Additional Resources
Listed below are site sources, informative links, items of interest and various miscellaneous resources. Please let me know if you'd like to suggest a resource not listed.
Additional Information
Slavery & Abolitionism in America: An in-depth description of the period leading up to the Civil War, including the treatment of enslaved persons and the abolitionist movement. Written and researched by Nancy Jean.
Books
White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F. White and America's Darkest Secret: Written by A.J Baime, this riveting biography about Walter White, the little-known early twentieth century Black activist who passed for white to investigate racial murders, and was instrumental in organizing the NAACP.
Lincoln on the Verge: Written by historian Ted Widmer, this fascinating book takes readers along as President-elect Abraham Lincoln embarks on a perilous thirteen day journey from Springfield, IL, to Washington D.C. to take the helm of a country in turmoil.
Understanding and Dismantling Racism: A book list for white readers.
The Best of James Baldwin: James Baldwin was an essayist, playwright, novelist and voice of the American civil rights movement known for works including 'Notes of a Native Son,' 'The Fire Next Time' and 'Go Tell It on the Mountain.'
The Fire Next Time: Essential James Baldwin.
Between the World and Me: Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates in letter form to his adolescent son, Coates attempts to give his child the meaning of growing up an African American male in 2015.
The Underground Railroad: A Pulitzer Prize winning book of fiction from author Colson Whitehead.
A Lesson Before Dying: A work of fiction based on a true account, author Earnest J. Gaines richly depicts a story of sadness, understanding and compassion in a late 1940s Cajun community.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family: Alex Haley's landmark book that traced his ancestry from enslavement to the early 1970s. Although published as a true account, doubts about the authenticity of some segments have led to criticism. However, the book played a pivotal role in educating white people.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: Written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. A timely, crucial and empowering exploration of racism and antiracism in America.
The Short Stories of Langston Hughes: Forty-seven stories written between 1919 and 1963.
The Underground Railroad: Written by William Still. A riveting collection of true stories of enslaved people seeking freedom.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In the Age of Color Blindness: by Michelle Alexander. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community and the rest of us to place mass incarceration at the forefront to achieve racial justice in America.
A People’s History of the United States: by Howard Zinn. From Library Journal, "“a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those…whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories.”
Born a Crime: by Trevor Noah. The memoir of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
Publications & Articles
The Impact of Structural Racism in Employment and Wages on Minority Women's Health: Written by Ruqaiijah Yearby, a professor of law and director of the Institute of Equity in Society at Saint Louis University School of Law.
Financial Literacy in the Black Community: How slavery, systematic racism and inequality, job discrimination and economic barriers have denied Black families a basic plan for financial security and why education is key when it comes to closing the wealth gap in America. From BBB accredited Annuity.org, a free financial literacy resource.
James Baldwin Collected Essays
I Am Not Your Negro: Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
The Secret History of the Underground Railroad: Eric Foner explores how it really worked.
What is Owed?: "If true justice and equality are ever to be achieved in the United States, the country must finally take seriously what it owes Black Americans," New York Times article by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
North Carolina City Approves Reparations for Black Residents: Asheville, N.C., City Council approves funding to promote business opportunities and homeownership.
Racist Monuments are Coming Down all over the U.S. What Should Replace Them?: Artists, designers and thinkers weigh in.
Who Were America's Enslaved? Information about a database that gives the names and tells the stories behind the numbers.
You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument: Thought provoking New York Times Op-Ed by Black poet and writer Caroline Randall Williams.
Documentaries
The Rape of Recy Taylor: Gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama, Recy Taylor spoke up and fought for justice with help from Rosa Parks and other women.
4 Little Girls: Directed by Spike Lee, the documentary recounts the notorious bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama, church that killed four little African-American girls.
1964: The Fight for a Right: Mississippi Broadcast Company documentary about the summer of 1964, when hundreds of young white volunteers converged in Mississippi for a 10-week voter registration campaign. The results of their efforts still reverberate.
