Books for Racial Justice

Last night, I had book club and remembered that I need to share a list of things that we've been reading in our home to help us open our perspective on Racial Justice. This includes titles that address the topic directly and also includes titles that have People of Color (POC) as central figures. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but a good starting place.

Non-fiction:

* White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

* Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson

* This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell

* The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

* It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (This is the YA version of his book Born a Crime that eliminates most swear words.)

* Stamped - Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi (This is the YA version of Ibram Kendi's book, Stamped from the Beginning.)

Elementary Age/Tween Fiction:

* New Kid by Jerry Craft (graphic novel)

* Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

* Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson 

* Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Elementary/Tween fiction)

 * Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

* Track series (the books are Ghost, Patina, Sunny and Lu) by Jason Reynolds 

YA Fiction:

* The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (note: does contain strong language)

* Dear Martin by Nic Stone (note: does contain strong language)

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These are the books that are on our reading wish lists:

* How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi (Non-fiction)

* Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Non-fiction)

* An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Fiction)

* One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (Elementary/Tween Fiction)

* Harbor Me by Jacquelin Woodson (Tween fiction)

* All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (YA fiction - does contain strong language)

If you have other suggestions for books you've found compelling, add it in the comments below. Please indicate the audience and any cautions about language and sex.

Jacob Blake's Family

I haven't written for a bit because of craziness in our community. We were hit by a derecho a few weeks ago have been dealing with our clean up and helping in the clean up in Cedar Rapids. Also, we've been dealing with Covid craziness since our town is one of the highest per capita locations of Covid in the country. The influx of students has sure thrown our community a curve ball that has affected how we're dealing with school.

Anyway. So, I haven't been able to post anything about the Jacob Blake shooting and protests. I'm sure you've heard about it by now. Jacob Blake is a black man who was shot in the back 7 times with his kids in the car looking on. He is still alive but is currently paralyzed from the waist down from the gun shots. 

After this shooting, there were protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin and a 17 year old white man took it upon himself to arm himself and go to Kenosha to defend some property from the protesters. He ended up killing 2 protesters and injuring one other protester.

There are many things that stand out to me about this incident but one of the most stark things are the different reactions that the police had to Jacob Blake and this 17 year old white kid. Jacob Blake was unarmed and ended up shot 7 times in the back and paralyzed. The white kid was obviously armed with an AR-15 type of rifle was walking down the middle of the road after shooting the protesters and the police officers just pass by him. People were yelling that he had shot someone but the police don't stop him because he was white. He didn't even get arrested in Kenosha but was arrested back at his home in Illinois. 

Black people are more likely to have negative outcomes (injury or death) in interactions with the police. 

One of Jacob Blake's sisters shared an eloquent statement about the shooting with the media. For the full video clip with other family members: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/26/us/jacob-blake-sister-family-statements/index.html

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She calls for change and not pity. What are you doing to help with that change?