After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as the recent public and tragic deaths of Ahmaud Aubery and Breonna Taylor, America and even now Europe and the greater World has exploded with protests objecting to racism and police Brutality. Sadly, Tellingly, this had led to more and more examples of police violently react to or in many cases unprovoked attacking of peaceful protesters.
People like myself are trying to take this moment and not simply read the news and absorb it. But to also read deeper the perspectives of black authors and journalists to to understand these deep, longstanding american problems from the perspective of oppressed.
Ive seen a lot of social media noise, from white people, about their perspective of theses issue. Calling things out, rejecting racism, showing solidarity. And I this is not different really, it is my thinking my take... but I think it is also important to just be quiet. To listen. Amplify black voices in this time.
I am very angry. I am saddened by these recent tragic deaths. I am saddened to see so much violence for everyone protesting, black and white across america.
I wont go on much longer. Below I am sharing a list of books, films, and essays from black voices or about the history of systemic racism in america that I am going to read so I personally understand these things better and can be a better ally to those trying to fix these problems in our country.
Between The World And Me – Ta Nehesi Coates
An intimate account about growing up in America and the lessons learned about how the world is tilted to be a more dangerous place for black people. The perils of living in a black body in America. And the struggle for Ta-Nehisi to determine what lessons to pass on to his son…whom he wants to live in confidence and fearlessness, while knowing that some degree of fear and caution are necessary to survival.
“It is not necessary that you believe that the officer who choked Eric Garner set out that day to destroy a body. All you need to understand is that the officer carries with him the power of the American state and the weight of an American legacy, and they necessitate that of the bodies destroyed every year, some wild and disproportionate number of them will be black.”
More Reading
James Baldwin Esquire 1968
James Baldwin – Fifth Avenue Uptown – Esquire Magazine, 1960
James Baldwin – How to Cool It – Esquire 1960
Slavery By Another Name – Douglas A Blackmon
(This was also made into a PBS Special)
The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention: – Manning Marable
1619 Podcast from Nytimes
LA92 – revisiting the riot in Watts in 1965 and Rodney King riots of 1992