist Resources | #blacklivesmatter #sayhisname

Hi everyone. Welcome to Nox the Reader, and today I'm sharing a compiled list of different anti-racist resources that I've seen shared on Bookstagram and Twitter. Please note: THIS LIST IS EVER-EVOLVING AND EXPANDING. AS I GATHER MORE INFORMATION, I WILL BE ADDING IT TO THIS GUIDE. IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU FEEL I SHOULD ADD, PLEASE DM ME ON TWITTER @nox_reads, OR COMMENT DOWN BELOW.

Before I share this list, all I want to say is that I'm mad as hell and I'm tired. My dad always shared stories about living in Inglewood in the 90s during the time of Rodney King and the LA Riots. And it's almost 30 years later and nothing has changed. I've grown up surrounded by names as hashtags and videos cycled through the media and it's infuriating and heartbreaking and exhausting. And a lot of us are wondering what to do, how to break this system and burn it to the ground. And it starts with educating ourselves and uplifting the voices of others. In this list are books for education, social media accounts for activism, petitions to sign, and links to donate to. If you can't donate, that's fine. But please share these links and lists.

Also, use this guide for education. You want resources, here you go. Don't ask Black people what to do, put in the work. This isn't a call-out, I have to do the same. And I'm planning on it, starting now.

Picture of Anti-Racist Books created by Instagram user @jane_mount

Anti-Racist Literature Stack created by Instagram user @jane_mount

Books for Education (underlined titles are included in the Scribd list linked at the end of the list)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
When Police Kill by Franklin E. Zimring
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Black, White, Other: Biracial Americans Talk About Race and Identity by Lise Funderburg
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
On the Other Side of Freedom: A Case for Hope by DeRay McKesson
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis
Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon
Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The Meaning of Freedom by Angela Y. Davis
Killing Rage by bell hooks
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
How We Get Free by Haymarket Books
White Rage by Carol Andersonc
Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper
The Crunk Feminist Collection by Brittney C. Cooper, Susanna M. Morris, and Robin M. Boylorn
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Assata by Assata Shakur
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capó Crucet
Women, Race, & Class by Angela Y. Davis
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
In the Matter of Color by A. Leon Higginbotham
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson and Dick Durbin
Walking with the Wind by John Lewis
No Justice by Robbie Tolan and Lawrence Ross
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrice Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
Policing the Black Man by Angela J. Davis
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Dark Days by James Baldwin
Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde
Superior by Angela Saini
We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin King Luther, Jr.
Beyond the Pale by Vron Ware
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
Fight of the Century by James Baldwin
How We Fight for Our Lives by Saaed Jones
Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts
Blood in the Water by Heather Ann Thompson
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Conejo Villavicencio
Chokehold by Paul Butler
Black Imagination by Natasha Marin
Saving Ruby King by Catherine Abel West
Compton Cowboys by Walter Thompson-Hernandez
Black Fortunes by Shomari Wills
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Conversations in Black by Ed Gordon
My Soul Looks Back by Juan Williams
Black Man, White House by D.L. Hughley
Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington
Negroland by Margo Jefferson
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young
Brainwashed by Tom Burrell
Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi
Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? by Haymarket Books

Additionally, for those with kids at home, A Kid's Book About Racism by Jelani Memory is aimed towards helping teach children about racism. It's recommended for ages five to nine.

If your children are older (around middle-school or early high-school), then This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell is a good fit for them.

The underlined titles can all be found on this list I made of Anti-Racist Lit on Scribd (which I'm still adding to).

Outside of reading for education, what else can you do? If you have the financial means, then please donate to the following organizations/fundraisers. If you are unable to donate, then please share the links so those who can see them.

Donate to:

Petitions to Sign (if you live internationally, you can use 90210 or 10001 for the zip code!)

Who to Contact

Text "RESIST" to 50409
Text "JUSTICE" to 55156
Text "ENOUGH" to 55156
Call the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at (651) 793-7000

If Going to a Protest

IMPORTANT: Please remember to NOT share pictures or videos of protesters unless you have their consent or you blur out their faces and any identifiable markers (birthmarks, logos, tattoos, etc.)!

Also if tear-gassed or pepper-sprayed, only use water to flush it out! Do not use milk or milk of magnesia, use water. My aunt has been pepper-sprayed before and she said to stay calm, rush to the nearest water source and flush your eyes. Do not rub or touch them, it only makes it worse.

If you're going to a protest, please take down these numbers somewhere on your person (most recommend writing them on your arm) for legal aid.

Richmond, VA Community Bail Fund [if inside a correctional facility] - (804) 291-8520
Richmond, VA Community Bail Fund [if outside a correctional facility] - (804) 601-4944
Minneapolis, MN Legal Help - (612) 444-2654

For an insight into what the peaceful protestors are doing, look at Jesse from Bowties and Books' Instagram highlights. They're protested in Minneapolis and documenting it.

Social Media Accounts to Follow

Other Resources (some information may overlap)

Let's go forth and educate ourselves, everyone. We need to show up.

~ Nox

THIS LIST WAS LAST UPDATED AT 11:34pm ON APRIL 12, 2021.

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