Reading list: Reflections on the fight for racial justice

We have paused our usual publishing schedule this week to give ourselves and our audience some time to process what’s been happening in the wider world, particularly on the streets of the US.

We’re very conscious that we have a lot of work to do around diversity and inclusion at Intercom, and we have not always been where we want to be in that regard.

We all have work to do individually too, and many of us are starting to educate ourselves on how to be allies for racial justice, learning how we can take part to make a difference and stand for change. These are some of the resources that have been shared internally at Intercom this week.

Current reflections

• Op-ed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge.
• Remember, no one is coming to save us: Eventually doctors will find a coronavirus vaccine, but Black people will continue to wait for a cure for racism.
• The death of George Floyd in context: George Floyd’s death is just the latest in a series of videos capturing the deaths of Black Americans.
• Trevor Noah: ‘Police in America are looting black bodies’: The Daily Show host shared his thoughts about protests against police violence.
• George Floyd’s death is a failure of generations of leadership: The circumstances that led to the death of George Floyd could have been avoided if elected officials in the 1960s had responded to demands for socioeconomic inclusion.
• The police don’t change: Police chiefs may have condemned the killing of George Floyd, but the actions of their officers since show that nothing’s shifted.

Historical context

• I’ve been to the mountaintop: The final speech by Martin Luther King, delivered to a huge crowd of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee in April 1968, conveys the scale of the African American struggle for equal rights. King was assassinated the next day.
• My dungeon shook – letter to my nephew: James Baldwin’s 1962 essay, which became half of his classic book The Fire Next Time, remains one of the most powerful personal reflections on the history of race relations in the US.
• The case for reparations: Ta-Nehisi Coates changed the national conversation with this compelling argument for a belated reckoning on the long history of racial injustice.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Maya Angelou’s first memoir, describing her youth in Arkansas, paints a harrowing picture of the vicious racism and violence she had to endure.
• Eyes on the Prize: This 14-part PBS documentary series tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the perspective of those who launched the movement.
• The 13th: Ava DuVernay’s documentary about how the Thirteenth Amendment led to mass incarceration in the United States. Available for most regions on Netflix. You can read more about the film here.

Allyship

• 5 things allies can do to sponsor coworkers from underrepresented groups: Simple steps that we can all take to make the workplace more inclusive. 
• How to talk about politics at work: Ways we can all help boost psychological safety in times of political turbulence.
• Anti-racism resources for white people: A comprehensive Google Doc of books, podcasts, articles and films which serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work.
• An anti-racist reading list: Ibram X. Kendi on books to help America transcend its racist heritage.
• 75 things white people can do for racial justice: A constantly updated list of actions that white people, particularly those in the US, can take to support racial justice.

Podcasts

• The Stoop: Leila Day and Hana Baba’s long-running podcast which features stories from across the Black diaspora.
• You Had Me at Black: A podcast and live event group whose self-professed aim is to “highlight parts of the black experience that aren’t typically shown in the media- the innocent, carefree, heartbreaking, painful, victorious moments that make up our lives.”
• Code Switch: A team of NPR journalists fascinated by the overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture, and how they play out in our lives and communities.
• 1619: The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. This podcast forms part of the wider project.
• Have You Heard George’s Podcast: An experimental podcast mix of poetry, fiction, news, history and music that shines a light on the BAME experience in modern Britain. Hosted by George the Poet, a London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage.

Educating the next generation

Kid-friendly resources about antiracism, diversity and inclusion.

• Social justice books list 
• Books that support kids to think critically about racial inequality 
• 25 children’s books that celebrate differences
• The parent’s guide to teaching kids about cultural diversity and inclusion
• 20 Black children’s books by Black authors

Where to take action

Should you wish, or have financial capacity, here are some funds which would benefit from your support.

Donate to The Bail Project, which provides funds to pay bail for those who have been arrested during the protests.

Donate to The Movement For Black Lives, a global initiative which aims to support Black organizations to conduct conversations about current political conditions.

Donate to Official George Floyd Memorial Fund.

The NAACP has numerous ways you can get involved. Donate, support policy demands or sign a petition at their website.