Educate Yourself: Black Lives Matter Reading List

While fictional horror rightfully takes a backseat to real life horror, we want to provide helpful resources for everyone looking to help how they can.

Here’s a reading list to get everyone started on how to be a better ally and support the Black community in their fight against oppression and police brutality (written collaboratively with Kirby Kellogg and Joy Robinson). 

Educating yourself is a powerful way to maximize your usefulness as an ally. If you aren’t sure how to best support the Black community in their fight against racism and injustice, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are many great books, articles, and even Twitter threads to give you more insight into the Black experience.

As you begin the process of self education, be prepared to be humbled. Listen to the voices of others and lift them up in the process. We need empathy and compassion now more than ever from people who have privilege — and those in positions to help facilitate the change that the world desperately needs.

I urge everyone to support the Black voices that are taking to the time to educate others and write about these issues. I have linked to each respective writer’s social media, so please give them a follow and uplift their voices and their works.

I’m also including resources for children, because children need to be properly educated on race and racism as much as adults. If you are able, please consider purchasing titles from one of the Black owned bookstores from this list. While you’re reading, I encourage you to play this video in the background and allow all the ads to play. The owner of the video is donating all of the videos revenue to Black Lives Matter causes.

It’s your job to seek the boundless resources that exist and to take the time to read and learn about these important issues. But we hope this list makes it easier to figure out how to get started. 

Books for Adults:

• Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (Note: DiAngelo has other books and articles dealing with race and racism on the linked page. I implore you to explore her writings further.)
• Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
• This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins
• Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper
• So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• Anti-Racist Reading List thread by @victoriaalxndr (Note: Victoria Alexander has also graciously put together a Google Document of anti-racist resources which can be found here.)
• Black History Month Library maintained by Charles Preston (Note: This is an amazing project and there are tons of resources here and lots to learn. Take a moment to browse through this important collection of Black writing.)
• “Reading list: Race, white supremacy, and anti-Black racism in America” by Rachel Miller
• “Kalima DeSuze’s Black Feminist Reading List Is the Resource We Need Right Now” by Kalima DeSuze as told to Liam Hess for Vogue
• “An essential #BlackLivesMatter reading list” by Erica Wagner for Harper’s Bazaar

Books for Children:

• Children’s Books that Discuss Race and Racism thread by @antisocialbritt
• Diverse Book List by The Tutu Teacher (Note: This is a comprehensive list that covers all grades and levels and even adults. Consider purchasing it.)

Articles:

• “How to Actively Oppose Racist Violence Instead of Posting a Black Square” by Nylah Burton for Vice
• “Can We Live?” by Tananarive Due for Vanity Fair (Note: Tananarive Due is a distinguished Black horror writer, educator, and producer. Please consider picking up some of her fiction in addition to reading this article.)
• “Here’s How You Can Take a Stand For George Floyd Right Now” by Brady Langmann and Gabrielle Bruney for Esquire
• “Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Explained” by Shammara Lawrence for Teen Vogue (Note: I am adding this because we just passed the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. History classes often gloss over events of racism in America like this.)
• “FOR OUR WHITE FRIENDS DESIRING TO BE ALLIES” by Courtney Ariel for Sojourners
• “When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels” and “Why You Need to Stop Saying ‘All Lives Matter’” by Rachel Cargle for Harper’s Bazaar (Note: Rachel Cargle has tons of anti-racism tools on her website and her social media platforms. Please check out her other writings as well. Here’s a post to get you started.)
• “Facing Racial Trauma – Again and Again – as a Black Woman With Anxiety” by Amanda Lynch for The Mighty (Note: You can read Amanda’s other article for The Mighty on this topic here.)
• “A Timeline of Events That Led to the 2020 ‘Fed Up’-rising” by Michael Harriot for The Root
• “Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide” by Tatiana Mac (Note: Tatiana Mac also has a guide for you white guys as well! You can find that here.)
• “How to respond to ‘riots never solve anything!’” by Rafi D’Angelo
• “Read This Before Co-Opting MLK Jr.” by Jose Vilson for EduColor
• “Why So Many Police Are Handling the Protests Wrong” by Maggie Koerth and Jamiles Lartey for The Marshall Project
• “White People, Stop Quoting MLK To Police How Black People Protest” by Brittany Wong for HuffPost
• “White people are speaking up at protests. How do we know they mean what they say?” by Stacey Patton

Threads and Infographics on Allyship and Beyond:

• How to be An Ally by @officialmillenialblack on Instagram (re-posted on Twitter by @basketcasecd)
• White Folks Wanting to Help? by @ cypheroftyr
• So Your Ancestor is a Racist… by @thedailypolitique