How to get educated on anti-racism -

As Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Active choices must be made to get involved, get loud, have hard conversations with your family and friends, donate to support movements combating racism and police brutality, and much more. But the first step is getting educated, and luckily the resources are all at your disposal.

Click through to see some of the books you can read, films you can watch, podcasts you can listen to, and people you can follow to start doing your part in the world’s shift towards equality.

© Shutterstock

What to read: 'How to Be an Antiracist' by Ibram X. Kendi -

The New York Times best seller puts forth a concept of antiracism that combines ethics, history, law, and science in an accessible way, helping find new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.

© Getty Images

'White Fragility' by Robin DiAngelo -

A female white sociologist tackles why it's so difficult for white people to talk about racism—it's a fantastic, fresh perspective.

© Shutterstock

'Your Silence Will Not Protect You' by Audre Lorde -

Every work by the self-proclaimed “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” deserves to be read, but this 2017 posthumous collection of essays, speeches, and poems is a great place to start.

© Getty Images

'One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy' by Carol Anderson -

From the New York Times best-selling author of 'White Rage,' this book explores the disturbing history of voter suppression in America, from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to present-day voter discrimination.

© Getty Images

'Freedom Is a Constant Struggle' by Angela Davis -

This pioneering activist was been heavily quoted on social media in the wake of George Floyd's death, and this book is a great compilation of her thoughts and essays on everything from Apartheid to the Ferguson protests and the failures of feminism.

© Getty Images

'The New Jim Crow' by Michelle Alexander -

Civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander looks at mass incarceration in the age of “colorblindness,” tracing how racialized social control has been embedded in the criminal justice system.

© Getty Images

'The Fire Next Time' by James Baldwin -

This classic of the Civil Rights Movement is divided into two parts: a letter written to Baldwin's 14-year-old nephew on the 100th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, and a reflection on his formative years in Harlem.

© Getty Images

'Men We Reaped' by Jesmyn Ward -

National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward penned this gut-wrenching memoir recounting the deaths of five young black men in her life and how closely they were linked to poverty, history, and race.

© Getty Images

'Redefining Realness' by Janet Mock -

It's important as well to get an intersectional education that includes LGBTQ+ authors like transgender activist Janet Mock.

© Getty Images

'They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement' by Wesley Lowery -

As a reporter for The Washington Post, Wesley Lowery covered deaths including Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray. His book begins with his own arrest during the Ferguson protests, and goes on to recount the evolution of the Black Lives Matter movement from the front lines.

© Getty Images

'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge -

Structural racism is not limited to the US, and Eddo-Lodge makes this clear. She picks apart the nature of white privilege and maps out racial bias in the UK, from slavery to the lynch mobs following the First World War.

© Getty Images

'Between the World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates -

Starting as a heartbreaking letter to his 15-year-old son about the authority police have been given over black bodies, Coates continues with a look at how racism is centered in American life and how the fictional notion of "whiteness" develops.

© Getty Images

Who to follow: The Conscious Kid - This nonprofit organization helps parents learn how to better educate their children through a critical race lens. Their Instagram page has various digestible pieces of information, as well as recommendations of children's books to support conversations on race and resistance.

© Shutterstock

Rachel Cargle/The Great Unlearn - Run by academic, writer, and lecturer Rachel Cargle, The Great Unlearn is a fantastic source for breaking down racist systems of thought and building  better ones. It includes things like templates for holding employers accountable for racial justice, and close analysis of common racist criticisms.

© Getty Images

Check Your Privilege - Check Your Privilege, founded by Myisha T. Hill, aims to deepen your awareness of how your actions affect the mental health of Black, Brown, and Indigenous People of Color (BBIPoC). 

© Getty Images

No White Saviors - No White Saviors is a Ugandan advocacy campaign dedicated to disrupting traditional power structures and neocolonialism between the Western world and the African continent.

© Shutterstock

Black Girl Mixtape - Ebony Janice, a feminist scholar, author, and activist, started this page, which is a multi-platform think-space that centers black women using a lecture series, a podcast, and an online learning institute.

© Shutterstock

R29 Unbothered - Refinery29's Unbothered vertical is made by and for black millennial women, celebrating black voices and art.

© Getty Images

Black Lives Matter - Black Lives Matter is a global network  aiming to bring justice, healing, and freedom to black people around the world. You can join their campaigns against violence and systemic racism, their protests, and get educated on broader racial issues including police brutality and racial profiling.

© Getty Images

Austin Channing Brown - The author of 'I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness' is committed to speaking out against racial inequality and regularly shares tips on her page on how we can all combat racism.

© Getty Images

What to watch: '13th' -

The documentary by Ava DuVernay is both powerful and infuriating, exploring how the Thirteenth Amendment led to mass incarceration in the United States.

© Getty Images

'Fruitvale Station' -

Ryan Coogler's 2013 film starring Michael B. Jordan is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man who was killed in 2009 by police officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California.

© Getty Images

'I Am Not Your Negro' -

This 2016 documentary directed by Raoul Peck is based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript 'Remember This House.' It's a great introduction to Baldwin's work, as well as an educational look at American history and racial politics.

© Getty Images

'The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975' -

The 2011 documentary, directed by Göran Olsson, examines the evolution of the Black Power movement in American society from 1967 to 1975.

© Getty Images

Podcasts to listen to: 1619 -

The New York Times's podcast, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, examines the dark legacy of American slavery.

© Getty Images

Intersectionality Matters! -

Hosted by American civil rights advocate and scholar of critical race theory Kimberlé Crenshaw, this podcast features a range of guests every episode, covering intersections of race, age, gender, and sexuality with pop culture, pandemic, politics, and more.

© Getty Images

About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge -

From the author behind the best-selling 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race,' this podcast takes the conversation a step further with key voices from the last few decades and big topics and questions.

© Getty Images

Code Switch -

This podcast by NPR, hosted by journalists of color, features fearless conversations about race and how it impacts every part of society including politics, sports, and pop culture.

© Shutterstock

The Diversity Gap -

Hosted by racial justice educator Bethaney Wilkinson, this podcast is comprised of conversations with various authors, consultants, neurologists, sociologists, CEOs, and more, exploring various aspects of race.

© Shutterstock

Pod For The Cause -

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights launched this podcast to cover human rights issues that span justice reform, policing, education, fighting hate and bias, judicial nominations, voting rights, media, economic security, immigration, and more.

See also: Milestone events and individual achievements in black history.

© Getty Images