Dawn of Day: Stories of the Underground Railroad: A historical documentary produced by K-State College of Education about the Underground Railroad in Kansas that brings to light Wabaunsee County’s unsung heroes who traversed one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s history.
Depictions of Race in Popular Culture
Harriet: This 2019 film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, is the first full-length feature film about Harriet Tubman, her escape from slavery and her heroic efforts to free others as a conductor in the Underground Railroad.
Dances With Wolves: Lauded by some and criticized by others, the 1990 film won a variety of notable awards. Based on the 1988 novel of the same name, the author, Michael Blake, wrote the film's screenplay.
Loving: An HBO production about Richard and Mildred Loving, the interracial couple whose landmark legal battle led to a historic 1967 Supreme Court ruling.
Mr. and Mrs. Loving: 1996 film adaptation of the Richard and Mildred Loving story.
Black-ish: A television series about a family man who struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood. Series created by Kenya Barris.
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story: Stars Louis Gossett, Jr. and Gena Rowlands fight over the custody of a young bi-racial girl, who is also their grandchild.
The Help: Based on a novel, an aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work.
The Secret Life of Bees: Based on a novel by Sue Kidd Monk, an abused white teenage girl in 1964 South Carolina struggles with her past and finds a connection to her past in a family of Black women. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Hidden Figures: Based on a true story, Hidden Figures follows the team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
Lee Daniels' The Butler: Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House during the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events.
Selma: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Mississippi Burning: Based on a true incident, two F.B.I. agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi in the 1960s to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.
Driving Miss Daisy: An elderly Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
Ghosts of Mississippi: Film version of the real-life trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the man who murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
A Family Thing: Robert DuVall plays an Arkansas bigot who discovers his biological mother was Black. He also learns he has a half-brother, played by James Earl Jones, who lives in Chicago.
The Color Purple: Acclaimed film based on the book by Alice Walker.
Fried Green Tomatoes: Based on the book by Fannie Flagg, the film follows the friendship between depressed, middle-aged Evelyn Couch and the elderly Ninny Threadgoode. Ninny relates stories of life in 1920s Alabama that deal with racism, domestic violence and sexuality to help Evelyn heal.
Miscellaneous
Books to Read on Racism and White Privilege in the U.S.
This List of Books, Films and Podcasts About Racism is a Start, Not a Panacea
Contemporary African American Authors You Should Be Reading
A Call for Reparations: How America Might Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap: Fresh Air's Terry Gross interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Underground Railroad: The William Still Story: List of historic sites, museums, monuments and parks to explore and learn more about the Underground Railroad.
National Park Service Underground Railroad Resources: What is the Underground Railroad?
Myths of the Underground Railroad: A Scholastic resource for teachers.
Deadline Q&A with "The Old Guard" director Gina Prince-Bythewood: "I wanted my shot," says the first Black Woman to direct a big-budget comic book movie.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Biography of late 19th and early 20th century activist, researcher, journalist and anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells.
Tim Wise: Official website of Tim Wise, author of seven books, including his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, as well as Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority, and Under the Affluence: Shaming the Poor, Praising the Rich and Sacrificing the Future of America. The Root, recently named Wise one of the “8 Wokest White People We Know.”
John Lewis' Last Words: "I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe."
Gateway to Freedom: Heroes, Danger and Loss on the Underground Railroad: Fresh Air's Terry Gross interviews historian Eric Foner about his book, "Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad."
“Rap On Race”: YouTube video of a conversation between James Baldwin and Margaret Mead, PBS,1971.
“Finding Your Roots”, host Henry Louis Gates, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) series
1619 Project. Conceived by Nikole Hannah Jones in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine, the project marks the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in North America.
Enslaved: People of the Historical Slave Trade: A robust, open-source architecture to discover and explore nearly a half million people records and 5 million data points. From archival fragments and spreadsheet entries, the lives of the enslaved are presented in richer detail. With the help of scholars, educators, and family historians, Enslaved.org will rapidly expand in the coming days.
