Anti-Racist Reading For Adults
"In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist." - Angela Davis
We hope you’ll use these booklists and links below to learn more about the history and present reality of racism in this country, start conversations, and take action. All titles listed here can be accessed via hoopla, OverDrive, or curbside book pickup, subject to availability. The resources tab includes links to local and national activist organizations.
Many of the books on this list are in high demand right now, and we are ordering more. Look for titles marked as "always available" from hoopla. These titles are instantly available through the hoopla app, with no waiting.
Activism, Protest, and Civil Disobedience
#1960Now: Photographs of Civil Rights Activists and Black Lives Matter Protests by Sheila Pree Bright (book)
Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley (book, OverDrive eBook)
Becoming a Citizen Activist : Stories, Strategies, and Advice for Changing our World by Nick Licata (book)
Beyond Charlottesville : Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism by Terry McAuliffe (book)
Dissent : The History of an American Idea by Ralph Young (book)
If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance by Angela Y. Davis (book, OverDrive eBook)
Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt by Sarah Jaffe (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Set The Night On Fire : L.A. In The Sixties by Mike Davis and Jon Weiner (book)
They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery (book, OverDrive audiobook)
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors (book, Book on CD, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Racial Disparity and Violence in America
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by Bell Hooks (book, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (book, book on CD, large print, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook)
The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris (book, OverDrive eBook)
Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century by Monique W. Morris (book, Hoopla eBook – always available)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobbook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis (book, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla eBook – always available, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga Yamahtta Taylor (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla eBook – always available, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
I am Not Your Negro (DVD, blu-ray, Hoopla movie – always available)
I Can’t Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street by Matt Taibbi (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook)
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman (book, OverDrive eBook)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorbindness by Michelle Alexander (book, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
Race Matters by Cornel West (book, OverDrive eBook)
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace : A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark For the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs (book, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Slavery by Another Name: The Re-enslavement of Black People in America From the Civil War to World War ll by Douglas Blackmon (book, OverDrive eBook)
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi (book, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers (book, OverDrive eBook)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook)
How to Confront Racism as a White Person (Anti-Racist/Ally)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (book, book on CD, large print, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (book, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook)
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad (book, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race by Derald Wing Sue (OverDrive eBook)
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
Tears we Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook)
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice by Paul Kivel (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
Waking up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debbie Irving (book, OverDrive audiobook, Hoopla audiobook – always available)
White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo (book, book on CD, OverDrive eBook, OverDrive audiobook)
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson (book, OverDrive eBook)
Surviving and Healing While Black
The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice: Black Lives, Healing, and US Social Transformation by Fania E. Davis (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
The Little Book of Racial Healing: Coming to the Table for Truth-Telling, Liberation, and Transformation by Thomas Norman DeWolf and Jodie Geddes (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Joy A DeGruy (book)
The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help you Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing by Anneliese A. Singh, PhD, LPC (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help... by Rheeda Walker and Na’im Akbar (book, OverDrive eBook, Hoopla eBook – always available)
Social Justice Resources and Organizations for Watertown Residents
Primary services offered listed in bullet points.
Local Resources
Watertown Citizens for Black Lives: Watertown Citizens for Black Lives is a community member organization that campaigns against violence & systemic racism in our community.
- Community Resource for Solidarity
- Ally Training
Black Lives Matter Boston: Official page of the Boston Chapter of Black Lives Matter.
- Community Resource for Solidarity
- Civil Disobedience Support
- Ally Training
Showing Up for Racial Justice Boston: Official Page of Show Up for Racial Justice Boston. SURJ Boston moves white people to take action for racial justice.
- Community Resource for Solidarity
- Ally Training
- Civil Disobedience Support
The Massachusetts Bail Fund: The Massachusetts Bail Fund pays bail so that low-income people can stay free while they work towards resolving their case, allowing individuals, families, and communities to stay productive, together, and stable. The Massachusetts Bail Fund posts bails of up to $2000 in Essex & Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts.
- Legal Aid
- Civil Disobedience Support
ACLU Massachusetts: The ACLU of Massachusetts is the state affiliate of the national ACLU. They support and organize around issues like criminal law reform, economic justice, and freedom of speech.
