This Black History Month, check out these antiracist reads from your local library and learn about the history of racism in the U.S. and its physical and psychological effects on individuals, communities, and our country. Learn about the movement towards not simply declaring you "are not racist" but actively working towards antiracism.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This book is written as a personal letter and essay to Coates’s teenage son. Through history and memoire, it explores the roots of fear that extend nearly every aspects of a person's life when they live as a black American. Coates says that hate creates identity, and this book offers an inside view that explains how to live within our current power system as a young black man in the U.S.
How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
In order to not be racist, we must become antiracist. Ibram X. Kendi explores history, science, ethics, and even his own life experiences. Learn how and why we all should be antiracists.
So you Want to Talk About Race? by Ijeoma Oluo
Through storytelling, Ijeomo Olue takes readers into the experience and then breaks down how structural injustice permeates our power structures. This is a must read for anyone seeking an overview of the problems created by antiquated and biased systems.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds’s book follows racism from Europe to the U.S. and explores how it took root here, and how antiracism can as well. This book is a wonderful read, and this version is written so that teens can easily understand the concepts.
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele
Media has called Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele, cofounders of the Black Lives Matter movement, terrorists and threats to America, but they and the other founders want equity and justice. They love their communities, and through this book, they remind readers that defending the vulnerable is an act of love.
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