Community Resources: Anti-Racism

The mission of the library, first and foremost, is to offer respect, space and opportunity to all. We believe everyone deserves access to information and a place to learn and grow.

In keeping with that mission, we have created a list of resources to aid in learning about the history of our nation and the role we must all play in ending an oppressive system of racism and violence against people of color. These resources are meant to promote the voices of people who experience pain and suffering caused by injustice, and to educate those who wish to learn and become advocates for change.  

This list might feel overwhelming. It is long because we wanted to make sure to offer a wide range of perspectives and options for learning. We are all on a journey to becoming anti-racist, and it’s our hope that you will find these resources challenging and enlightening.

Learn: Informational Websites and Articles

Websites

Boston University Center for Antiracist Research

Boston University convenes researchers and practitioners to figure out novel and practical ways to understand, explain and solve seemingly intractable problems of racial inequity and injustice. 

Common Sense Media: Race & Racism

Families and teachers everywhere trust Common Sense for expert reviews, objective advice, helpful tools, and so much more, and now they have collated resources for discussing race and racism. 

Guide to Allyship 

An evolving open-source guide to help you become a more thoughtful and effective ally. 

Living Cities  

Living Cities harnesses the collective power of philanthropy, financial institutions and local governments to close racial income and wealth gaps in American cities, and offers resources that support racial equity and inclusion, entrepreneurs of color, understanding privilege, and effective community engagement. 

Race Forward 

Race Forward brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help communities, organizations, and sectors take effective action toward racial equity and catalyze movement building for racial justice and build strategies to advance racial justice in policies, institutions, and culture. Their network, Colorlines, is a daily news site where race matters.

Talking about Race  

This process of understanding and talking about race begins by learning where you are on your own journey. The starting point is different for each and every individual. It is informed by how you see yourself and how you’re seen by others. Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture hosts resources, tools and news articles for educators, parents and individuals to begin their journey. 

Ways You Can Help 

A curated list of Black Lives Matter content intended to provide continuously updated content on the social justice movement, events and resources from around the world. 

World Trust

Through film and dialogue, World Trust Educational Services ignites courage and expands capacity to create a world free from racism. 

Articles

The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In this essay, journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates traces how slavery, segregation and discriminatory racial policies contribute to ongoing and systemic economic and racial disparities in America.

The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States and Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases by Ida B. Wells-Barnett

In these two pamphlets, Wells exposes the pervasive use of lynching and white mob violence against African American men and women. She discredits the myths used by white mobs to justify the killing of African Americans and exposes Northern and international audiences to the growing racial violence and terror perpetrated against Black people in the South in the years following the Civil War.

The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde

This essay, written by poet, activist and librarian Audre Lorde, urges us to speak out when we witness injustice. 

Read

Watch

13th, directed by Ava DuVernay 

Ava DuVernay’s examination of the US prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. 

#Kidlit4BlackLives Rally

Led by Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jason Reynolds, the Rally featured inspiring words, music, and numerous calls to action in support of equity and justice. 

How We Can Make Racism a Solvable Problem — and Improve Policing  

Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff shares his work at the Center for Policing Equity, an organization that helps police departments diagnose and track racial gaps in policing in order to eliminate them. Learn more about their data-driven approach -- and how you can get involved with the work that still needs to be done. 

An Interview with the Founders of Black Lives Matter

The founders of the Black Lives Matters movement share a discussion about race and inequality across the world, and what they have learned about leadership and providing hope and inspiration in the face of painful realities. 

Let's Get to the Root of Racial Injustice

Professor Megan Ming Francis traces the roots of our modern racial climate to its core causes, debunking common misconceptions and fix-all cures for a complex social problem. 

Race Matters: America in Crisis  

PBS turns to grassroots voices from around the country and hosts roundtable conversations of thought leaders, newsmakers and experts. 

Racism has a Cost for Everyone 

Heather C. McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential -- and offers a crucial rethink on what we can do to create a more prosperous nation for all. 

Systemic Racism Explained 

Systemic racism affects every area of life in the US. From incarceration rates to predatory loans, and trying to solve these problems requires changes in major parts of our system. Here's a closer look at what systemic racism is, and how we can solve it. 

You Can Help Stop the Violence Against Young Black Men

In this talk, cultural innovator Vernā Myers shares some hard truths about racial injustices, (including the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO), and offers us three ways we can uncover our biases, overcome our discomfort and make a difference in the lives of black men and our society as a whole.

Listen: Podcasts

Single Episodes

Follow

In general, take a look at your social media feeds - are most of the faces you see white? If so, find some activists, creators and organizations of color to follow so you can learn more about their experience through their voices.

Here are a few suggestions:

Get Involved: Local Organizations

Be the Bridge

A faith-based anti-racism organization that provides a blog, training tools and partnerships to help people and organizations respond to the racial brokenness and systemic injustice in our world so that people are no longer conditioned by a racialized society, but grounded in truth and all are equipped to flourish. 

GARE Grand Rapids - Government Alliance on Race & Equity

  • 300 Monroe Ave NW Suite 840, Grand Rapids MI 49503 
  • 616-456-3027 

The city of Grand Rapids provides racial equity tools through GARE to proactively work to advance racial equity, focusing on eliminating inequities and increasing success for all. The Office of Equity and Engagement promotes Community, Workforce and Supplier Diversity for employees and residents, and makes sure the City complies with civil rights laws. 

Inclusion Institute

  • 250 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 
  • (616) 771-0300 

The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce provides an opportunity to start a dialogue bringing racism to the forefront of discussions and examining it as both a personal and societal problem. 

Grand Rapids Urban League

  • 745 Eastern Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 
  • 616-245-2207 

It is the vision of the Urban League to be The Leader - and preeminent agency in West Michigan - effectively utilizing diverse and abundant resources to redress racial injustice and promote racial equality. Their mission is defined as working to provide the means to empower African Americans and other minorities to achieve economic self-reliance, parity and civil rights. 

Kent County Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

  • 300 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids MI 49503 
  • 616-632-7440 

The Kent County DEI and Cultural Insight Council provide community resources for a culturally diverse population. Their mission is to advance a culture that demonstrates diversity, equity and inclusion in leadership, organizational culture, and accountability in Kent County. 

Michigan League for Public Policy: Racial Equity

Racial equity and inclusion are part of the MLPP core. All work is done through a racial equity lens, recognizing that until we remove the racist barriers that have been built over time, the people of Michigan cannot thrive. MLPP provides tools for exploring and adapting policy in personal and organizational settings. 

NAACPGR 

  • 1530 Madison Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 
  • 616-719-3478 

The Greater Grand Rapids NAACP is dedicated to eradicating racial discrimination and building a stronger society in which all individuals have equal rights. 

 

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