Educate Yourself: Why You Need To Read Anti-Racism Books in 2022
Now more than ever is the time to educate ourselves about racial inequalities in America.
Because if you’re not help to solve the problem – you’re part of the problem.
Here are some key reasons why reading anti-racism books by women is so important:
1. Helps You Understand Racism Better
Racism is a complex and multi-layered issue, which can be difficult to understand fully if you haven’t experienced it yourself.
However, reading books about racism written by women of color can help give you a better understanding of the issue.
These books provide first-hand accounts of what it’s like to experience racism, as well as insights into the various ways it can manifest.
This can help you to be more aware of racism in your own life, and also equip you with the knowledge to combat it effectively.
2. Encourages Empathy and Compassion
Reading books about racism can also help to develop empathy and compassion for those who experience it on a daily basis.
It’s easy to become complacent when you’re not directly affected by an issue, but hearing personal stories of racism can help to jolt you out of that complacency.
These books can remind you of the very real pain and suffering that racism causes, and why it’s so important to stand up against it.
3. Helps You Reflect on Your Own Privilege
If you’re a white person, reading books about racism can also help you to reflect on your own privilege.
It’s easy to take your privilege for granted, but hearing the experiences of people of color can help to highlight just how lucky you are.
These books can also show you ways in which you can use your privilege to help fight racism, whether it’s by speaking out against it or using your platform to amplify the voices of those who experience it.
4. Gives You Practical Advice on How to Combat Racism
In addition to helping you understand and empathize with people of color, reading books about racism can also give you practical advice on how to combat it.
These books can offer suggestions for everything from how to have difficult conversations about race, to what organizations you can support in the fight against racism.
By reading the books on this list, you can arm yourself with the tools you need to make a difference.
5. Shows You Support The Anti-Racism Fight
You know that saying – put your mouth where your money is?
Well, this is like that.
Supporting and buying anti-racism books – especially these by women – helps these writers stay fully committed to the anti-racism struggles, and helps to correct the racial imbalance.
So, if you’re looking for a way to become more informed and engaged in the fight against racism, be sure to these anti-racism books by women to your reading list.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism – ROBIN DIANGELO
What makes this books so unique, is that it’s written by a white woman.
Talking about racism and white privilege is difficult and something most people would rather avoid.
But Robin tackles this head on – and invites you to do the same.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism is a book that every white person should read.
Here’s why:
1. It will help you understand your own privilege.
If you’re like most white people, you probably don’t think of yourself as privileged.
But the fact is, if you’re white, you benefit from systemic racism whether you realize it or not.
Reading White Fragility will help you understand how your privilege affects the world around you and why it’s so important to be an ally in the fight against racism.
2. It will challenge your assumptions about race.
Many white people grow up with a lot of misconceptions about race. White Fragility will challenge the assumptions you may have about people of color and help you see the world through a new lens.
3. It will make you a better ally.
If you want to be an effective ally in the fight against racism, it’s essential that you understand your own privilege and how it affects the world around you. White Fragility will help you do just that.
4. It’s an important addition to the conversation about race.
In recent years, there’s been a growing national conversation about race and racism. White Fragility is an important contribution to that conversation. Everyone should read it, regardless of their race.
5. It’s an essential read for anyone who wants to be antiracist.
If you’re committed to fighting racism, White Fragility is a must-read.
It will help you understand your own privilege and how to be a more effective ally in the fight against racism.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir – PATRISSE CULLORS
Calling Black Lives Matters activists “terrorists” has become a common practice among white racists (and our former President Trump and his allies) in an attempt to delegitimize the movement and the activists.
Cullors is a co-founder of the movement, and talks honestly what it feels like when your own country calls you a terrorist when you attempt fight racial inequalities.
Cullors’ story is one of strength, resilience, and hope, and it is an important reminder of the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
When They Call You a Terrorist is an unflinching look at Cullors’ life and the events that led her to become one of the founding members of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Cullors recounts her childhood growing up in Los Angeles, her experiences as a queer black woman, and the police brutality and racism that she has witnessed throughout her life.
While Cullors’ story is ultimately one of hope, it is also a reminder of the work that still needs to be done in order to achieve true equality.
When They Call You a Terrorist is an important book that everyone should read.
You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain – PHEOBE ROBINSON
You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain is a 2016 book by Phoebe Robinson.
Pheobe Robinson is a NYC-based comedian, so this book put together personal anecdotes in a funny way that would also make you think about the everyday realities of black women in the US today.
Case in point: why it’s never ok for a white person to ask to touch a black women’s hair.
If you prefer audio to listening, Robinson’s narrates her own memoir on Audible, and this makes the experience even better.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – MICHELLE ALEXANDER
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is one of the most influential and important books of our time.
No list would really be complete without this book.
You can’t really understand racial inequalities in the US, without understanding how racial stereotypes about black have led to mass incarcerations.
And, how our criminal system just makes it almost impossible for black people to avoid brush-ins with the legal system.
Michelle Alexander shows that mass incarceration in the United States has become a new system of racial control, one that disproportionately targets black Americans.
Despite the fact that crime rates have been declining for decades, the number of people behind bars in the United States has exploded, reaching a level unprecedented in world history.
Today, there are more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States, and black Americans are disproportionately represented among them.
One out of every three black men can expect to go to prison at some point in their lifetime.
The New Jim Crow tells the story of how this happened, tracing the origins of our current system of mass incarceration back to the War on Drugs, which was launched in the early 1980s.
The War on Drugs was ostensibly designed to address the growing problem of drug addiction and drug-related crime.
But as Alexander shows, it was also part of a broader effort to demonize and marginalize black Americans, who were disproportionately targeted by the new drug laws.
The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of black Americans behind bars, even as crime rates have declined. In 2010, there were more black men in prison than there were slaves in 1850.
The New Jim Crow is an essential book for anyone who wants to understand the origins of our current system of mass incarceration. It is also a powerful call to action, urging us to confront the racial biases that continue to plague our criminal justice system.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in social justice or in understanding the origins of our current system of mass incarceration. It is an essential read for anyone who cares about equality and justice in America.
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race – JESMYN WARD
The National Book Award-winning author of Salvage the Bones edited this anthology of essays and poems that engage with James Baldwin’s 1963 examination of race in America, The Fire Next Time.
Organized into three sections, it looks at our legacy, the state of things today, and how we can work toward a better future.
This book is incredibly timely.
In a world where racial tensions continue to rise, it’s more important than ever to have open and honest conversations about race.
The essays in the book are incredibly powerful.
It features a collection of essays by some of the most influential voices of our generation, including Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors and National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.
Lastly, the book is incredibly important. It provides a much-needed platform for young people of color to speak out about their experiences with racism and injustice.
If you’re looking for a book that will challenge your perspectives and open your eyes to the realities of race in America, then look no further than The Fire This Time.