#blacklivesmatter / educate yourself with literature

I thought a long time, if I should speak up.

I am a white, blonde girl – I am so privileged most would think I wouldn’t even know what racism feels like.

But I am also a child of a migrant – so I totally know racism. I know, that it can come from both sides. I know that people often don’t realize HOW racist they are talking. And I know that it is and will always be part of my life – and I have the looks, so how should black citizens feel who are sued ALL THE TIME?

I already read lots of books by black authors and about black people, but I thought it might be nice to give you all a list of movies talking about this topic – and also books to you could read to get more sensible for this topic. But also Movies, Series and Books that are lovingly written by Black People or with Black Leads 🙂

But First I want to explain some “Words” used in connection with the #blacklivesmatter movement.

The words “Black”, “People of Color” and “White” are often used to describebiological catergories. This is not about a political or social position.

“BPoC” – Black and People of Color. This includes every person that ever experienced racism. The B is written with a Capital B, because Black people have a specialnpolitical standing, because there were supressed most of the time for the time of history being written. They were the victims of colonialism and made different racist experiences than other people of color.

“White” explains the privileged situation in society most people are in. Its often also the position racism is coming from.

There are three forms of racism: Individual, institutional and structural racism.

This list won’t be perfect or complete by any means, but I tried my best. If you have any additional titles or if I sorted something in wrong, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll change it! So here i present my (probably really incomplete) reading and watching list for the topic and appreciation of #blacklivesmatter.

(pictures by @gaytimes)

Movies/ Series/ Documentaries

Dear White People
12 Years a Slave
The Butler
Hidden Figures
The Racial Wealth Gap
The Kalief Browder Story
When They See Us
13th
Who killed Malcolm X?
Crime & Punishment
I am not your Negro
Just Mercy
The Hate You Give
Stay Woke – The Black Lives Matter Movement
Let the Fire Burn
Ferguson: A Report From Occupied Territory
The Death & Life of Marsha P. Johnson
16 Shots
Love & Basketball
How Stella got her groove back
Inkwell
The Wood
Something New
Jumping the Room
Blood and Water
Alte Zöpfe

Meet the Browns
Why did I get Married?
A thin Line between Love & Hate
Waiting to Exhale
Deliver us from Eva
Brown Sugar
Just Wright
Last Holiday
The Sun is Also a Star
Everything Everything
American Son
Selma Ava Duvernay
Hollywood
Self Made
Green Book
Have Plenty
Baggage Claim
The Photograph
About Last Night
Beyond the Lights
Boomerang
Best Man
Best Man Holiday
Love Jones
12 Years a Slave
Django Unchained
Pose
Hollywood
Becoming

Literature from or/and about Black People

White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo
Me and White Supremacy – Layla F. Saad
How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
All American Boys – Jason Reynolds
When they call you a terrorist – Asha Bandele/ Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Men we reaped – Jesmin Ward
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms – N. K. Jemisin
The Good Luck Girls – Charlotte Nicole Davis
Remembrance – Rita Woods
Saving Savannah – Tonya Bolden
The Only Black Girls in Town – Brandy Colbert
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coats
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
We Were Eight Years in Power – Ta-Nehisi Coats
Girl, Women, Other – Bernardine Evaristo
Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins
Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid
With the Fire on High – Elizabeth Acevedo
We Want Our Bodies Back – Jessica Care Moore
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin – Roseanne A. Brown
When You Were Everything – Ashley Woodfolk
The Last Negros at Harvard – Kent Garrett
The Girl with the Louding Voice – Abi Daré
The Worst Best Man – Mia Sosa
Becoming – Michelle Obama
Nappily Ever After – Trisha R. Thomas

Riot Baby – Tochi Onyebochi
Hood Feminism – Mikki Kendall
War Girls – Tochi Onyebochi
Dread Nation – Justina Ireland
Deathless Divide – Justina Ireland
Opposite of Always – Justin A. Reynolds
Pride – Ibi Zoboi
Monday’s not coming – Tiffany D. Jackson
Slay – Brittney Morris
The Rage of Dragons – Evan Winter
Shiny Broken Pieces – Dhonielle Clayton/ Sona Charaipotra
Tiny Pretty Things – Dhonielle Clayton/ Sona Charaipotra
Sing Unburied Sing – Jesmin Ward
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Stay With Me – Ayobami Adebayo
The Beauty That Remains – Alice Woodfolk
The Skin We`re In – Desmond Cole
Watch us Rise – Renèe Watson/ Ellen Hagan
Home and Away – Candice Montgomery
The Voice in my Head – Dana L. Davis
Full Disclosure – Camryn Garrett
So you want to talk about Race – Ijeoma Oluo
Becoming – Michelle Obama
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X Kendi
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coats
Get a Life, Chloe Brown – Talia Hibbert
Take a Hint, Dani Brown – Talia Hibbert
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones

