Ain’t I a Woman: Black women and feminism – Bell Hooks

In this book, cultural critic Bell Hooks examines how black women, from the seventeenth century to the present day, were and are oppressed by both white men and black men and by white women. She illustrates her analysis with moving personal accounts.

How to Be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Ibram X. Kendi’s concept of antiracism re-energizes and re-shapes the conversation about racial justice in America. It points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.

Me and White Supremacy: How to recognize your privilege, combat racism, and change the world by Layla F Saad

This book teaches readers how to dismantle the privilege within themselves so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better as well.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire – Akala

From the first time he was stopped and searched as a child, to the day he realized his mom was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers – race and class have shaped Akala’s life and outlook. In this unique book he takes his own experiences and looks at the social, historical and political factors that have left us where we are today.

New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Michelle Alexander is a civil rights litigator and legal scholar. The book discusses race-related issues specific to African-American males and mass incarceration in the United States. Alexander noted that the discrimination faced by African-American males is prevalent among other minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged populations.

Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard

Delving behind Canada’s veneer of multiculturalism and tolerance, this book traces the violent realities of anti-blackness from the slave ships to prisons, classrooms and beyond. Robyn Maynard provides readers with the first comprehensive account of nearly four hundred years of state-sanctioned surveillance, criminalization and punishment of Black lives in Canada.

So You Want to Talk About Race? By Ijeoma Oluo

Oluo has been writing about race since the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin, when she turned her food blog into a space for talking about issues of racism and injustice. She’s since become an influential speaker and writer on these topics. This book is New York Times bestseller. We find that it’s a good primer on racism and guide for continuing the conversation. 

Taking Sides edited by Cindy Milstein

The lines of oppression are already drawn. The only question is, “Which side are you on in the struggle against the violence that is white supremacy and policing?” This book supplies an ethical compass and militant map of the terrain, arguing not for reform of structurally brutal institutions but rather for their abolition.

The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale

“Abolish the police? What would that even look like?” Alex Vitale’s book provides a pretty comprehensive answer to that question. A sociology professor at Brooklyn College, Vitale systematically lays out how the police consistently exacerbate the problems they’re supposedly meant to alleviate (drug use, homelessness, school security, and so on), in addition to providing concrete alternatives to the endless expansion of the American police state.

The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin

James Baldwin’s impassioned plea to ‘end the racial nightmare’ in America was a bestseller when it appeared in 1963. It galvanized a nation and gave voice to the emerging civil rights movement. Told in the form of two intensely personal ‘letters’, The Fire Next Time is at once a powerful evocation of Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and an excoriating condemnation of the terrible legacy of racial injustice.

Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements – Charlene Carruthers

This book provides a vision for how social justice movements can become sharper and more effective through principled struggle, healing justice, and leadership development. It offers a clear framework for activists committed to building transformative power, encouraging young people to see themselves as visionaries and leaders.

Why I’m No longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Eddo-Lodge, a London-based journalist, decided to write this book out of her frustration that the conversations in Britain around race weren’t being led by the people who are affected by it. The result is a book that explores issues such as the whitewashing of history and feminism and the political purpose of white dominance.

Women Race and Class – Angela Y. Davis

Ranging from the age of slavery to contemporary injustices, this groundbreaking history of race, gender and class inequality by the radical political activist Angela Davis offers an alternative view of female struggles for liberation.

1619: A podcast from The New York Times

In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it was time to tell the tale….

About Race

From the author of Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race in the “Book” section of this article, Reni Eddo-Lodge interviews key voices from the anti-racist activism community and addresses the recent history that lead to the politics of today.

All My Relations

This podcast is hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) to explore our relationships— relationships to land, to our creatural relatives, and to one another. Each episode invites guests to delve into a different topic facing Native peoples today as they keep it real, play games, laugh a lot, and even cry sometimes.

Code Switch

This is NPR’s flagship podcast about race and culture. It takes on race and racism across a spectrum of identities and offers personal stories, historical context, and impactful analysis on the challenging past and present of race in America. The hosts of this podcast are a multi-racial, multi-generational team of journalists fascinated by the overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture, how they play out in our lives and communities, and how all of this is shifting.

Intersectionality Matters

This podcast is hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.

Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

This podcast features movement voices, stories, and strategies for racial justice. Co-hosts Chevon and Hiba give their unique takes on race and pop culture, and uplifting narratives of hope, struggle, and joy, as we continue to build the momentum needed to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture. Build on your racial justice lens and get inspired to drive action by learning from organizational leaders and community activists.

Pod for the Cause

This podcast helps to spark conversation and activism on some of the most critical issues of today. From the courts to immigration, we are seeing unprecedented attacks on the values we hold near and dear. At Pod for the Cause, they are tackling these issues and more.

Pod Save the People

On this podcast, DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics with Sam Sinyangwe, Kaya Henderson and De’Ara Balenger. They offer a unique take on the news, with a special focus on overlooked stories and topics that often impact people of color.

QueerWOC

If you love podcasts that feel like you’re listening in on a private conversation between two best friends, this is the show for you. Each episode is a loving check-in between the co-hosts Nikeeta, a self-proclaimed proletarian Black feminist organizer and activist, and Money, a mental health expert who specializes in the needs of queer and trans women in marginalized communities. But the pair are also building an “insurgent audio syllabus” for learning about the historical and current fight for equality at the intersection of queerness and blackness. Each episode spotlights a different queer woman of color. The liberation education Money and Nikeeta offer is serious work, but their delightful banter makes this a comfort-listen to everyone who wants to learn more about a social justice movement that includes L.G.B.T.Q. people.

Sip on This With Ashley Nicole Black

Comedy writer Ashley Nicole Black has transformed her Dame magazine advice column “Sip on This” into a podcast that covers dating, career advice, and social issues. An episode from Thanksgiving 2018 features Black’s mom discussing how to talk about race with your white children and how to raise confident Black children. It’s an essential resource for parents.

Slay In Your Lane: The Podcast

The Podcast comes from multi-award-winning authors Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené who rose to prominence with their pioneering guide to life for young Black Women. The podcast, which launched on April 24^th of this year, explores topical news and popular culture from a Black British female perspective while expanding upon many of the same themes addressed in the Slay in Your Lane book including navigating the workplace, finances, education, health, relationships and dating.

Talking Taiwan

On this episode (#84), Talking Taiwan podcast host Felicia Lin spoke with Stefanie Davis and Patrick Springer who are the founders of the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative. This organization had organized a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on June 13th in Taipei’s 228 Peace Park. They spoke about their experiences living as people of color in Taiwan and the U.S., the activities which were planned for the rally and their personal views of Black Lives Matter. Episode #81 is also on Black Lives Matter. If you find her podcast interesting, please subscribe to her channel.

The Groundings

Before you figure out where you’re going, it’s important to know where you’ve been. This podcast offers a look at crucial moments in social justice history that have helped shape the world today.

What Next by Slate

If you have questions about the violent protests happening across the country right now, turn to this episode. It offers an overview of similar situations that have happened in history and explains why protests were effective.

Witness Black History by BBC World

This podcast features interviews with people who were there at key moments in black and civil rights history.