February is Black History Month! Not only is now the time to do some intentional reading and self-educating, but it's also an excellent opportunity to support Black-owned businesses.
Below are some resources to get your learn on, recommended by Black people or organizations. To quote Patia's Fantasy World, who put it quite succinctly - "Everyone technically has access/ability/right to read whatever they choose. However, it is recommended for white and non-Black POC to read what has been recommended to them prior, to ensure there is a nuanced and informed understanding of their own complicity in white supremacy, and how they can eradicate that in their own lives, in order to become antiracist allies".
To honor this, all links to purchase are through Black-owned retailers, and all books, lists and media are by Black authors or creators unless otherwise noted. Also important to note that this is a dynamic list that is not complete, and any additions are welcomed.
Black-owned bookstores
→ No Name Book Club's guide to Black-owned Bookstores around the country. They also have a great Library Partners list where you can find resources to read for free.
MARCUS BOOKS
→ If you are an Oakland native, now is the time to check out Marcus Books, the oldest independent Black-owned bookstore in the country!
→ Marcus' Books has some great curated lists if you're not sure where to start. They provide some great Anti-Racism and Allyship, History, Nonfiction and Biography lists.
where to start: Curated lists
→ No Name Book Club's monthly selections so far
→ Frugal Bookstore's "Books We are Talking About Now"
→ The Key Bookstore has several curated booklists, including the White Ally Book List and Black History 101 List.
→ The 44th and 3rd Bookseller's Martin Luther King Jr Booklist has great selections by or about Dr. King.
→ The Nipsey Hussle Reading List, selections available through Malik Books. Please note that not all books are by Black authors, but this list is considered culturally significant after his death. Topics range, but there are some very good selections on economics and inequality.
→ Patia's Fantasy World has many resources on multiple subjects as well as links to free reading resources: I highly recommend this list curated by IG @ramsw4g, as well as the "Intro to Radical Politics" section.
→ Resources on White Privilege for White people and Non-Black POC, written by White people and complied by Patia's Fantasy World. Some examples:
- Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person by Gina Crosley-Corcoran
- How the Irish Become White by Noel Ignatiev
- The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics by George Lipsitz
- The Racial Triangulation of Asian Americans.
ESSAYS
→ No Name Book Club free reading selections:
- The Combahee River Collective Statement of 1977
- Until Black Women are Free, None of Us Will be Free by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
- Modern U.S. Racial Capitalism by Charisse Burden-Stelly
- The Feds Are Watching: A History of Resisting Anti-Black Surveillance by Simone Browne
→ LEVEL by Medium's Abolition for the People series: Some highlights include
- The Demand for Abolition by Colin Kaepernick
- Why Arguments Against Abolition Inevitably Fail by Angela Davis
- From One Struggle to Another: Lessons From the First Abolition Movement by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Prisons Are a Public Health Crisis — and the Cure Is Right in Front of Us by Kenyon Farrow
→ Introductory readings on transformative justice, accountability, and abolition, selected by Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective (tw: sexual assault)
AUDIObooks/PODCASTS
→ You can find audiobook versions of the No Name Book Club selections here.
→ How to Survive the End of the World podcast: Autumn Brown and adrienne maree brown
→ Black Magic Woman podcast by Mundanara Bayles, about First Nations Peoples culture and history.
→ Show about Race podcast (multi-racial contributors)
→ Code Switch podcast (multi-racial contributors)
→ Word Up with Daniel Browning podcast via ABC, about the diverse languages of Black Australia.
Resources for kids and parents
→ The Conscious Kid is an excellent resource for children's books about racism and racial equity.
Notable sections:
- How to Talk to Kids about Race,
- Racial Literacy: Key Terms
- Black history books by Black authors
- Books by Black authors for ages 0 -18
- Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance.
→ The Center for Racial Justice in Education has an extensive resource list for talking about topics on race with children.
→ Talking Race with Young Children by Cory Turner via NPR (multi-racial contributors)
→ Topics and Questions to Ask your White Peers + White Family Members (compiled by Patia's Fantasy World)
Community outreach through books and writing
→ If you are interested in writing to members of the incarcerated community who participate in the No Name Book Club, you can email genet@nonamebooks.com to be connected with a pen pal.
Lessons and educational resources
→ Black Story // Black Song is an educational project based in Santa Fe, NM focusing on visibility and Black representation in the greater region. They have videos with resources on a variety of topics from African Ancestry to New Mexico Black history.
→ The Slow Factory Foundation Open Education program is an arts education project for Black, Brown, Indigenous and minority ethnic communities by BIPOC educators.
BONUS (MUSIC)
→ Numero Group has excellent playlists, here are a few (multi-racial contributors):
- Chains & Black Exhaust: The Numero Group Guide to Black Rock
- Is it Because I'm Black? : The Numero Group Guide to Syl Johnson
- Broken Arrows: The Numero Guide to Black Vietnam
- Black Lives Matter playlist
→ No Name Book Club's Revolutionary Playlist
→ Playground Radio, an online radio platform that focuses on elevating the QTPOCI community.
→ The National Museum of African American Music's Black History Month playlist
→ Craft Recordings' Black History Month Jazzy, Blues, and Gospel playlists (multi-racial contributors)