(pictures by @ya.buzz)

YA/ Teens – Literature

A Very Large Expanse of Sea – Tahereh Mafi
A Blade so Black – L. L. Mckinney
A Dream so Dark – L. L. Mckinney
The Sun is Also a Star – Nicola Yoon
Everything Everything – Nicola Yoon
Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi
Children of Virtue and Venegeance – Tomi Adeyemi
The Voting Booth – Brandy Colbert
The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
Fate of Flames – Sarah Raughley
Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevedo
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
Black Girl Unlimited – Echo Brown
Tristan Strong – Kwame Mbalia
The Belles – Dhonielle Clayton
Kingdom of Souls – Rena Barron
The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas
On the Come Up – Angie Thomas
Dear Martin – Nic Stone
Ghost – Jason Reynolds
Everlasting Rose – Dhonielle Clayton
Not so Pure and Simple – Lamar Giles
A Phoenix first must Burn – Patrice Caldwell
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph – Brandy Colbert
Finding Yvonne – Brandy Colbert
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender
Renegades – Marissa Meyer
Perfect – Cecilia Ahern
The Black Kids – Christina Hammonds Reed
Dear Justyce – Nic Stone

The Henna Wars – Adiba Jaigirdar
All Boys aren’t Blue – George M. Johnson
Little & Lion – Brandy Colbert
Calling my Name – Liara Tamani
Daughters of Nri – Reni K. Amayo
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager- Ben Philippe
The Black Veins – Ashia Monet
Color me in – Natasha Díaz
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine – Maika Moulite
Let’s talk about Love – Claire Kann
Inventing Victoria – Tonya Bolden
Odd One Out – Nic Stone
Tyler Johnson was Here – Jay Coles
Pet – Akwaeke Emezi
Akata Witch/ Akata Warrior – Nnedi Okorafor
A River of Royal Blood – Amanda Jay
The Weight of the Stars – K. Ancrum
Who put this song on – Morgan Parker
Noughts & Crosses Series – Malorie Blackman
Oh my Gods – Alexandra Sheppard
If it Makes You Happy – Claire Kann
Patron Saints of Nothing – Randy Ribay
The Court of Miracles – Kester Grant
The Sound of Stars – Alechia Dow
Opposite of Always – Justin A. Reynolds
Queenie – Candice Carty-Williams
If you come softly – Jaqueline Woodson
The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken

Books about Slavery

A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Barracoon – Zora Neal Hurston
The Souls of Black Folk – W. E. B. Du Bois
Narrative of the Slave – Frederick Douglass
Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
The Water Dancer – Ta-Nehisi Coats

(Ebenfalls) auf Deutsch erschienene Titel (von Farbigen Autoren oder mit Farbigen Leadcharakteren)

Exit Racism – Tupoka Ogette
Deutschland Schwarz Weiß – Noah Saw
Was weiße Menschen nicht über Rassismus hören wollen aber wissen sollten – Alice Hasters
The Belles – Dhonielle Clayton
Ghost – Jason Reynolds
The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas
On the Come Up – Angie Thomas
Dear Martin – Nic Stone
Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
Wild Flower: die Gesetzlose – Charlotte Nicole Davis
Durch die Wand – Nizaqete Bislimi
Someone Else – Laura Kneidl
Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi
Nach der Flut das Feuer – James Baldwin
Eure Heimat ist unser Albtraum – Fatima Aydenir
Zwischen mir und der Welt – TaNehisi Coates
Girl, Woman, Other – Berdardine Evaristo
Me and White Supremacy – Layla F. Saad
Gespaltene Sehnsucht – Anya Omah
Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds
Deutsch sein und Schwarz dazu – Theodor Michael
Oreo – Fran Ross
Nichts ist okay – Jason Reynolds/ Brendan Kelly
Von dieser Welt – James Baldwin
Warum ich nicht länger mit weißen über Hautfarbe spreche – Reni Eddo-Lodge
Renegades – Marissa Meyer
Wenn Donner und Licht sich berühren – Brittany C Cherry
The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken
Du Neben mir und zwischen uns die ganze Welt – Nicola Yoon

(Ich muss gestehen ich bin etwas schockiert, wie wenige übersetzte Titel ich gefunden habe, von Kinder- und Jugendbüchern gar nicht zu sprechen! Der deutsche Buchmarkt hat da meiner Meinung nach wirklich dringend aufzuholen. Da ich meistens ohnehin auf Englisch lese, ist mir das bisher gar nicht wirklich aufgefallen!)

Die meisten Titel könnt ihr allerdings bei Hugendubel, Thalia und Co. bekommen, auch wenn es wegen der hohen Nachfrage momentan etwas länger dauern kann. Aber das Thema verjährt nicht!

Little Reminder: Order this books in independent bookstores if you can 🙂