In 2020, people all over the United States and all over the world took to the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. These protests sparked a larger conversation about racism and law, American history, economics, public education, and even real estate. Some Americans heard terms that were new to them: white privilege, implicit bias, microaggressions, intersectionality, and structural racism. Some heard of historical events or patterns that they had not learned about when they were in school: the Tulsa Massacre, redlining, the Great Migration, and the ways in which the New Deal excluded African-Americans and other people of color. Many white people who want to be allies have come to realize that they need not only more information, but more exposure to Black experiences and points of view.
The books, videos, podcasts, websites, articles, and other information in this LibGuide are a sampling of the resources available to you in your school library and online. Fiction is included because literature helps readers understand others' perspectives. Click on the tabs to explore the collection.
This list will grow over time, so if you have suggestions about resources to include, please share them!
We are having difficult conversations these days, and we need all the help we can get.
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
A comprehensive history of anti-black racism focuses on the lives of five major players in American history, including Cotton Mather and Thomas Jefferson, and highlights the debates that took place between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America.
Blood at the Root by Patrick Phillips
A harrowing testament to the deep roots of racial violence in America chronicles acts of racial cleansing in early 20th-century Forsyth County, Georgia, where the murder of a young girl led to mob lynchings, acts of terror against black workers and violent protests by night riders who would enforce whites-only citizenship.
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Rothstein describes how federal, state, and local governments systematically imposed residential segregation: with undisguised racial zoning, public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities, subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs, tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation, and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods.
White Rage by Carol Anderson
From the end of the Civil War to the tumultuous issues in America today, an acclaimed historian reframes the conversation about race, chronicling the powerful forces opposed to black progress in America.
Bind Us Apart by Nicholas Guyatt
An anatomy of white prejudice against African- and Native-Americans from the Revolution to the end of the Civil War, revealing how enlightenment liberals, despite deeply held beliefs in racial equality, created the racial segregation that continues to haunt our nation today.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns identifies the qualifying characteristics of historical caste systems to reveal how a rigid hierarchy of human rankings, enforced by religious views, heritage and stigma, impact everyday American lives.
The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter
Traces the invention of the idea of a white race, showing how the origins of the American identity were tied to the elevation of white skin as the embodiment of beauty, power, and intelligence.
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston; Deborah G. Plant (Introduction by); Alice Walker (Foreword by)
Presents a never-before-published work from the author of the American classic Their Eyes Were Watching God that illuminates the horror and injustices of slavery as it tells the true story of one of the last known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade--abducted from Africa on the last “Black Cargo” ship to arrive in the United States.
Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen
Sundown Towns examines thousands of all-white American towns that were- and still are, in some instances- racially exclusive by design.
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
A Seattle-based writer, editor and speaker tackles the sensitive, hyper-charged racial landscape in current America, discussing the issues of privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word.
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
From the National Book Award–winning author comes a bracingly original approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves. Ibram X. Kendi’s concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America—but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.
The Black Friend: on Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph
Presents race-related anecdotes from the author's past, weaving in his thoughts on why they were hurtful and how he might handle things differently now, in hopes of bringing more race awareness to Americans.
How to Be Less Stupid about Race by Crystal Marie Fleming
Combining no-holds-barred social critique, humorous personal anecdotes, and analysis of the latest interdisciplinary scholarship on systemic racism, sociologist Crystal M. Fleming provides a fresh, accessible, and irreverent take on everything that's wrong with our "national conversation about race." Drawing upon critical race theory, as well as her own experiences as a queer black millennial college professor and researcher, Fleming unveils how systemic racism exposes us all to racial ignorance--and provides a road map for transforming our knowledge into concrete social change.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious.
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Groundbreaking book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when discussing racism that serve to protect their positions and maintain racial inequality.
The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
The National Book Award-winning author of Salvage the Bones presents a continuation of James Baldwin's 1963The Fire Next Time that examines race issues from the past half century through essays, poems and memoir pieces by some of her generation's most original thinkers and writers.
One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson
Carol Anderson chronicles the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Argues that the War on Drugs and policies that deny convicted felons equal access to employment, housing, education, and public benefits create a permanent under-caste based largely on race.
They Can't Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery
A behind-the-scenes account of the story of the #blacklivesmatter movement shares insights into the young men and women behind it, citing the racially charged controversies that have motivated members and the economic, political and personal histories that inform its purpose.
