Recommended Readings on Racism and Black American History

Michael Harriot writes in this month’s The Root, that “Black History Month is for White People.” He explains that Black History should simply be seen as American History, and, unfortunately, too many White people are unfamiliar with this history. (For example, many White people who viewed HBO’s Watchmen were shocked to learn that Tulsa’s Black Wall Street actually was bombed by White people.) This list of recommended readings is meant for anyone who might benefit from it, but is especially offered in the spirit of Harriot’s column to encourage our fellow White readers to expand our collective knowledge and perspective.

“So You Want to Talk About Race“
by Ijeoma Oluo

---

“White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism“
by Robin DiAngelo

---

---

“The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism“
by Edward E. Baptist

---

“The Case for Reparations“
by Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Atlantic article)

---

---

“Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race“
by Debby Irving

---

“Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America“
by Joseph Barndt

---

“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race“
by Beverly Daniel Tatum

---

“Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice“
by Paul Kivel

---

“Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race“
by Derald Wing Sue

---

“White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide“
by Carol Anderson

---

“The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics“
by George Lipsitz

---

“Between the World and Me“
by Ta-Nehisi Coates