Educate Yourself on How to be an Anti-Racist: Content to Read, Listen and Watch

The disproportionate killing of Black people as a result of unlawful police brutality did not begin in 2020. The public outcry is not just about calling out the unjust murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery – but rather it is a result of centuries of trauma, stemming from compounding hatred, bigotry, and racism.

At The Collective Rising, we have always been and remain committed to diversity and inclusion, but the past week’s events have served as a strong reminder that society at large still has a long way to go when it comes to achieving equality. 

The Black community has faced systematic oppression for centuries – this is not a new battle. Our team remains committed to listening to Black voices, educating ourselves about the Black experience, and taking continued action against racism.

We believe racism is learned, and it is taught and passed down from generation to generation. However, the hate must stop here. As a community, The Collective Rising will continue to do all we can to support, champion, and amplify Black voices and experiences.  

To our community; if you are looking to take action against racism, you must first be willing to listen, be uncomfortable, be open-minded, and educate yourself and your loved ones on the complexities of the Black experience. Greater understanding begins with knowledge. 

This evolving article features a list of books, articles, television shows, films, podcasts and videos that we have found to be personally helpful, as well as additional resources highlighted by leading media outlets such as Good Good Good, Forbes and more. 

We encourage our members and readers to use this article as a starting point. We hope that you will continue to listen and learn from the Black community, and dedicate time and effort to anti-racism work, and increasing your understanding surrounding the complexities of these issues and experiences. 

It was Maya Angelou who said; 

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

—Maya Angelou

Now that you know better, it’s time to do better. We are in this together. We are united. 

Articles:

• “6 Racist Practices For The White Ally” by Danielle Hairston, M.D. 
• “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer
• “Black Workers Still hindered by Prejudice and Microaggressions” by HRM America
• “The American Nightmare” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi 
• “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston
• “This Is What Black Burnout Feels Like” by Tiana Clark
• “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
• “Why Is Forgiveness Always Expected from the Black Community?” by Jenn M. Jackson 

Books:

• “A More Beautiful and Terrible History” by Jeanne Theoharis
• “Black Feminist Thought” by Patricia Hill Collins 
• “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone
• “Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower” by Dr. Brittney Cooper
• “Fatal Invention” by Dorothy Roberts, 
• “Genesis Begins Again” by Alicia D. Williams
• “Heavy: An American Memoir” by Kiese Laymon
• “How To Be An Antiracist” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
• “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson
• “Locking Up Our Own” by James Forman
• “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla F. Saad
• “Raising Our Hands” by Jenna Arnold
• “Redefining Realness” by Janet Mock 
• “Sister Outsider” by Audre Lorde
• “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
• “Skin Again” by bell hooks
• “Stella by Starlight” by Sharon M. Draper
• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
• “The Colors Of Us” by Karen Katz
• “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin
• “The Hate You Give” and other novels by Angie Thomas
• “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston
• “Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
• “The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism” by Grace Lee Boggs
• “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson
• “They Can’t Kill Us All: A New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement” by Wesley Lowery
• “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color” by Cherríe Moraga
• “When Affirmative Action Was White” by Ira Katznelson
• White Fragility: Why It’s “So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo, PhD

Films/Television Shows:

• “4 Little Girls” directed by Spike Lee 
• “13th” directed by Ava DuVernay
• “Becoming” directed by Nadia Hallgren
• “Black Power Mixtape” directed by Göran Olsson
• “Clemency” directed by Chinonye Chukwu
• “Dear White People” directed by Justin Simien
• “Fruitvale Station” directed by Ryan Coogler
• “Hidden Figures” directed by Theodore Melfi
• “I Am Not Your Negro” directed by Raoul Pec
• “If Beale Street Could Talk” directed by Barry Jenkins
• “Just Mercy” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
• “King In The Wilderness” directed by Peter Kunhardt
• “See You Yesterday” directed by Stefon Bristol
• “Selma” directed by Ava DuVernay
• “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” directed by Stanley Nelson Jr.
• “The Hate U Give” directed by George Tillman Jr.
• “When They See Us” directed by Ava DuVernay

Podcasts: 

• “1619” featured on The New York Times
• “About Race” hosted by Anna Holmes, Baratunde Thurston, Raquel Cepeda and Tanner Colby
• “Code Switch” featured on NPR
• “Hear To Slay” hosted by Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom
• “Intersectionality Matters!” hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
• “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” hosted by Jemele Hill
• “Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast” hosted by Chevon and Hiba
• “Pod For The Cause” from the organization The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights
• “Pod Save the People” hosted by DeRay Mckesson
• “Still Processing” hosted by Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham

Videos: 

• “10 Moments Black People In The Workplace Know Too Well” 
• “26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity With Students” 
• “Black Parents Explain How to Deal with the Police | Cut”
• “Seeing White | John Biewen | TEDxCharlottesville”
• “The US Medical System is Still Haunted by Slavery”
• “Watch This Documentary on Braids and Appropriation in America | ELLE”
• “Why Are Black Americans More Likely To Die In The Pandemic?”