The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
A powerful new exploration about the self-destructive bargain of white supremacy and its rising cost to all of us--including white people--from one of today's most insightful and influential thinkers.
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
This is the story of how the movement that started with a hashtag--#BlackLivesMatter--spread across the nation and then across the world and the journey that led one of its co-founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, to this moment.
One Drop by Yaba
Blay
Explores the extent to which historical definitions of race continue to shape contemporary racial identities and lived experiences of racial difference.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Told through the author's own evolving understanding of the subject over the course of his life comes a bold and personal investigation into America's racial history and its contemporary echoes.
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton; Lara Love Hardin; Bryan Stevenson
A man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he did not commit describes how he became a victim of a flawed legal system, recounting the years he shared with fellow inmates who were eventually executed before his exoneration.
Black Boy (Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Edition) by Richard Wright
Enduring poverty, hunger, fear, abuse, and hatred while growing up in the woods of Mississippi, Wright, desperate for a different way of life, made his way north to Chicago, where he began his career as a writer.
Baldwin by James Baldwin (Library of America edition)
A collection of non-fiction writings by African-American author James Baldwin, including the autobiographical "Notes of a Native Son"; his 1963 analysis of America's racial divide, "The Fire Next Time"; and over thirty other essays.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
A Black woman who went on to be a renowned poet, civil rights activist, and memoirist, recalls the anguish of her childhood in Arkansas and her adolescence in northern slums.
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
An essayist and novelist explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies and deception does to a black body, a black family and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama recounts his experiences as a lawyer working to assist those desperately in need, reflecting on his pursuit of the ideal of compassion in American justice.
This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins
An influential literary critic presents a highly anticipated collection of linked essays interweaving incisive commentaries on subjects ranging from pop culture and feminism to black history, misogyny and racism to confront the challenges of being a black woman in today's world.
March (Trilogy Slipcase Set) by John Lewis; Andrew Aydin; Nate Powell (Illustrator)
The late George Congressman John Lewis, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life in this trilogy of graphic novels.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
An intimate memoir by the former First Lady chronicles the experiences that have shaped her remarkable life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago through her setbacks and achievements in the White House.
W. E. B. du Bois by David Levering Lewis
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois―the premier architect of the civil rights movement in America―was a towering and controversial personality, a fiercely proud individual blessed with the language of the poet and the impatience of the agitator.
Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Austin Channing Brown's first encounter with a racialized America came at age 7, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, "I had to learn what it means to love blackness," a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America's racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.
X: a Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz; Kekla Magoon
Follows the childhood of the civil rights leader to his imprisonment at age twenty, where he found the faith that would lead him to his
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani
This unforgettable novel tells a universal coming-of-age story about Taja Brown, a young African American girl growing up in Houston, Texas, and it deftly and beautifully explores the universal struggles of growing up, battling family expectations, discovering a sense of self, and finding a unique voice and purpose.
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Bri hopes to become a great rapper, and after her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, must decide whether to sell out or face eviction with her widowed mother.
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Tired of being singled out at her mostly-white private school as someone who needs support, high school junior Jade would rather participate in the school's amazing Study Abroad program than join Women to Women, a mentorship program for at-risk girls.
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds; Brendan Kiely
When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
While on trial as an accomplice to a murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon records his experiences in prison and in the courtroom in the form of a film script as he tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.
Best African American Fiction
This inaugural collection of fiction brings together authors across the rich and varied African diaspora experience. Organized into short stories, novel excerpts, and young adult fiction , the collection offers a range of styles, textures, and settings.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
When Janie Starks returns home, she seeks identity and independence as the small southern black community buzzes with gossip about the outcome of her affair with a younger man.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, an African-American girl in an America whose love for blonde, blue-eyed children can devastate all others, prays for her eyes to turn blue, so that she will be beautiful, people will notice her, and her world will be different.
The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson
At the dawn of the Revolutionary War, young Octavian is raised in highly unusual circumstances at the Novanglian College of Lucidity. Though the scholars give him a first-rate education, they also monitor him closely…too closely. As he grows older, Octavian learns the horrifying truth of his situation, and that truth leads him to question his understanding of himself and the Revolution: if the Patriots can fight for their freedom, why can't he fight for his?
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A Virginia slave narrowly escapes a drowning death through the intervention of a mysterious force that compels his escape and personal underground war against slavery.
