With the recent attention toward the Black Lives Matter movement, I wanted to take the time to share on this platform educational resources to help those of us who aren’t black gain an understanding about the protests and their roots. There are many different ways to gain knowledge about these important topics and I have compiled a list of some of them below.
Movies and TV Shows:
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13th
This documentary on Netflix provides insight about the problem of mass incarceration and looks at it from different lenses. It explains the criminalization of black Americans and the disproportional treatment of individuals in the prison system.
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When They See Us
This true-crime style Netflix show relating to the 1989 Central Park attack and the five boys of color who were wrongly charged for it. It additionally highlights modern injustices carried out against minorities by police and the judicial system.
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Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
This short video from the Explained series helps one understand disadvantages that black families have in America and concepts like redlining which have allowed systemic poverty to persist within black communities.
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Who Killed Malcolm X?
This series follows activist Abdur-Rahman Muhammad’s attempt to seek the truth surrounding the assassination of one of the most important leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X.
Reading:
This reading list thread contains books and writings by authors like Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, and W.E.B. DuBois. All are excellent reads and most are created by black authors and are directly relevant to the protests
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Black Revolutionary Texts
A Google Drive has been compiled with links to free books and poems by black revolutionary authors. It includes interesting perspectives about struggle, Civil Rights, and liberation.
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In Defense of Looting by Vicky Osterweil
This article from The New Inquirer can help you understand why looting should not be shamed in relation to the protests. Human lives are more important than property, and Osterweil gives reasoning to this end.
Hope you all find this useful and are able to use these resources! I hope to expand upon these resources, but these are ones I have found and compiled so far. Happy reading!
– Miranda
