A good place to start understanding Racism is by watching some of these TED Talks: https://www.ted.com/playlists/250/talks_to_help_you_understand_r
And visiting this website—Showing Up for Racial Justice: https://www.surjboston.org
For an extensive list of resources on teaching children about racism and tolerance visit the National Association of School Psychologists”: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/external-social-justice-resources
Want to build a deeper understanding of racism and ho two deal with it? These resources have been recommended by our supporters and partners:
Videos
Through a Lens Darkly This documentary explores how photography shapes the identities of minority groups throughout history.
How to Build an Anti-Racist Movement by noted author Ibram X. Kendi, director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research
13th Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.
Books
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson. The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racism in America by Ibram X. Kendi. The National Book Award winning history of how racist ideas were created, spread, and deeply rooted in American society.
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.
The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the Unite States by Walter Johnson. A searing portrait of the racial dynamics that lie inescapably at the heart of our nation, told through the turbulent history of the city of St. Louis.
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation, gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement—and still lights the way to understanding race in America today.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis.
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
Beloved by Toni Morrison. This 1987 African American novel displays the horrific and destructive of slavery in history.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This novel represents the racism and violence towards African Americans in the south. It was made into a film of the same name in 2009, and is available on Netflix.
Audio
How White Parents Can Talk to Their Kids About Race, 10 minute audio
Social Media
These local organizations can be found on Facebook:
SOUTH SHORE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
MASSACHUSETTS STANDS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
Poetry
This Is Not a Small Voice by Sonia Sanchez. This poem is the voice for the lives lost and the voice of people demanding change. Sonia Sanchez’s emotional and touching choice of words will allow you to feel the pain and the demand Black Lives Matter represents for change.
Still I Rise Maya Angelou speaks volumes about the injustices in society and the challenges African Americans have overcome and those they still need to fight for. The phrase “still I rise” continues powerfully throughout the poem and represents the hope of every new day.