Crossing Ebenezer Creek by Tonya Bolden
Freed from slavery, Mariah and her young brother Zeke join Sherman's march through Georgia, where Mariah meets a free black named Caleb and dares to imagine the possibility of true love, but hope can come at a cost.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Dana, a Black woman, finds herself repeatedly transported to the antebellum South, where she must make sure that Rufus, the plantation owner's son, survives to father Dana's ancestor.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
An African-American man's search for success and the American dream leads him out of college to Harlem and a growing sense of personal rejection and social invisibility.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters, unknown to each other, are born into different villages in 18th-century Ghana and experience profoundly different lives and legacies throughout subsequent generations marked by wealth, slavery, war, coal mining, the Great Migration and the realities of 20th-century Harlem.
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
While his family struggles with guilt, bitterness, and spiritual issues, John Grimes experiences a religious conversion in the Temple of the Fire Baptised.
The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long; Jim Demonakos; Nate Powell (Illustrator)
This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967 Texas, against the backdrop of the fight for civil rights. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houstons color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.
All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor
A long-awaited conclusion to the story that began in the Newbery Medal-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry finds young adult Cassie
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds; Ibram X. Kendi
YA adaptation of Stamped From the Beginning
A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today.
We Are Not yet Equal by Carol Anderson; Tonya Bolden
YA adaptation of White Rage
From the end of the Civil War to the tumultuous issues in America today, an acclaimed historian reframes the conversation about race, chronicling the powerful forces opposed to black progress in America.
One Person, No Vote (YA Edition) by Carol Anderson; Tonya Bolden
YA adaptation of One Person, No Vote
Carol Anderson chronicles the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson
Details the author's personal experience, challenges, and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate to find justice for America's most marginalized people.
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
A middle-grade adaptation of The Daily Show host's best-selling adult memoir traces his experiences growing up half black, half white in South Africa under and after apartheid, describing how he used his wits and humor to navigate a harsh life under a racist government.
Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; Kathleen Van Cleve
A young reader's edition of the National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction traces the life of Ona Judge, a slave to George and Martha Washington who made the brave decision to escape to fugitive life in the North.
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis ; Brandy Colbert
Now adapted for readers ages 12 and up, the award-winning biography that examines Parks's life and 60 years of radical activism and brings the civil rights movement in the North and South to life
Rosa Parks is one of the most well-known Americans today, but much of what is known and taught about her is incomplete, distorted, and just plain wrong. The authors shatter the myths that Parks was meek, accidental, tired, or middle class.
When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult Edition) by Patrisse Cullors; asha bandele; Benee Knauer
YA adaptation of When They Call You a Terrorist.
This is the story of how the movement that started with a hashtag--#BlackLivesMatter--spread across the nation and then across the world and the journey that led one of its co-founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, to this moment.
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Four hundred years ago, in August 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. "1619," a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, examines the long shadow of that fateful moment. |
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The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world. |
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From Miss Lala, “the iron-jawed acrobat,” to Bill Richmond, “the first Black sports star,” to Yasuke, “the forgotten Black Samurai,” Black History Buff shines a light on the inspiring stories of Black historical figures from all over the world. |
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Humanity Archive is an educational website and storytelling podcast that shares untold or underexposed stories from history. While not a historian by trade, James Fowler sees historical storytelling and the sharing of knowledge as a means of fostering empathy and understanding between cultures.Fowler’s passion for his material is palpable as he unfurls the hidden histories of figures like Crispus Attucks, a martyr of the American revolution, and Benjamin Banneker, a free Black man in the 1700s who challenged Thomas Jefferson’s views on slavery. |
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With celebrities including Keegan-Michael Key, Roxane Gay, and Issa Rae narrating, Historically Black uses personal objects to map Black history. Each episode explores the story behind a listener-submitted artifact—a photograph, an instrument, a piece of jewelry—and in the process creates a sort of “people’s museum” that honors the lived experiences of various Black Americans. Created in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, it’s a unique and intimate way to approach history, illuminating the ways the personal can be fiercely tied to the political. |
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Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for? Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with an array of leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, in this fourteen-part documentary series, released between February and August 2017. |
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Black History Year introduces its listeners to thinkers and activists who have been erased or otherwise marginalized from mainstream conversations about history. Featuring interviews with experts, Black History Year provides crisp historical storytelling and analysis, animated by host Jay Walker’s excellent narration. |