Additional Information
Slavery & Abolitionism in America: An in-depth description of the period leading up to the Civil War, including the treatment of enslaved persons and the abolitionist movement. Written and researched by Nancy Jean.
Books
White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F. White and America's Darkest Secret: Written by A.J Baime, this riveting biography about Walter White, the little-known early twentieth century Black activist who passed for white to investigate racial murders, and was instrumental in organizing the NAACP.
Lincoln on the Verge: Written by historian Ted Widmer, this fascinating book takes readers along as President-elect Abraham Lincoln embarks on a perilous thirteen day journey from Springfield, IL, to Washington D.C. to take the helm of a country in turmoil.
Understanding and Dismantling Racism: A book list for white readers.
The Best of James Baldwin: James Baldwin was an essayist, playwright, novelist and voice of the American civil rights movement known for works including 'Notes of a Native Son,' 'The Fire Next Time' and 'Go Tell It on the Mountain.'
The Fire Next Time: Essential James Baldwin.
Between the World and Me: Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates in letter form to his adolescent son, Coates attempts to give his child the meaning of growing up an African American male in 2015.
The Underground Railroad: A Pulitzer Prize winning book of fiction from author Colson Whitehead.
A Lesson Before Dying: A work of fiction based on a true account, author Earnest J. Gaines richly depicts a story of sadness, understanding and compassion in a late 1940s Cajun community.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family: Alex Haley's landmark book that traced his ancestry from enslavement to the early 1970s. Although published as a true account, doubts about the authenticity of some segments have led to criticism. However, the book played a pivotal role in educating white people.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: Written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. A timely, crucial and empowering exploration of racism and antiracism in America.
The Short Stories of Langston Hughes: Forty-seven stories written between 1919 and 1963.
The Underground Railroad: Written by William Still. A riveting collection of true stories of enslaved people seeking freedom.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In the Age of Color Blindness: by Michelle Alexander. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community and the rest of us to place mass incarceration at the forefront to achieve racial justice in America.
A People’s History of the United States: by Howard Zinn. From Library Journal, "“a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those…whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories.”
Born a Crime: by Trevor Noah. The memoir of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
Publications & Articles
The Impact of Structural Racism in Employment and Wages on Minority Women's Health: Written by Ruqaiijah Yearby, a professor of law and director of the Institute of Equity in Society at Saint Louis University School of Law.
Financial Literacy in the Black Community: How slavery, systematic racism and inequality, job discrimination and economic barriers have denied Black families a basic plan for financial security and why education is key when it comes to closing the wealth gap in America. From BBB accredited Annuity.org, a free financial literacy resource.
James Baldwin Collected Essays
I Am Not Your Negro: Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
The Secret History of the Underground Railroad: Eric Foner explores how it really worked.
What is Owed?: "If true justice and equality are ever to be achieved in the United States, the country must finally take seriously what it owes Black Americans," New York Times article by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
North Carolina City Approves Reparations for Black Residents: Asheville, N.C., City Council approves funding to promote business opportunities and homeownership.
Racist Monuments are Coming Down all over the U.S. What Should Replace Them?: Artists, designers and thinkers weigh in.
Who Were America's Enslaved? Information about a database that gives the names and tells the stories behind the numbers.
You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument: Thought provoking New York Times Op-Ed by Black poet and writer Caroline Randall Williams.
Documentaries
The Rape of Recy Taylor: Gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama, Recy Taylor spoke up and fought for justice with help from Rosa Parks and other women.
4 Little Girls: Directed by Spike Lee, the documentary recounts the notorious bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama, church that killed four little African-American girls.
1964: The Fight for a Right: Mississippi Broadcast Company documentary about the summer of 1964, when hundreds of young white volunteers converged in Mississippi for a 10-week voter registration campaign. The results of their efforts still reverberate.
