Anti-racism

On this page I am assembling a list of resources for becoming anti-racist. I am creating this as much for my own benefit as for others'. I need a place to collect everything so that I can give each item the time and attention it deserves.

By its nature, this page is dynamic and incomplete. If you have suggestions for additions or would like to engage in conversation about these topics, please send me an email (christine.chang@colorado.edu) or reach out via my Contact page.

#blacklivesmatter

Definitions, from Ibram X. Kendi's book How to Be an Antiracist

Racism: A powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value

Racist: One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea

Antiracist: One who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea

If you aren't sure where to start, take a look at the Quick Start sections immediately below. Otherwise keep scrolling for content sorted by format.

Quick Start: Beginner

  1. VIDEO (1.5 min): How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. This short video introduces the idea of antiracism. Dr. Kendi is a professor of history and international relations and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. He will become the 2020-2021 Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for the Advanced Study at Harvard University.

  2. ARTICLE (4 min): "Confronting racism is not about the needs and feelings of white people", Ijeoma Oluo, March 28, 2019. Ijeoma Oluo is an esteemed writer, speaker, and thinker. Her writing has been featured in The Washington Post, TIME, the Guardian, and many others.

  3. VIDEO (22 min): Deconstructing White Privilege with Robin DiAngelo. This video is a brief introduction to White Privilege and how to begin thinking about your role in it. Dr. DiAngelo is a professor at the University of Washington researching Whiteness and racism and has written multiple books, including White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.

Quick Start: Intermediate

  1. WEBSITE: Talking About Race: Being Antiracist, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (Smithsonian Institution). This is an enormous resource, complete with an introduction to antiracism, activities, videos, and what we can do right now and every day to promote antiracism and be antiracist.

  2. ARTICLE: James Baldwin, July 1968, "How to Cool It" First published in 1968, Esquire republished this interview in 2017 because of its continued relevance today.

  3. FILM: 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay. Titled after the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, this documentary shows how the American prison system perpetuates the oppression of Black people.

Articles

Books from Black Authors and/or on Black Themes and Racism

Thank you to Dwight Browne and Lucy Van Kleunen for contributing to this list.

Videos

How to Be an Antiracist (Interview)

What IS antiracism? What does antiracism look like?

Jemele Hill (staff writer for The Atlantic) interviews Dr. Ibram X. Kendi at the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival presented by the Aspen Institute.

How Southern socialites rewrote Civil War history

The United Daughters of the Confederacy altered the South's memory of the Civil War and helped lead the "Lost Cause" movement.

Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo

Dr. DiAngelo is a white woman whose research is in racism and white privilege. This is a short 22-minute video that is a good starting point for white folks just starting to explore their role in antiracism.

13th (A Documentary)

"Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America."

Netflix has currently made this available for free on YouTube.

Parenting in Support of Black Lives: How to Build a Just Future for Kids

This panel discussion from Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, facilitated by Julie Lythcott-Haims, explores personal stories of experienced racism with actions that we can take to be antiracist. This is extremely useful for parents and non-parents alike.

"What Matters" from Black Lives Matter

This is a video series that "combines documentary narrative with interviews to illuminate specific, timely issues, aiming to create safe dialogue to promote freedom, justice, and collective liberation."

"26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity with Students" by Michael Gonchar

This is a collection of short videos curated by the New York Times. They may be useful for spurring a conversation with others or with yourself.

A Conversation on Race and Privilege with Angela Davis and Jane Elliott

Let's get to the root of racial injustice | Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier

"The New Jim Crow" Author Michelle Alexander, George E. Kent Lecture 2013 at the University of Chicago

Reni Eddo-Lodge: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

"Decoded" from MTV: Short (about 5-minutes long) episodes answering all kinds of race- and racism-related questions. This link will take you to the playlist.

Podcasts

  • Resmaa Menakem, "Notice the Rage, Notice the Silence" - from On Being with Krista Tippett. As with most of Ms. Tippett's shows, this one is insightful, emotional, and thought-provoking. Menakem has worked with the military and the police, and he also wrote a book: My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies.

  • Ibram X. Kendi, "How to Be an Antiracist" - from Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. This episode focuses on Dr. Kendi's book of the same title, which was published in 2019.

  • 1619, an audio series from the New York Times

  • 'Whistling Vivaldi' and Beating Stereotypes - an NPR segment from Talk of the Nation. Claude Steel discusses his book, Whistling Vivaldi, which addresses stereotype threat.

Other Resources

Official and Unofficial University of Colorado Communications and Resources

This does not include all communications. Only ones that contain useful, actionable information are shared here.

Specific to Computing and Computer Science

Because this is my field, and we have a long way to go towards promoting antiracism.

Inclusive Pedagogy in Computer Science and Computing