DEI Library

Articles and essays

Courtney Martin

Books

(A List of Some Black Women-Owned Online Bookstores)

  • A Black Women’s HIstory of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross

Bringing together many different stories and perspectives, Berry and Gross center Black women’s stories in an

effort to not only empower Black women but to educate their allies all the while celebrating and examining the

meaning of Black womanhood.

  • A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

In this alternative textbook, Zinn presents another side of history that is rarely taught in the classroom.

  • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

A masterful work of fiction, Americanah explores race and identity in America through the story of Ifemelu-- a

successful academic who must face what it means to be black for the first time.

  • An African American and LatinX History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

In this novel, Ortiz traces more than 200 years of history placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous

voices at the forefront shifting the perspective of US history into one of the working class organizing against

imperialism.

  • An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Dunbar-Ortiz offers a history of the United States from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and highlights

how Native Americans have resisted expansionist efforts by the United States.

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

From the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson details his coming of age as a young lawyer inspired

to fight for justice and reform the criminal justice system.

  • So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

With each chapter outlining a different question on race in America, Oluo discusses her opinions and ways to

talk about the issues.

  • The Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

A powerful memoir where Ward describes the death of 5 black men in her life and comes to terms with the fact

that while each death was seemingly unrelated, the fate of these men was predetermined by who they were and

where they were from.

  • The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Through the stories of several characters, Wilkerson chronicles the migration of black Americans who fled the

South and went north and west in search of a better life.

  • Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis

A memoir about John Lewis’ life in the civil rights movement.

For parents and children

The Conscious Kid

An education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity

development in youth

Books to Help School-Aged Children Understand Racism

Listen

Podcasts

1619

This podcast from the New York Times explores how slavery has transformed America.

About Race

This hosts of this show hold a conversation “about the ways we can’t talk, don’t talk, would rather not talk, but

intermittently, fitfully, embarrassingly do talk about culture, identity, politics, power, and privilege in our pre-

post-yet-still-very-racial America.”

Come Through with Rebecca Carroll

Join host Rebecca Carroll for 15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal moment for America. She talks

to great thinkers, writers, and artists about faith, representation, white fragility, and how it’s all playing out in

2020

Pod for the Cause

Produced by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, this podcast explores social issues by

inviting experts and “friends in the movement” to teach listeners how to become change agents and engage in

difficult, but necessary, dialogue

Seeing White

This 14 part documentary series tries to get at the root of where whiteness came from, its meaning, and what it

stands for

Podcast episodes

Episode 214 on Armchair Expert: Ibram X. Kendi

Dax Shepard and Monica Padman interview the author of How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi, and discuss

the definitions of racism vs. anti-racism, the police system, and how to educate children about race and racism

in this country.

On The Axe Files: Best of the Axe Files: Bryan Stevenson

David Axelrod sits down with Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder of the Equal Justice

Initiative, a nonprofit that provides legal aid to prisoners lacking legal representation. They discuss Bryan’s path

to becoming a renowned lawyer and figurehead, what it will take to confront America’s legacy on race, and

more.

Phonology (LINGUISTICS) with Nicole Holliday on Ologies with Alie Ward

Alie sits down with Dr. Nicole Holliday, a linguist, whose work focuses on how language is used in the crossing

and construction of racial/ethnic boundaries. Nicole answers questions about the nuances and strict grammatical

rules of African American Language, cultural appropriation, our educational system, and ways to honor your

identity.

Watch

Short Videos

Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows

On cultural appropriation in pop culture

Racism Is Real: Systemic Racism Explained

A short video explaining systemic racism.

The Disturbing History of the Suburbs

On redlining: the racist housing policy from the Jim Crow era that still affects us today.

Videos over 10 minutes

The Danger Of A Single Story

Novelist Chimamanda Adichie discusses the perils of a single story and urges viewers to consider other perspectives.

What Being Hispanic and Latinx Means in the United States

A Ted Talk addressing stereotypes and assumptions while providing insight into the role of Latinx people in shaping

culture, politics, and the American economy.

TV Episodes

America Inside and Out with Katie Couric S1 E1

Katie Couric travels through the South to explore the controversy over removing confederate monuments.

TV Shows

Living Undocumented on Netflix

A docu-series detailing what it is like to be living undocumented in this country.

Movies

13th on Netflix

Ava DuVerny follows the history of racial inequality in this country, giving special attention to racial disparities

in the prison system and mass incarceration.

Fruitvale Station

Based on a true story, this movie tells the story of Oscar Grant: a man shot by police in the Fruitvale station in

Oakland, CA.

Just Mercy

Based on the best-selling book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, this movie chronicles the life of

lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson.

Selma

This movie follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the march he led from Selma to Montgomery and the fight

for the Voting Rights Act.