Black Lives Matter Resources

This chronology of significant events affecting race relations in the United States begins with the Plessy v. Ferguson decision on May 18, 1896, which approved the concept of separate but equal provisions for blacks and whites and thus set back the cause of real equality for decades, and continues through 2005. More than 200 entries recount decisions and events that had a national impact. Entries include such topics as the American white imperialism of the early 20th century, milestones of the civil rights movement and the implications of the 2000 census. The chronology traces a trail through the most important characters, incidents, and ideas that shaped how Americans of varying racial backgrounds have interacted with each other.

Intersectionality, or the consideration of race, class, and gender, is one of the prominent contemporary theoretical contributions made by scholars in the field of women's studies that now broadly extends across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Taking stock of this transformative paradigm, The Intersectional Approach guides new and established researchers to engage in a critical reflection about the broad adoption of intersectionality that constitutes what the editors call a new "social literacy" for scholars.

Social Death tackles one of the core paradoxes of social justice struggles and scholarship that the battle to end oppression shares the moral grammar that structures exploitation and sanctions state violence. Lisa Marie Cacho forcefully argues that the demands for personhood for those who, in the eyes of society, have little value, depend on capitalist and heteropatriarchal measures of worth. With poignant case studies, Cacho illustrates that our very understanding of personhood is premised upon the unchallenged devaluation of criminalized populations of color. Hence, the reliance of rights-based politics on notions of who is and is not a deserving member of society inadvertently replicates the logic that creates and normalizes states of social and literal death. Her understanding of inalienable rights and personhood provides us the much-needed comparative analytical and ethical tools to understand the racialized and nationalized tensions between racial groups.

One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.

One of our country’s premier cultural and social critics, bell hooks has always maintained that eradicating racism and eradicating sexism must go hand in hand. But whereas many women have been recognized for their writing on gender politics, the female voice has been all but locked out of the public discourse on race. Killing Rage speaks to this imbalance. These twenty-three essays are written from a black and feminist perspective, and they tackle the bitter difficulties of racism by envisioning a world without it.

"This is a theoretically sophisticated and thoroughly documented historical case study of the movements for African American liberation in St. Louis. Through detailed analysis of black working class mobilization from the depression years to the advent of Black Power, award-winning historian Clarence Lang describes how the advances made in earlier decades were undermined by a black middle class agenda that focused on the narrow aims of black capitalists and politicians. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of the black working class insurgency that underpinned the civil rights and Black Power campaigns of the twentieth century." ---V. P. Franklin, University of California, Riverside

Capital and Communities in Black and White explores the problems created by global economic restructuring, the decline of inner city neighborhoods, and the heightened racial conflicts in the United States.

Economic and political forces no longer combat poverty they generate poverty claim William Goldsmith and Edward Blakely in their report on the plight of American's urban poor. In this revised and updated edition of their 1992 book "Separate Societies," the authors present a compelling examination of the damaging divisions that isolate poor city minority residents from the middle-class suburban majority. They pay special attention to how the needs of the permanently poor have been unmet through the alternating years of promises and neglect, and propose a progressive turn away from 30 years of conservative policies. "Separate Societies "vividly documents how the urban working class has been pushed out of industrial jobs through global economic restructuring, and how the Wall Street meltdown has aggravated underemployment, depleted public services, and sharpened racial and class inequalities.

This book uncovers the impact of Birmingham's urban planning decisions on its black communities and reveals how these decisions led directly to the civil rights movement. Also included is: the evolution of black neighborhood empowerment.

Segregationwas a way of life in St. Louis, aptly called “the most southern city in the North.” These thirteen oral histories describe the daily struggle thatpervasive racism demanded but also share the tradition of self-respect that theAfrican American community of St. Louis sought to build on its own terms.

The first book of its kind to focus on the impact of cultural diversity on law enforcement. Designed to assist all levels of law enforcement officials understand the influence of culture, race and ethnicity in the workplace and the communities they serve. Shows the need for awareness, understanding of cultural differences and respect for those of different backgrounds.

Praised by Harvard Law professor Lani Guinier as "brave and bold," this book directly challenges the notion that the presidency of Barack Obama signals a new era of colorblindness. With dazzling candor, legal scholar Michelle Alexander argues that "we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control relegating millions to a permanent second class status even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness.
Also see ebook copy: http://sabio.library.arizona.edu/record=b6997288~S9

As reactions to the O. J. Simpson verdict, the Rodney King beating, and the Amadou Diallo killing make clear, whites and African Americans in the United States inhabit two different perceptual worlds, with the former seeing the justice system as largely fair and color blind and the latter believing it to be replete with bias and discrimination. Drawing on data from a nation-wide survey of both races, the authors tackle two important questions in this book: what explains the widely differing perceptions, and why do such differences matter? They attribute much of the racial chasm to the relatively common personal confrontations that many blacks have with law enforcement - confrontations seldom experienced by whites. And more importantly, the authors demonstrate that this racial chasm is consequential: it leads African Americans to react much more cynically to incidents of police brutality and racial profiling, and also to be far more skeptical of punitive anti-crime policies ranging from the death penalty to three-strikes laws.

Well-publicized accounts of police misconduct have raised the public's concern about police brutality. In this anthology, police officers, civil rights activists and politicians consider how best to fight crime without infringing on civil rights. Chapters include: Is Misconduct by Law Enforcement a Serious Problem? What Factors Cause Police Brutality? Do Modern Police Methods Casue Police Misconduct? Who Should Police the Police?

