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Anti-Racism Resources

This guide will provide information about people, groups, and projects dedicated to building inclusive and caring communities.

Recommended Films & TV Series

These films cover anti-racist themes or directly address racist actions through anti-racism. While some of these films are available through Mardigian Library, films that are available on popular streaming services have also been included.

13th (2016) - "In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom." - Netflix (Available on Netflix)

American Son (2019) - "Time passes and tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged interracial couple awaits news of their missing teenage son." - Netflix (Available on Netflix)

 

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) "This documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one

of the 20th century's most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world's attention for nearly 50 years." - IMDB 

(Available on Kanopy)

 

Blindspotting (2018) - "While on probation, a man begins to re-evaluate his relationship with his volatile best friend." - IMDB (Available on Amazon Prime & Hulu)

Dear White People (2019) - "Students of color navigate the daily slights and slippery politics of life at an Ivy League college that's not nearly as 'post-racial' as it thinks." - Netflix (Available on Netflix) 

Fruitvale Station (2013) - "The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008." - IMDB (Available on Amazon Prime)

The Hate U Give (2018) - "Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right." - IMDB (Available through the library, Amazon Prime & Hulu)

I Am Not Your Negro (2016) "Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House." - IMDB (Available on Amazon Prime)

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) - "A young woman embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn't commit." - IMDB (Available on Hulu)

Just Mercy (2019) - "World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner." - IMDB (Available on Amazon Prime)

King in the Wilderness (2018) -  "A look at the final years in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr." - IMDB (Available on Amazon Prime & Hulu)

LA 92 (2017) - "Previously unseen footage is shaped into a fresh and timely retelling of the 1992 Rodney King trial - and the verdict that sparked civil unrest." - Netflix (Available on Netflix) 

See You Yesterday (2019) - "As two teen prodigies try to master the art of time travel, a tragic police shooting sends them on a series of dangerous trips to the past." - Netflix (Available on Netflix)

Teach Us All (2017) - "It's been decades since Brown v. Board of Education, yet American schools remain largely segregated. Some leaders are working to change that." - Netflix (Available on Netflix)

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) - "Using never-before-heard recordings, rare archival footage and her best-known songs, this is the story of legendary singer and activist Nina Simone." - Netflix (Available on Netflix)

When They See Us (2019) - "Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story." - Netflix (Available on Netflix) 

Recommended Videos

Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48) "Black Feminism remains a foundational theory and practice guiding social justice movements for Black lives. On Thursday, Jan 21 of Creating Change our Opening Plenary featured a panel with Charlene Carruthers, Reina Gossett and Barbara Smith. Black Feminism challenges us to act on the inextricable connections of sexism, class oppression, racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia. As the contemporary Movement for Black Lives has invigorated resistance to racism and structural violence, this panel reflects on ways that Black Feminism shapes and informs the current struggles and successes." - National LGBTQ Task Force

The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (18:27) "Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding." - TEDx Talks

The Dangers of Whitewashing Black History by David Ikard (18:27) "Should white people care about the whitewashing of black history? Most people will likely answer yes to this question, if only because it sounds politically correct to do so. What will hopefully become clear is that whites have as much to lose by whitewashing black history as their African American peers." - TEDx Talks

Deconstructing White Privilege by Robin DiAngelo (20:01) "Dr. Robin DiAngelo is transparent about white privilege couched in explicit and implicit biases in the video “Deconstructing White Privilege,” the first in a series of Vital Conversations on Racism. Dr. DiAngelo describes the most obvious and explicit aspects of racism and white privilege, while going beyond the surface of racism. Her video serves as a foundation on understanding racism and white privilege for the remaining six videos in the Vital Conversations series."- General Commission on Religion and Race of The UMC

"How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion": Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)

Let’s Discuss Anti-Oppression (3:56) "In this video I explore the significance of anti-oppression in various levels of society and the importance of gaining a strong background in anti-oppression theory." - Malissa Bryan

Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice (19:37) "In this inspiring and powerful talk, Megan Francis traces the root causes of our current racial climate to their core causes, debunking common misconceptions and calling out "fix-all" cures to a complex social problem." - TEDx Talks

No, You Cannot Touch My Hair! (16:02) “My seven year old self learnt to tell people what I thought they wanted to hear. By the age of eight I’d convinced the other kids that my hair was made of sponge… because being black it couldn’t be made of ‘hair’.” Through her own personal story and the hair-raising experiences of other women and girls, Mena Fombo’s TEDxBristol talk is a witty, yet compelling and sometimes dark exploration of the objectification of black women. It's an issue she has spent a lifetime experiencing and exploring, with both a political and creative lens." - TEDx Talks

The Path to Ending Systemic Racism in the US (1:06:23) "In a time of mourning and anger over the ongoing violence inflicted on Black communities by police in the US and the lack of accountability from national leadership, what is the path forward? Sharing urgent insights into this historic moment, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King and Anthony D. Romero discuss dismantling the systems of oppression and racism responsible for tragedies like the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and far too many others -- and explore how the US can start to live up to its ideals." - TEDx Talks

Systemic Racism Explained (4:23) "Systemic racism affects every area of life in the US. From incarceration rates to predatory loans, and trying to solve these problems requires changes in major parts of our system. Here's a closer look at what systemic racism is, and how we can solve it." - act.tv

UM-Dearborn Faculty Discuss Chapters of Kendi's Text "How to be an Antiracist" is the 2020-21 UM-Dearborn Community Read. The UM-Dearborn Community Read is a campus initiative to instill a joy of learning, critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement within our community - by coming together through a common, campus read. In this playlist, various professors discuss chapters of Kendi's text.

Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man (9:27) "Emmanuel Acho sits down to have an “uncomfortable conversation” with white America, in order to educate and inform on racism, system racism, social injustice, rioting & the hurt African Americans are feeling today." - Emmanuel Acho

Verna Myers: How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Towards Them (17:53) "Our biases can be dangerous, even deadly — as we've seen in the cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York. Diversity advocate Verna Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes we hold toward out-groups. She makes a plea to all people: Acknowledge your biases. Then move toward, not away from, the groups that make you uncomfortable. In a funny, impassioned, important talk, she shows us how." - TEDx Talks

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