"It's taken my father's time, my mother's time, my uncle's time, my brothers' and my sisters' time, my nieces and my nephew's time," he continued. "How much time do you want for your progress?" - James Baldwin
Knowledge is power, and what better place to gain this than from the written word. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, here is a reading list designed to broaden your understanding of what it is like to suffer prejudice and injustice due to the colour of your skin.
We are not selling these books, but you can donate to George Floyd's family here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
1. Beloved by Toni Morrison - Inspired by a true story, this Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece tells of the trauma felt by slaves and their descendants.
2. The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin - Two essays which became instant bestsellers during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. One describes his experience of being a black man in America; the other is about race and religion.
3. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander - Explores the Criminal injusice system in America and their epidemic of mass incarceration.
4. The Day You Begin - Jacqueline Woodson - This gorgeous book addresses the issues of racism to young children, and focuses how important it is to be yourself. "There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you."
5. The Help - Kathryn Stockett - This novel transports the reader into Mississippi during the 1960's and the civil rights movement, where racism and class are explored through African-American maids and the people they work for.