Anti-Racist Reading List: Home

by Scott Woods. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department.

Recommended by Angela Castaneda. the editors of City & Society offer this selection of articles, accessible to all, from our archives as a small act of solidarity with all of those outraged and bereaved by the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and so many others. In doing so we seek to contribute to the analysis and the ultimate undoing of the forces that have led to the multidimensional crisis we see unfolding before us: the systematic criminalization and devaluation of Black lives, as well as those of members of other racialized communities; the militarization of urban space; the refusal to provide public services, spaces, and infrastructure that might permit all people to thrive; the rollback of policies aimed towards equality, justice and decency; and backlash against progressive social movements. We also offer these articles to document and learn from the creativity, conviviality and tenacity with which urbanites protest injustice through occupying and producing urban space.

Twitter thread from Mireille Cassandra Harper. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department.

Recommended by Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the Environmental Fellows program (their blurb). We particularly appreciate this one at this time because of its focus on specific and concrete ways we can take up Africana Studies faculty's encouragement to "be engaged in the political process beyond simply voting."

Created by Victoria Alexander, MEd. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department. This document was created to be used as a resource for anyone looking to broaden their understanding of anti-racism and get involved to combat racism, specifically as it relates to anti-Blackness and police violence. Within this guide, please find a variety of resources to explore practical ways to understand, explain, and solve seemingly intractable problems of racial inequity, white supremacy, police violence, and injustice.

Recommended by the School of Music. Episode 3 of the New York Times' 1619 Project podcast. From the SOM: "For a powerful brief introduction to this history, we recommend [this episode] which is now part of the required music history curriculum. From that episode you can access the full 2020 Pulitzer Prize–winning 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones."

By Rebecca Hains. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department.

Recommendation from Leigh-Anne Goins, written by former DePauw colleague, Mahdis Azarmandi

Recommended by the Sociology & Anthropology department. Following Dr. Rayshawn Ray, a Sociologist at the Brookings Institute, who specialized in race/ethnicity and police/civilian interactions. He is frequently interviewed by the media and hosts podcasts.

by Irma McClaurin. Recommended by the Sociology & Anthropology department.

by Elizabeth Hinton. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department.A proper understanding of urban rebellion depends on our ability to interpret it not as a wave of criminality, but as political violence.

Recommended by Glen Kuecker. Developed by Adam Bledsoe, Department of Geography, Environment & Society at the University of Minnesota.

This bibliography is intended to offer background to how Minneapolis became a flashpoint for a global uprising against anti-Blackness and state violence. What follows is meant to be a brief introduction to understanding the struggles of the Twin Cities’ Black community, focusing especially on the case of Minneapolis. While this historic moment is only possible because of the dedication and courage of those risking their lives in the streets, studying the legacies of struggle in the Twin Cities is vital to grappling with our current conditions and being able to shape our future.

by Jessica Sager. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department.

Recommended by the Sociology & Anthropology department. Looking through the eyes of history, science, and lived experiences, the RACE project explains differences among people and reveals the reality--and unreality--of race. This website has resources for families, teachers, and researchers - including syllabi.

Recommended by Karin Wimbley, who says this: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has a strong website devoted to talking about race. Full of resources and accessible, this is one of the best websites I've seen, and makes for a constructive, comprehensive starting point for thinking about race and anti-racism in an American context.

Recommended by Cindy O'Dell. The first documentary to explore the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations and social emergence of African Americans from slavery to the present, Through a Lens Darkly probes the recesses of American history by discovering images that have been suppressed, forgotten and lost. Bringing to light the hidden and unknown photos shot by both professional and vernacular African American photographers, the film opens a window into lives, experiences and perspectives of black families that is absent from the traditional historical canon. These images show a much more complex and nuanced view of American culture and society and its founding ideals. Inspired by Deborah Willis's book Reflections in Black and featuring the works of Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Anthony Barboza, Hank Willis Thomas, Coco Fusco, Clarissa Sligh and many others, Through a Lens Darkly introduces the viewer to a diverse yet focused community of storytellers who transform singular experiences into a communal journey of discovery - and a call to action--Kanopy.

by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. Recommended by the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department. In the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, we see that the violence of the past is the violence of the present.