Books to fight injustice instead of freezing
I am very overwhelmed. I am sad and I am scared. But I know that while we may not be ok, we will take care of each other. We can keep community and fight together. If you feel lost and aren’t sure what to do, here are some books that have helped me change my day to day life and keep me grounded in everyday action.
My work is in the informal education field (Museums primarily) so many of these books focus on that- but the information is helpful to everyone. Whether these books provide foundational knowledge that arm you for discussion or list action items to guide you daily, they’ve helped me feel more aware and activated in social action. These are ordered by when I read them (top of the list is more recently read), not by any order of importance or impact.
Be a Revolution by Ijeoma Oluo
This book highlights many different people doing revolutionary work in various facets of society. Each section ends with a list of action steps for anyone to take in their day to day life. This book highlights intersectional work, with emphasis on disabled activism, which is often underrepresented even within activist communities.
Punished for Dreaming by Dr. Bettina L. Love
The most encompassing look at the damage done to black and brown folks in America by our school system. This revealed much deeper rot than I was previously aware of, and made me think about how I approach education in all aspects of my life. Dr. Love writes incredibly well on the topic of wellness around activism, and what that means depending on your place in society. As a white person (me, not Dr. Love), addressing your privilege and fighting oppressive systems that you benefit from is a way to wellness. This is also explored in her first book, We Want to Do More than Survive.
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Frank Barat
What was most impactful for me with this book was the long history of the good struggle, and the intentionality with time. Things will not be solved immediately, and some things will always be a fight. But there is meaning in the struggle, and it is worth it to keep the fight up. This book is an excellent illustration of the interconnectedness between different struggles for freedom- they specifically highlight Ferguson and Palestine, and solidarity between communities.
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
This is the book most focused on the work I do- museums and community centers. A deep dive into how different cultural institutions communicate about slavery, this book absolutely rewired my brain as to how I approach conversations around heavy but important topics.
The Injustice of Place by H. Luke Shaefer, Kathryn J. Edin, and Timothy J. Nelson
This incredibly well researched book shows how the colonial mindset affects towns within the US; as what they call internal colonies. This book shows the effects of environmental racism and outlines how towns in disarray come to that state.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I cannot overstate how meaningfully Braiding Sweetgrass and The Injustice of Place existed in conversation. Kimmerer showcases indigenous wisdom, specifically concerning environmental stewardship. While the Injustice of Place spoke of internal colonies, Kimmerer spoke of a quote from an elder, saying something along the lines of ‘these colonizers still have one foot on the boat.’ If we live here, we live here. We must learn how to treat the world around us, and the people around us as precious and Not Disposable!!
The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
This was a short and very action-item based book around inclusive environmental action. Environmental work must be intersectional for it to be meaningful, and this book does a great job outlining that.
How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine
This book should probably be called ‘why to resist Amazon and how’ because it’s much more focused on case studies where Amazon has been absolute garbage, followed by a chapter specifically around resisting Amazon. This is a good book for people who are less aware of the issues, or for anyone who wants to convince family or friends to stop hitting ‘next day shipping.’ There are great chapters in here around workers right and unionization.
Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa
An exploration of medical negligence and environmental racism, and how these work in tandem (along with oppression-induced long term stress) to shorter the lives of black people in America (and other people of color). Knowing less about the medical field, this book was eye opening to me.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
If you’ve seen Toni Morrison’s impeccable deconstruction of race as a social construct, not a biological truth, you should read this book. Written in the form of letters to his son, Coates shows how people of different races move and live in entirely different worlds in the US. This is more of a strong foundation work rather than obvious action steps, because the first step is understanding and internalizing. I’m also going to read his new book The Message soon, and look forward to it.
If you want to talk about any of these reads, please message me! Again, it’s an awful time and there are continued troubles coming our way, but the struggle is one that will keep us together and well if we can care for each other and stay activated.
