10 anti-racism reads for white people

Hello, readers!

I am sure you've all been made aware of the horrific murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Furthermore, you probably know that their murderers have not been brought to justice. People are tired. They are protesting, rioting, crying out for justice. In a nation that has shown time and again that black lives do not matter (at least, not as much as white lives), these three individuals are not the first to lose their lives to the evils of white supremacy, nor shall they be the last.

What are we going to do? And by we, I mean white people. The reality is, if we don't feel like it, we don't have to pay attention to the news. It doesn't affect us in the same way that it does our black countrymen & women. We can sleep soundly at night, not fearing that our children might be hunted down & murdered by vigilantes, not fearing that police officers might break into our homes & start blindly shooting, not fearing that we may be arrested & never live to tell the tale. Why? Well, in short, we have white privilege. That is, we enjoy unique benefits due to the color of our skin. Now, we all have a choice in front of us.

What are we going to do with our white privilege?

What are you going to do?

Are you going to roll your eyes at me for suggesting that you enjoy benefits that others do not? Are you going to use your privilege to advocate on behalf of people without your privilege? Are you going to learn why you have white privilege? Are you going to do the work of anti-racism, unlearning the prejudices imbibed in you since you were young, learning how to listen to stories of people unlike you?

Not being racist, having POC friends, being underprivileged in other areas... those do not negate the fact that we have white privilege. Once we become aware of that, it is up to us to decide what to do with it. Friends, I do not say these things as one holier-than-thou. I am there with you. When I realized how incredibly, incredibly fortunate I am and how others suffer daily for the color of their skin, I felt sick. But I quickly realized that being disappointed with reality won't get me anywhere.

What am I going to do?

For starters, I am attempting to thoughtfully engage with my privilege by educating myself. That said, I thought I would put together a list of some anti-racist books that I've read in the past few years. These books have helped me tackle my inherent prejudices, begin the work of anti-racism, and understand (at least a little bit) what black people in America experience.

1. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

PAGE COUNT: 308

GENRE: fiction, contemporary SYNOPSIS: Roy & Celestial have been married for just over a year when Roy is falsely accused of raping an elderly white woman. Celestial knows that Roy did not commit the crime, but he is convicted & sentenced for twelve years in prison. The couple attempts to keep the spark alive, even during their time apart, but it is quite difficult. Celestial finds herself growing closer to her childhood best friend Andre & seeking to create a new life for herself while her husband is away. This modern-day Odyssey tackles the implications of institutionalized racism & mass-incarceration on relationships & families.

2. Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey by Sarah Shin

PAGE COUNT: 208

GENRE: nonfiction, Christian

SYNOPSIS: Christian author Sarah Shin addresses the modern church and its approaches to racism. In the age of political correctness and "colorblindness," Shin encourages her readers to move beyond superficial race relations and look to the Creator to redeem our relationships with race and ethnicity. In doing so, she argues, we can move forward as a society towards reconciliation.

3. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

PAGE COUNT: 290

GENRE: nonfiction, political

SYNOPSIS: In this masterfully researched text, Dr. Michelle Alexander argues that the United States continues to be ruled by a racial caste system. Contrary to popular belief, racism is alive and well, but it has changed forms with the times. First, there was slavery, then Jim Crow, and now mass incarceration. Alexander shows that the justice system is specially designed to target men of color, especially black and Latino men, in an effort to disempower them.

4. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

PAGE COUNT: 152

GENRE: nonfiction, memoir

SYNOPSIS: This brief series of essays, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his adolescent son, tells the story of Coates coming-of-age. By detailing his own experiences with the harsh realities of America today, Coates hopes to prepare his son and his readers to face the truth. In doing so, he offers a hopeful vision of a reconciled America.

5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

PAGE COUNT: 464

GENRE: fiction, YA

SYNOPSIS: Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black girl living in an urban neighborhood, attends a majority-white prep school. Starr feels as though she cannot reconcile the two sides of her identity, feeling as though she must act "black" at home & "white" at school. When she is the sole witness to the murder of her childhood best friend, Starr must decide whether to speak up or stay silent. Will she embrace her complicated identity and fight for her community or will she remain in the shadows and stay silent?

6. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass

PAGE COUNT: 160

GENRE: nonfiction, memoir

SYNOPSIS: Published in 1845, this short memoir details the life of formerly enslaved man Frederick Douglass. From his time in slavery to his escape to his life after the fact, Douglass exposes the ugly realities of a system designed to keep black people at the bottom of society. Douglass' memoir is one of the most popular slave narratives and inspired other formerly enslaved people to give voice to their own experiences. Through his detailed yet straightforward writing, Douglass combats the dominant narrative of America that glorifies racial hierarchy & challenges the system.

7. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

PAGE COUNT: 336

GENRE: nonfiction, memoir

SYNOPSIS: Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), details his experiences as a lawyer who advocates for disadvantaged (primarily poor and black men) on death row. Whether wrongfully condemned or trapped in the system without counsel, these men are in desperate need of someone to tell their story & advocate on their behalf. Stevenson details cases he has argued for, primarily that of wrongfully condemned Walter McMillian, asking his readers to consider why the American justice system targets the most vulnerable of society. He urges every person to do their part in being a "stone catcher," defending other people trapped by the system.

8. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

PAGE COUNT: 176

GENRE: nonfiction, memoir

SYNOPSIS: Another slave narrative, Harriet Jacobs' 1861 memoir depicts her time as an enslaved woman and the long and arduous process of her escape from slavery. From seven years spent in a crawl space with no room to stand up, let alone breathe properly, to sending her pursuers on a goose chase through artful forgery, Jacobs illustrates just how important freedom is to the human spirit. She would rather, she admits in her narrative, die than live to be enslaved again.

9. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton

PAGE COUNT: 272

GENRE: nonfiction, memoir

SYNOPSIS: Anthony Ray Hinton was just mowing the lawn on a hot summer day when several police officers pulled into his driveway, illegally searched his home, and arrested him for a murder he did not commit. Although Hinton had an airtight alimony, he was condemned to death for a crime he had not committed, simply because of the color of his skin. After 30 years of fighting, Hinton was finally released from death row after the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. This memoir tells the story of how he persevered even though his chances of being freed were slim to none. (I actually got to see Mr. Hinton speak at my school's Humanities Symposium this year. He is the real deal, a very genuine man. I also got him to sign my copy of his book!)

10. Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

PAGE COUNT: 249

GENRE: nonfiction, political

SYNOPSIS: So... I'm still technically reading this one, but I'm adding it anyway. Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote this book after her essay of the same title was met with a myriad of responses. Her goal in the essay was not to alienate her white audience, but rather to set a personal boundary. Yet now, she jokes, all she does is talk to white people about race. This book is a product of that blog post and those conversations. In it, Eddo-Lodge tells the story of race relations in Great Britain and weaves throughout her own story. This text unapologetically addresses the failure of the U.K. to properly address its own institutionalized racism. Although this book was written with a British audience in mind, I think Americans still have much to glean from it, as there is much overlap between the U.K. and the U.S. in this area.

So that's it! I know there are many books that I haven't yet gotten to, but this is just a starter list. I am excited to tackle more in the future (How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, White Rage by Carol Anderson, The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, etc.). To my white audience, I hope very much that this post has given you some ideas, and I pray that we can all work together to end the oppressive racial caste system that dominates America.

xx Liz

What anti-racist books are you reading?