Dawn of Day: Stories of the Underground Railroad: A historical documentary produced by K-State College of Education about the Underground Railroad in Kansas that brings to light Wabaunsee County’s unsung heroes who traversed one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s history.
Depictions of Race in Popular Culture
Harriet: This 2019 film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, is the first full-length feature film about Harriet Tubman, her escape from slavery and her heroic efforts to free others as a conductor in the Underground Railroad.
Dances With Wolves: Lauded by some and criticized by others, the 1990 film won a variety of notable awards. Based on the 1988 novel of the same name, the author, Michael Blake, wrote the film's screenplay.
Loving: An HBO production about Richard and Mildred Loving, the interracial couple whose landmark legal battle led to a historic 1967 Supreme Court ruling.
Mr. and Mrs. Loving: 1996 film adaptation of the Richard and Mildred Loving story.
Black-ish: A television series about a family man who struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood. Series created by Kenya Barris.
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story: Stars Louis Gossett, Jr. and Gena Rowlands fight over the custody of a young bi-racial girl, who is also their grandchild.
The Help: Based on a novel, an aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work.
The Secret Life of Bees: Based on a novel by Sue Kidd Monk, an abused white teenage girl in 1964 South Carolina struggles with her past and finds a connection to her past in a family of Black women. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Hidden Figures: Based on a true story, Hidden Figures follows the team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
Lee Daniels' The Butler: Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House during the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events.
Selma: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Mississippi Burning: Based on a true incident, two F.B.I. agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi in the 1960s to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.
Driving Miss Daisy: An elderly Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
Ghosts of Mississippi: Film version of the real-life trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the man who murdered civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
A Family Thing: Robert DuVall plays an Arkansas bigot who discovers his biological mother was Black. He also learns he has a half-brother, played by James Earl Jones, who lives in Chicago.
The Color Purple: Acclaimed film based on the book by Alice Walker.
Fried Green Tomatoes: Based on the book by Fannie Flagg, the film follows the friendship between depressed, middle-aged Evelyn Couch and the elderly Ninny Threadgoode. Ninny relates stories of life in 1920s Alabama that deal with racism, domestic violence and sexuality to help Evelyn heal.
Miscellaneous
Books to Read on Racism and White Privilege in the U.S.
This List of Books, Films and Podcasts About Racism is a Start, Not a Panacea
Contemporary African American Authors You Should Be Reading
A Call for Reparations: How America Might Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap: Fresh Air's Terry Gross interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Underground Railroad: The William Still Story: List of historic sites, museums, monuments and parks to explore and learn more about the Underground Railroad.
National Park Service Underground Railroad Resources: What is the Underground Railroad?
Myths of the Underground Railroad: A Scholastic resource for teachers.
Deadline Q&A with "The Old Guard" director Gina Prince-Bythewood: "I wanted my shot," says the first Black Woman to direct a big-budget comic book movie.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Biography of late 19th and early 20th century activist, researcher, journalist and anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells.
Tim Wise: Official website of Tim Wise, author of seven books, including his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, as well as Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority, and Under the Affluence: Shaming the Poor, Praising the Rich and Sacrificing the Future of America. The Root, recently named Wise one of the “8 Wokest White People We Know.”
John Lewis' Last Words: "I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe."
Gateway to Freedom: Heroes, Danger and Loss on the Underground Railroad: Fresh Air's Terry Gross interviews historian Eric Foner about his book, "Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad."
“Rap On Race”: YouTube video of a conversation between James Baldwin and Margaret Mead, PBS,1971.
“Finding Your Roots”, host Henry Louis Gates, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) series
1619 Project. Conceived by Nikole Hannah Jones in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine, the project marks the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in North America.
Enslaved: People of the Historical Slave Trade: A robust, open-source architecture to discover and explore nearly a half million people records and 5 million data points. From archival fragments and spreadsheet entries, the lives of the enslaved are presented in richer detail. With the help of scholars, educators, and family historians, Enslaved.org will rapidly expand in the coming days.