This is a collection of materials and resources gathered by AFS-USA staff in celebration of Black History Month. While Black History Month is celebrated in February in the US, these resources can be used and shared year-round!
Articles to read:
- “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)
- Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
- The Combahee River Collective Statement
- “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
- Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
- “Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” by Courtney Martin (June 1, 2020)
- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
Videos to watch:
- Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)
- Dr. Robin DiAngelo discusses ‘White Fragility’ (1:23:30)
- How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” – Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)
- https://www.ted.com/talks/jamila_lyiscott_3_ways_to_speak_english – Spoken word poetry by Jamila Lyiscott about how she speaks English 3 ways and the fraught, complicated history behind each language.
Podcasts to subscribe to:
- 1619 (New York Times)
- 99% Invisible’s episode on the Freedom House Ambulance Service – Black people in Pittsburg in the ‘60s created the paramedic profession in response to a need in their community.
- About Race
- Black History Year
- Code Switch (NPR)
- Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Nice White Parents (Serial and The New York Times)
- Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
- Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
- Seeing White
- The Moth – Celebrating Black History Month Playlist
- Unladylike podcast episode: How to Take a Hike – Talks about the great outdoors and maps the “duality of America’s hiking trails as sites of racial pain as well as Black joy and healing.”
Books to read:
- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
- 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
- “If You Come Softly” by Jacqueline Woodson – Young Adult fiction and an easy read. Modern-day Romeo and Juliet story set in NYC where the protagonists are a Jewish girl and a Black boy.
- Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color by Andrea J. Ritchie
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- 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
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander - The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
by Grace Lee Boggs - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson
Resources for white parents:
- Books:
Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners: books for children and young adults
31 Children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance - Podcasts:
Fare of the Free Child podcast
Integrated Schools podcast episode “Raising White Kids with Jennifer Harvey” - Articles:
How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race | NPR
Teaching Your Child About Black History Month | PBS
Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup from Pretty Good
Organizations to follow on social media:
- Antiracism Center: Twitter
- Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Justice League NYC: Twitter | Instagram + Gathering For Justice: Twitter | Instagram
- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Movement For Black Lives (M4BL): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Muslim Girl: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- SisterSong: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- United We Dream: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
More anti-racism resources to check out:
- Five Activities to Promote Diversity in the Classroom
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
- ADL Black History Month Resources
- Anti-Racism Project
- National Museum of African American History & Culture – Celebrate Black History Month 2024
- GoAbroad BIOPIC Travel Articles
- Jenna Arnold’s resources (books and people to follow)
- Rachel Ricketts’ anti-racism resources
- Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism
- Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide by Tatiana Mac
- Showing Up For Racial Justice’s educational toolkits
- Talking About Race
- The [White] Shift on Instagram
- “Why is this happening?” — an introduction to police brutality from 100 Year Hoodie
- Zinn Education Project’s teaching materials
Black online businesses:
- https://www.glamour.com/story/support-black-owned-business
- https://www.etsy.com/market/black_owned
- https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=21382093011
- https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/g34533467/black-owned-businesses-on-amazon/
- Good Housekeeping’s list has a nice selection of different types of businesses.
- Glamour’s list
- We Buy Black is an online store that stocks household and beauty products, among other things.
Movies:
- Sylvie’s Love – Amazon Prime Video
- If Beale Street Could Talk – Hulu
- One Night In Miami – Amazon Prime Video
- Lee Daniel’s The Butler – Netflix