On June 1, my mom texted me that she needed to join the protests (sparked by George Floyd’s murder) . . . And it got me to thinking . . . She is alert, engaged and now is the time to send in the books. Specifically, the anti-racist ones.
When it comes to police brutality and anti-Black racism, my immigrant Desi parents are moved, during this moment, more than I have seen in the past. And, as a first generation AAPI (Asian Americans & Pacific-Islanders) kid, I understand my unique role in guiding them through civics, government, and social justice in the US.
My sisters and I are like human YELP recommendations for my parents . . . for everything. Considering the tremendous influence we have on them and the portal that we are currently in, I put together 6 anti-racist book recommendations that I am going to send to my parents along with the commentary as to why I think they should read them. Feel free to pass them on to yours!
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Dear Mom and Dad,
Here are 6 books that I highly recommend on Black liberation in opposition to anti-Black racism. These are all brilliant and accessible reads. I’ll explain why I think you should read each one.
1. Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
This is an absolute must-read. Start here. Through exhaustive research, this book clearly illustrates how anti-Black racism was purposefully crafted, honed and cemented into US institutions. It also provides the framework for white liberal racism, a specifically insidious ideology, in a novel way.
Although the author, Ibram X. Kendi, is well known for his new and very popular book, How To Be An Antiracist, I think you will enjoy Stamped more as it is more history and less social commentary.
Mom, remember when I gave you A People’s History of the United States about 15 years ago? You devoured it, felt angry, kept saying, “What the hell, what the hell . . .” and then became emboldened because of what you read. I think you will have a similar reaction to this book.
2. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Most of my good friends are, like me, children of immigrants or immigrants, presumably due to our shared experiences and upbringing. This book solidified for me how many of my close Black friends are also children of immigrants in a way that I had not totally understood until I read this book.
The focus of the book is The Great Migration (1915 – 1970), the exodus of 6 million Black US citizens who fled violence in the South to the North. Families took huge risks, often hiding on trains and navigating racial violence, to migrate. Unfortunately, this diaspora is not often recognized in the US.
The author, Isabel Wilkerson, interviewed thousands of people and beautifully weaves three individuals’ stories throughout the book. Wilkerson won The Pulitzer Prize for the book as she shed light on the “unrecognized immigration” of Black Americans that many non-Black Americans don’t realize happened, within their own borders.
3. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
This book was such an unbelievable read because I’m a movement building junkie. The author, Jeanne Theoharis, debunks the idea that Rosa Parks was a meek, elderly woman who refused to give up her seat in the front of the bus. That has become a caricature for the white imagination. Parks’ story has been completely white washed. Instead Parks was an astute and seasoned political organizer who staged the Montgomery bus scene, in a strategic and organized way, with domestic workers in Alabama. She was much more fierce and radical than you/we were lead to believe. Once you read this, you will glean why.
4. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The author of this book, Michelle Alexander, states, “Today there are more African-Americans under correctional control — in prison or jail, on probation or parole — than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began.”
During those 6.5 years when I was a Legal Aid attorney you kept asking me, “What do you do? We still don’t understand…” This book explains it all. During orientation at Legal Aid, we were told, “98% of our criminal defense clients are poor black and brown men, while 98% of our housing/eviction clients are poor black and brown women. These seemingly unrelated structural forces are interrelated.”
In this accessible MUST read, Alexander clearly lays out how Jim Crow laws against Black US citizens never ended in the US. Mass incarceration, via the war on drugs, the prevailing racial caste system and racial indifference, took their place.
5. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, And the Foundations of a Movement
A few years ago, my friend Chaumtoli was asked by the editor of this book to do a book review. She asked me to do it for her blog. Here is the review. I love the focus on radical women of color and movement building, because that is the recipe for justice in the US. I think you will both really appreciate the connections between #BlackLivesMatter and the military-industrial complex abroad.
6. The 1619 Project
Ok, so this is a magazine... but it still qualifies. You can also listen to the podcast! The creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones was just awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for the Project. It’s an ongoing Project which reexamines the foundational story of the US. Each essay, poem, photo is unique and dynamic and I guarantee you will unlearn and relearn while reading. The Project is currently being adapted for grade school curriculum throughout the US.
P.S. When you are done reading all of these, I have more anti-racist book recs to send your way.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
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