Happy Juneteenth! In celebration of the holiday, we’re highlighting the richness of the Black Culture as well as spotlighting books that speak to the current racial climate.
Not sure what Juneteenth is? On June 19, 1865, the abolition of slavery was announced in Texas, marking the end of slavery in the United States. First known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth commemorates that critical date in history.
How to be an Antiracist
By Ibram X. Kendi
Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
By Michelle Alexander
Alexander provocatively argues that by targeting Black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness.
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice
By Paul Kivel
Learn about interpersonal, institutional, and cultural racism along with stories of resistance and white solidarity. It provides practical tools and advice on how white people can work as allies for racial justice, engaging the reader through questions, exercises, and suggestions for action.
Have Black Lives Ever Mattered?
By Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia gives voice to the many people of color who have fallen to police bullets or racist abuse, and offers the post-Ferguson generation advice on how to address police abuse in the United States.
They Can’t Kill Us All
By Wesley Lowery
Washington Post writer Wesley Lowery details his quest for justice in the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray, offering both unparalleled insight into the reality of police violence in America and an intimate, moving portrait of those working to end it.
By Barbara Ransby
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By Khalil Gibran Muhammad
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Looking for even more books on this subject? Check out the Pratt’s collection of Anti-Racist Reading for Adults.