- Legal Aid
- Civil Disobedience Support
- Community Resource for Solidarity
Sub/Urban Justice Boston Mobilization: Sub/Urban Justice brings together young people who are living in or connected to the suburbs with young people from cities to build a stronger network for change.
- Ally Training
- Community Resource for Solidarity
Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston: Helps churches, ministries, and other non-profits work together to engage communities for progressive change in the greater Boston area.
- Community Resources for Solidarity
Makeshift Boston Solidarity Supply Distribution Fund: A fund through Makeshift Boston to help get food supplies to marginalized communities during COVID-19 and times of civil unrest.
- Food and Housing Assistance
- Community Resource for Solidarity
Watertown Food Pantry: Watertown’s location for food assistance for those experiencing food insecurity.
- Food and Housing Assistance
- Community Resource for Solidarity
List of Black owned restaurants to support in the Greater Boston Area
- Community Resource for Solidarity
National Resources
George Floyd Memorial Fund: Official Go Fund Me to support the Floyd Family.
Black Lives Matter: Official page of Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
Black Visions Collective: A Black, Trans, and Queer led organization that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence, and shifting the public narrative to create transformative, long term change.
Reclaim the Block: Coalition that advocates for and invests in community led safety initiatives in Minneapolis neighborhoods.
- Civil Disobedience Support
National Bail Out: A Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration. They also work with groups across the country to support ongoing bail reform efforts and create resources for organizers and advocates interested in ending pretrial detention
- Legal Aid
- Civil Disobedience Support
Campaign Zero: Online platform and organization that utilizes research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America.
Unicorn Riot: Non-profit that is dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues.
- Civil Disobedience Support
- Ally Training
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
- Legal Aid
Incite! Project on Law Enforcement Violence: NCITE! is a network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and violence in our homes and communities.
- Civil Disobedience Support
Color of Change: An online racial justice organization that moves decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.
The Movement for Black Lives: M4BL is a space for Black organizations to debate and discuss the current political conditions, develop shared assessments of what political interventions were necessary in order to achieve key policy, cultural and political wins, convene organizational leadership in order to debate and co-create a shared movement-wide strategy.
- Civil Disobedience Support
- Food and Housing Assistance (for select states)
Projects and Education
The Black Lives Matter Reference Guide: Comprehensive reference guide and starter pack for those looking to learn more about Black Lives Matter and get involved. Has extensive reading lists, syllabi, histories, protest information, and more.
- Ally training
- Historical Context
- Civil Disobedience Support
Facing History: Education and Professional Development resources to help end patterns of oppression and bigotry.
- Ally Training
Talking About Race from the National Museum of African American History and Culture: The NMAAHC Museum’s tool kit to provide guidance for having conversations about race. A great guide to start talking about social identities and systems of oppression.
- Ally Training
- Historical Context
- Community Resource for Solidarity
The 1619 Project, through The New York Times Magazine: An artistically curated project with interviews, articles, photos, and teacher resources about the history of slavery and how it has lead to systemic oppression in modern society.
- Historical Context
Anti Oppression, Anti Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion guide from Simmons University: A Library Guide packed full of tools for those looking to recognize racism, and who need further resources for coping and training. Includes information for whites and persons of color.
- Ally Training
- Historical Context
- Civil Disobedience Support
Blackpast.org: BlackPast is dedicated to providing a global audience with reliable and accurate information on the history of African America and of people of African ancestry around the world. They aim to promote greater understanding through this knowledge to generate constructive change in our society.
- Historical Context
POC Zine Project: An online platform that brings together Zines by people of color to make them easier to find, read and disseminate. They believe in activism and community through materiality.
- Civil Disobedience Support
- Community Resource for Solidarity
People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland: Collects, preserves, and shares the stories, memories, and accounts of police violence as experienced or observed by Cleveland citizens. Run by residents and archivists, this platform provides a safe and secure space to share any testimony, documents, or accounts that narrate or reflect on encounters or effects of police violence in their lives and communities.
- Historical Context
#blacklivesmatter Web Archive: An online archive of URLs and videos related to BLM sponsored by the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, Washington University in St. Louis, Wisconsin Historical Society, and University of North Carolina Charlotte.
- Historical Context
- Civil Disobedience Support
WITNESS Film Project: An online platform which educates people about videos as evidence and maintains an archive of activist video footage. “Film it, Change it.”
- Civil Disobedience Support