In June (which feels like an eternity ago) hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets in their cities to protest the killings of George Flloyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. Instagram had a “Blackout” day where users posted black squares to show their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, influencers muted their content for a week to amplify Black voices and celebrities even-handed their accounts over so these voices could be heard.
Since then, Americans have been educating themselves on racial equality, white privilege, and other race-related topics. One hopes that people are taking time to request books at the library, listen to podcasts, and learn how to be a better ally to the Black community. We should all be trying to do better, myself included.
When all this began, I hit the books. This is my current reading list. The first book I read was White Fragility. For me, this book was so eye-opening and I couldn’t put it down. White Fragility is a self-reflection guide for white people who are ready to have these tough conversations and take a good look at themselves. I kept a journal while reading about things I didn’t even realize I had been doing as well as conversations I needed to have with those around me. After I returned it to the library, I bought the audiobook so I could reference it and listen again.
I’m working my way through the list and thought I’d share the 5 books on racism and white privilege that are on my reading list/nightstand right now.
Amazon Favorites: Top 5 Best Books on Racism and White Privilege
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide by Crystal Fleming
- How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
Have you read any of these books? What books have you been reading lately? Share with me in a comment below!
yesss these are on my list too and im slowly working my way through! it is heavy stuff and I am learning so much.
xx rebecca // thecrystalpress.com/blog
Thank you for sharing this! I’ll have to check out these book recs!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Thanks for sharing these! I’ll definitely be checking these out. Xx.
Thanks for sharing these! I’ll have to look into these.
Kileen
cute & little
While I have also been reading books on anti-racism, and educating myself, I’ve done it primarily through fictional stories. I realize this is a path that most don’t choose to take, and I understand the reasoning for it. However, it has been the most helpful for me. And thankfully, I grew up in an environment that already pushed education on this matter.
I have read #2 on your list and #5 is on my wait list. I am looking forward to reading them all.
❥ tanvii.com
Thanks for sharing!
Cool Style For Cool Men
Thanks for sharing! I’ll read them all!
The Wallet Review
What an awesome post and thing to share! Thank you for putting together and sharing with us!
xo Laura Leigh
https://louellareese.com
Loved this post, thanks for sharing Greta!
I’ve heard a lot about white fragility, so I definitely need to snag that one!
So many helpful books!