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"Where can I start?" Resources for Your Anti-Racist Journey

June 5, 2020

At this moment in history, many are seeking information and deeper understanding.  Compiled by the College of Social Work’s Diversity and Social Justice Committee, the following list includes resources and organizations committee members know, recommend, or have on their own “to read/watch/listen” lists.  This list is merely a starting point, one which we hope you surpass.

Books (organized alphabetically by [first] author)

Most of these books can be purchased through your favorite local bookseller, or online from independent shops through www.bookshop.org (included links).

Children’s Books

Podcasts

  • Intersectionality Matters!, The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and Kimberle Crenshaw
    • A podcast that brings intersectionality to life.
  • 1619, The New York Times
    • An audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling.
  • Code Switch, NPR
    • Hosted by journalists of color, this podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. It explores how race impacts every part of society. 
  • In the Thick, The Futuro Media Group
    • A political podcast where journalists of color tell you what you’re missing from the mainstream news. This podcast features the conversations about race, identity, and politics few people are discussing or want to discuss.
  • About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge, Arts Council England
    • From the author behind the bestselling Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, comes a podcast that takes the conversation a step further.

Films

  • Detroit (Hulu) directed by Kathryn Bigelow
    • A drama based on the rioting and civil unrest that took place in Detroit in the summer of 1967 that ended with the deaths of three unarmed men. This film was released in 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original events.
  • The 13th (Netflix) directed by Ava DuVernay
    • A film that explores the history of racial inequality in the United States with particular emphasis on the nation’s prisons, which are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.
  • Selma (free rental on all US digital platforms in June '20) directed by Ava DuVernay
    • A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
  • When They See Us (Netflix) directed by Ava DuVernay
    • The story of the Central Park Five—five black men charged with the assault and rape of a jogger in 1989, who maintained their innocence throughout their trial. After years fighting the conviction, they were exonerated, and years after that reached a settlement with the city.  A miniseries dramatization of true events.
  • LA 92 (Netflix) directed by Daniel Lindsay & T.J. Martin
    • This documentary film is about the 1992 Los Angeles Riots in the tumultuous period following the Rodney King verdict.
  • The Black Panthers (Amazon) directed by Stanley Nelson
    • An examination of the rise of the Black Panther party in the 1960s and its impact on civil rights and American culture.

Resources Online/Articles

National Organizations

Local Organizations

  • Black Lives Matter Utah chapter
    • The local chapter of the national organization seeking to bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe.
  • NAACP Utah Branch
    • This is a civil rights organization focusing on discrimination.
  • Salt Lake City Office of Diversity and Human Rights
    • The purpose of this office is to elevate the protection of basic human rights for all Salt Lake City residents through policy, education, advocacy, and celebration.  They intend to support diversity and human rights efforts, legally and through education outreach, to ensure and expand the diversity of our city.
  • Council on Diversity Affairs (Salt Lake County)
    • This is an advisory board to the Salt Lake County mayor.
  • Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
    • Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability, and works to connect people across the country whilesupporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change. 

University of Utah Organizations/Groups

  • Black Cultural Center
    • Using a pan-African lens, the Black Cultural Center seeks to counteract persistent campus-wide and global anti-blackness. The Black Cultural Center works to holistically enrich, educate, and advocate for students, faculty, and staff through Black centered programming, culturally affirming educational initiatives, and retention strategies.
  • Privilege, Whiteness, and Critical Praxis Study Group
    • In collaboration with the dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Services, Jude McNeil, Stephanie Michelle Shiver, and David Derezotes have been leading voluntary study groups for University faculty and staff on Privilege, Whiteness, and Critical Praxis, for several years. Classes are offered to folx who identify as White and include monthly in-class meetings, readings, and online resources.  Materials and meetings are provided free of cost to participants. For more information, email David Derezotes .
  • Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity
    • The Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity provides leadership and expertise to the University community in promoting diversity in their various roles and activities and serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas within the University.

Direct Action

  • Call your local police station. Find out what training officers receive (e.g., racial bias, de-escalation, etc.), what equipment they have and equipment polices (including camera operation).  Ask how citizens can get involved in seeking change.  We recommend learning more about the #8CantWait:
    • Ban chokeholds & strangleholds
    • Require de-escalation
    • Require warning before shooting
    • Require exhausting all alternatives before shooting
    • Duty to intervene
    • Ban shooting and moving vehicles
    • Require use of force continuum
    • Require comprehensive reporting
  • Sign a petition
    • Justice for George Floyd: Although the involved officers have been fired and charges have been filed, the petition's organizers are still seeking signatures to show that justice is about systemic change—about people feeling safe in their daily lives.
    • Justice for Breonna Taylor: Calls on Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Commonwealth’s Attorney Thomas Wine to fire and charge the police officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor.
    • Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: Calls for Travis and Greg McMichael to be charged related to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
    • #WeCantBreathe: This petition demands justice for George Floyd and his family.
  • Donate to the George Floyd Memorial Fund in the Black Cultural Center at the University of Utah.  This fund support students and programs committed to advancing the interest of the next generation of aspiring Black leaders such as the Black Student Union, Black Graduate Student Association, African Student Association, National Society of Black Engineers and other.
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Last Updated: 12/12/23