One way you can support the fight against racism is by educating yourself.

Reading books that narrate the realities and complexity of racism can help you to better support and further understand the context of the ongoing protests. Here are some of the essential books we recommend to read right now.

1. Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Davis

In the light of George Floyd's death, quotes by scholar and activist Angela Davis have been going viral and for good reason. Her book illuminates so much more that it cannot be collated in one Instagram post. Freedom Is A Constant Struggle collects her thoughts and essays on everything from the legacy of apartheid, state violence, and oppression to the nature of the Ferguson protests. She also talks about the many forms of racism that cloud feminism thought over many years. She challenges us to imagine and build power for human liberation and acknowledge that freedom is a constant struggle.

You can buy the book here.

2. How to be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi’s

"The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it- and then dismantle it.” - Ibram x. Kendi

A New York Times bestseller, Ibram X. Kendi’s book is an in-depth study on the causes and degree of anti-black racism. Throughout the book, Ibram asks you to imagine an antiracist society and picture what role you can play in actively building it. His memoir brings together an electrifying combination of his awakening to anti-racism with history, law, ethics, and science. He helps us rethink our deepest beliefs, social relations, and reexamine the larger social arrangements and policies you support. This book is an essential read if you want to go beyond awareness and actively contribute to creating an equitable society.

You can buy the book here.

3. Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Systemic racism is not confined to the US. Award-winning writer Reni Eddo-Lodge talks about her frustration of trying to reason and discuss racism with those who were not affected by it. Her work focuses on deducing the nature of white privilege in detail, mapping the ramifications of racial bias in the UK, and illuminating readers on eradicated black history. This book is illuminating, encapsulating, and a necessary examination of what it is to be a person of colour today.

You can buy the book here.

4. So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Ijeoma Oluo’s head-on approach on privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N” word is perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of colour and white Americans with racial complexities. You can feel her passion through her words. She gives us the language we can use to have a constructive, confident, and clear dialogue to discuss and deal with the racial prejudices and biases that exist in our society.

You can buy the book here.

5. White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

In the book, Robin Diangelo discusses how guilt, anger, silence, and denial are common reactions from white people if something they did or said unintentionally caused racial offence. The consequence of this response is that it silences people of colour because they feel that if they give honest feedback to white people, it might evoke an unpleasant reaction.

Using her knowledge and insight regarding racial awareness, Robin Diangelo shows us how we can have authentic conversations and respond to honest feedback with grace and humility. Through her words, she urges white people to take responsibility and relinquish their own white supremacy.

You can buy the book here.

6. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

This book explores the hurdles that black and people of colour face in the lens of the criminal justice system. She deep dives into how black men in major urban areas are under correctional control or burdened with criminal records for life and denied basic civil and human rights. It’s one of those books that will change the way we see the world and will fuel your desire to be a part of a global movement.

You can buy the book here.

7. Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

Aptly titled Heavy, this book is an eloquent and authentic memoir of a hard-headed black man to his complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. He talks about his early experiences of sexual violence, his suspension from college, and his trek to New York as a young college professor. His memoir illuminates national failures and the consequences of a nation that is obsessed with progression but is completely disinterested in the messy work of understanding where the nation has been.

You can buy the book here.

8. Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In her book, Ta-Nehisi Coates acknowledges the atrocities that were committed against Eric Garner who was choked to death for selling cigarettes, Renisha McBride who was was shot for seeking help, John Crawford was shot down for browsing in a department store and Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old child who was killed by men in uniform who were oath-bound to protect him. She strongly voices her concern about police violence against black communities, and how they are given the authority to destroy their bodies. Her heart-breaking declarations and moving words make this an emotional, and eye-opening read.

You can buy the book here.

It’s important to remember it’s not white people versus people of colour, it’s everybody vs racism. Being non-racist isn’t enough, we have to learn to be anti-racist. So educate yourselves, have those uncomfortable conversations, use your voice, and be actively anti-racist.