This week, we wanted to highlight books that can be used to help us better understand the roots of racism and the much-needed conversations we should have with our friends and families about the significance of Black History Month.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
In 2014, Eddo-Lodge wrote on her blog expressing her frustration with the way the debate around racism was being shaped by those not affected by it. This book has stemmed from that one post. It touches on topics such as how black history seems to have been suppressed, the need for an intersectional approach to feminism, and how the public sphere is dominated by white people. It is a timely, necessary, and interesting exploration of the issues and how they might be counteracted.
How To Love A Jamaican byAlexia Arthurs
Tenderness and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal, ambition and regret, these are the subjects which sits at the heart of Alexia Arthurs’ debut book about Jamaican immigrants and their families back home. Sweeping from close-knit island communities to the streets of New York City, How to Love Jamaican offers a portrait of a nation, a people, and a way of life.
When They Call You A Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
Co-authored by one of the Black Lives Matter founders, this best-selling book draws upon personal experience and offers an intelligent, thought-provoking review of humanity, culture, and race. Following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, three women – Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Khan-Cullors – came together to form an active response to the systemic racism causing the deaths of so many African-Americans.
How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
In this deeply empathetic book, Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracism Research and Policy Center, shows that when it comes to racism, neutrality is not an option. Until we become part of the solution, we can only be part of the problem. He relates racism through the snippets from his own life. He stated that until we become part of the solution, we can only be part of the problem.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
A darkly comic and unflinchingly raw depiction of a young woman trying to navigate her way in the world, this story comes from one of Britain’s most celebrated authors today. Queenie will make you laugh, cry, and learn about Black British culture in a way that is rarely represented in mainstream fiction.