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Are reparations for slavery warranted and, if so, why? What would be the outcome and consequence of paying reparations? What is the “wound” of slavery and how will it be healed? Who qualifies for reparations and who qualifies as Black? What form would reparations take? How could reparations potentially damage Black and white Americans? Could it make an already fraught racial relationship worse?This podcast will also investigate the underlying, racist architecture of modern businesses, laws, policies and institutions that have their roots in slavery. |
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What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for! Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between. This podcast makes ALL OF US part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story. |
“Ask Code Switch: What About Your Friends? Interracial friendships” |
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Be Antiracist imagines what an antiracist society might look like and how we all can play an active role in building one. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the author of How to Be an Antiracist, the book that spurred a nationwide conversation redefining what it means to be antiracist, and in this podcast, he guides listeners how they can identify and reject the racist systems hiding behind racial inequity and injustice. |
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A single episode of the long-running Hidden Brain podcast from NPR, this episode examines research about prejudices so deeply buried, we often doubt their existence. |
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With their insightful storytelling, the radio veterans Leila Day and Hana Baba chart the many ways, and meanings, of being black, in the U.S. and around the world. Every episode of “The Stoop” points a journalistic lens at a different facet of black life in all its variety. |
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Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a leading critical race theorist who coined the term "intersectionality," this podcast brings the academic term to life. Each episode brings together lively political organizers, journalists and writers. |
Note: Documentaries are available from a variety of sources, including your local public library, YouTube, PBS, Vimeo, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and other streaming services. However, it's important to note that availability is subject to change due to copyright and license issues. These resources are not always available for free.
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Eyes on the Prize |
"The 1987 Oscar-nominated Eyes On The Prize documents the comprehensive history of the Civil Rights Movement in America. The landmark series is told in 14 parts through the firsthand experiences of ordinary people whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the American landscape." |
Thirteenth |
"In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom." |
Race--The Power of an Illusion |
"The three-part documentary series asks a question so basic it’s rarely raised: What is this thing called ‘race’? What we discovered was that many of our conventional assumptions about race—for instance, that the world's peoples can be divided biologically along racial lines—are wrong. Yet the costs of racism are very real, and can even have biological consequences." |
I Am Not Your Negro |
"Based on James Baldwin's unfinished book, this visual essay explores racism through the stories of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr." |
White Like Me
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"For years, Tim Wise's bestselling books and spellbinding lectures have challenged some of our most basic assumptions about race in America. White Like Me brings the full range of his work to the screen, showing how white privilege has perpetuated racial inequality and race-driven political resentments in ways most white people simply aren't aware of." |
Freedom Riders |
"From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws in order to test and challenge a segregated interstate travel system, the Freedom Riders met with bitter racism and mob violence along the way, sorely testing their belief in nonviolent activism." |
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution |
"The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is the first feature-length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails.
Master documentarian Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, weaving a treasure trove of rare archival footage with the diverse group of voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters and detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it." |
Slavery by Another Name |
"[This] 90-minute documentary that challenges one of Americans’ most cherished assumptions: the belief that slavery in this country ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. The film tells how even as chattel slavery came to an end in the South in 1865, thousands of African Americans were pulled back into forced labor with shocking force and brutality. It was a system in which men, often guilty of no crime at all, were arrested, compelled to work without pay, repeatedly bought and sold, and coerced to do the bidding of masters. Tolerated by both the North and South, forced labor lasted well into the 20th century." |
The Central Park Five |
"The Central Park Five tells the story of the five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City’s Central Park in 1989. The film chronicles The Central Park Jogger case, for the first time from the perspective of these five teenagers whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice." |
Black American Documentary Films in Streaming |
This is an incredible resource from Anthony Anderson, a University of Southern California librarian. It's a collection of hundreds of documentaries about all aspects of Black life and history, organized into thirty-one categories. Click the tabs at the top to see the films in each category. The links Anderson provides are to streaming services available free to USC students, but many of these titles are also available through other services. |
Check out this incredible resource from Anthony Anderson, a University of Southern California librarian. Black American Documentary Films in Streaming is a collection of hundreds of documentaries about all aspects of Black life and history, organized into thirty-one categories. Click the tabs at the top to see the films in each category. The links provided are to streaming services available free to USC students, but many of are also available through other services.