St. Ignatius

Resources for Racial Literacy

Understanding racism, white supremacy, and racial inequity requires both learning and unlearning. Below is a list of helpful resources to engage in the process.

Recommended for teen and young adult readers:

Recommended for adults and mature readers:

  • "How to Be Anti-Racist" by Ibram X. Kendi
  • "My Grandmother’s Hands" by Resmaa Menakem
  • "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson
  • "Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom" by Matthew R. Kay.
  • "Racial Justice and the Catholic Church" by Fr. Bryan N. Massingale, S.J.
  • "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" by Ibram X. Kendi
  • "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
  • "Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race" by Debby Irving
  • "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson
  • "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.

Additional resources from the SI Alumni Town Hall: A Discussion about Race.