Enough is enough.
The systemic racism we see in the recurring acts of violence perpetrated against people of color in our country has gone on for far too long, and this violence will only stop when people with privilege step up and commit to understanding and actively countering these actions.
It will take the collective action of us all to create the world ‘where racism and bigotry are eliminated’ and ‘everyone is treated with civility and respect.’ Action to create change comes in many forms. One way to begin is through listening and learning, as we do here on our campus. Books can give us information and empathy, both of which we need to make our way through this complicated time and world we live in. Books help us explore the past, the present, and to imagine a better future.
I encourage you to read, learn, and engage in this important work by exploring the Purdue Libraries resources listed here. Start dialogues, ask questions, listen to each other, and use your education to better the experiences of those who have been too long and too often silenced.
-Beth McNeil, Dean, Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies and Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science
June 2, 2020
Collections and Digital Exhibits:
Philosophy Born of Struggle Conference Records
Voices, Identities, & Silences: Investigating 150 Years of Diversity in the Purdue Archives
...or the Fire Next Time: A Timeline of African American History at Purdue University
BCC Digital and Historical Archives Project
Archives and Special Collections works with cultural centers across the university to preserve their historical materials:
Oral History Interviews with Black Leaders, from Purdue Archives and Special Collections:
Antonio Zamora Interview, 2007
Marion Blalock Interviews, 2007 (two interviews, part 1 and part 2)
LatinX Interviews:
External Resources and Guides:
The New York Times: An Antiracist Reading List
Anti-Racism Resources for White People
Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages
Showing Up For Racial Justice Toolkit
Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
Balancing Asymmetrical Social Power Dynamics
AORTA: Anti-Oppressive Facilitation for Democratic Process
What Is White Privilege, Really?
Affirming Black Lives in School: Teachers, Administrators, Students
Available in eBook Format:
New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Author: Michelle Alexander
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide
Author: Carol Anderson
Black Women’s History of the United States
Author: Daina Ramey Berry
The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Grace Lee Boggs, Scott Kurashige, Danny Glover
Between the World and Me
Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
What does it mean to be White in America? Breaking the White Code of Silence, a Collection of Personal Narratives
Editors: Gabrielle David and Sean Frederick Forbes
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Author: Robin J. DiAngelo
How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide
Author: Crystal Marie Fleming
Modeling Mentoring Across Race/Ethnicity and Gender: Practices to Cultivate the Next Generation of Diverse Faculty
Editors: Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot
Author: Mikki Kendall
How to Be an Antiracist
Author: Ibram X. Kendi
Heavy: An American Memoir
Author: Kiese Laymon
Sister Outsider: Essays & Speeches
Author: Audre Lorde
On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics, Praxis
Author: Walter Mignolo
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
Author: Safiya Noble
Is Everyone Really Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education
Author: Özlem Sensoy and Robin J. DiAngelo
Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Author: Jesmyn Wards
Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