A study based on public forums conducted by the National Association for Colored People (NAACP) in six American cities, incorporating the perspectives of police representatives, criminal justice experts, community leaders, public officials, and citizens. The study concludes that racism is a central

Today’s armored-up policemen are a far cry from the constables of early America. The unrest of the 1960s brought about the invention of the SWAT unit—which in turn led to the debut of military tactics in the ranks of police officers. Nixon’s War on Drugs, Reagan’s War on Poverty, Clinton’s COPS program, the post–9/11 security state under Bush and Obama: by degrees, each of these innovations expanded and empowered police forces, always at the expense of civil liberties. And these are just four among a slew of reckless programs.

The Obama presidency represents a major milestone in black history and the struggle for political, economic and cultural equality in the United States. But how--if at all--has the first black presidency helped move things forward for people of color? Has it delivered the "change we can believe in" and "deepening of democracy" that communities of color organized around? How has the reality and image of a black First Family impacted American culture? What lessons from past struggles can be applied to this unique historical moment to advance multicultural democracy in the U.S.?

Ginwright examines the role of community based organizations (CBOs) in the lives and development of black urban youth. He argues that these organizations have the potential to provide a powerful influence in "how young people choose to participate in schooling and civic life." Ginwright bases his observations on a five-year study of a CBO he created in Oakland, California. The book shows readers that the lives of poor, black, urban youth are not quite as determined by locale and income as more deterministic readings have argued, and that there is real hope for positive change in these urban communities.

Tweets and the Streets analyses the culture of the new protest movements of the 21st century. From the Arab Spring to the 'indignados' protests in Spain and the Occupy movement, Paolo Gerbaudo examines the relationship between the rise of social media and the emergence of new forms of protest.Gerbaudo argues that activists' use of Twitter and Facebook does not fit with the image of a 'cyberspace' detached from physical reality. Instead, social media is used as part of a project of re-appropriation of public space, which involves the assembling of different groups around 'occupied' places such as Cairo's Tahrir Square or New York's Zuccotti Park.An exciting and invigorating journey through the new politics of dissent, Tweets and the Streets points both to the creative possibilities and to the risks of political evanescence which new media brings to the contemporary protest experience.

The Arab Spring was but the most prominent example of political activism that made extensive use of social media; everything from petitions to constituent communications have been affected by the rise of new communications technologies. But in New Media and Public Activism, John Michael Roberts poses a troubling question: Is this activism actually new and effective, or are we instead being transformed into subjects of online consumption and orderly surveillance, rather than being committed social and political campaigners? Taking a political economy perspective, Roberts offers an indispensable guide to understanding the relationship between the state, new media activism, and neoliberal practices.

With a Little Creativity, Everyday People Can Change the World   If you yearn to help make the world a better place but wonder how to do it, look no further. In this unique book, legendary organizer and musician Si Kahn regales us with entertaining, funny, sad, dramatic, and inspiring tales of his work in some of the most important progressive struggles of the past fifty years--the Southern civil rights movement, the Harlan County coal miners' strike, the fights to abolish prison privatization and immigrant family detention. Si addresses not just strategies and tactics but how creative community organizing can prod us to learn new skills, encourage us to take risks, and transform us into practical visionaries for justice.

Racial privilege is hard to see for those who were born with access to power and resources. Yet it is very visible for those to whom it was not granted. Understanding White Privilegeis written for individuals and those in organizations who grapple with race every day, as well as for those who believe they don't need to. It is written for those who have tried to build authentic professional relationships across races but have felt unable to do so. It is written for those who believe strongly in the struggle for racial justice and need additional information to share with their friends and colleagues. Inviting readers to think personally about how race--theirs and others'--frames experiences, relationships, and the way we each see the world, Understanding White Privilege focuses squarely on white privilege and its implications by offering specific suggestions for what we each can do to bridge the racial chasm.

This anthology presents the significance and complexity of whiteness today and illuminates the nature of privilege and power in our society. Rothenberg's thoughtful four-part organization leads students through the ubiquity and corresponding invisibility of whiteness; the historical development of whiteness and its role in race relations throughout history; the real effects of privilege and its opposite, oppression; and finally, an exploration of how the system of privilege could be changed. The fourth edition continues to feature key articles and essays from such important scholars and writers as Peggy McIntosh, Richard Dyer, Beverly Tatum, bell hooks, Allan G. Johnson, and Tim Wise and includes new selections from Nell Irvin Painter, Robert Jensen, and Justin Podur.

Long after the passage of civil rights laws and now the inauguration of our first black president, blacks and Latinos possess barely a nickel of wealth for every dollar that whites have. Why have we made so little progress?   Legal scholar Daria Roithmayr provocatively argues that racial inequality lives on because white advantage functions as a powerful self-reinforcing monopoly, reproducing itself automatically from generation to generation even in the absence of intentional discrimination. Drawing on work in antitrust law and a range of other disciplines, Roithmayr brilliantly compares the dynamics of white advantage to the unfair tactics of giants like AT&T and Microsoft.   With penetrating insight, Roithmayr locates the engine of white monopoly in positive feedback loops that connect the dramatic disparity of Jim Crow to modern racial gaps in jobs, housing and education. Wealthy white neighborhoods fund public schools that then turn out wealthy white neighbors. Whites with lucrative jobs informally refer their friends, who refer their friends, and so on. Roithmayr concludes that racial inequality might now be locked in place, unless policymakers immediately take drastic steps to dismantle this oppressive system. Also access the ebook: http://sabio.library.arizona.edu/record=b7055305~S9

Substantially revised and expanded, the new edition has more tools to help white people understand and stand-up to racism. Uprooting Racism explores the manifestations of racism in politics, work, community, and family life. It moves beyond the definition and unlearning of racism to address the many areas of privilege for white people and suggests ways for individuals and groups to challenge the structures of racism. Also access the ebook: http://sabio.library.arizona.edu/record=b6442806~S9