A reading list to educate ourselves on anti-racism 

The root of prejudice is ignorance, and the only way to slay ignorance is by learning.  It isn’t by dismissing it, it’s by understanding where it comes from, what influences and informs our thoughts, and what’s required to evolve our thinking. By accepting, exploring and learning what we don’t know, we acknowledge our own limitations and re-invigorate a belief that enrichment of our soul is about inviting new ideas.  Without learning, there is no growth, expansion and understanding of the world we live in.  Without learning, there is no possibility of progress.

This page includes learning resources recommended by our community, friends and family.  We hope you find them helpful. We welcome additional suggestions in the comments at the bottom of this page and will add them to the page so that we have all ideas included.

To read our Commitment to the Black Community, please visit this page.

Learning about Anti-Racism

Films + Documentaries

1. 13 (Netflix, directed by Ava DuVernay)
2. Teach us All: Elevating Equity for Every Student
3. I am Not Your Negro, written by James Baldwin (on Amazon)
4. The Josephine Baker Story – YouTube
5. Reconstruction: After the Civil War (PBS)
6. 10 Documentaries to Watch Instead of Asking a Person of Colour to Explain Race to You
7. Just Mercy (2019)

Books

1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
2. I’m still here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing
3. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
4. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
5. So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
6. An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
7. Me and White Supremacy, by Layla Saad
8. Anti-Racism Book List: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic

Graffiti Alley in Toronto, Work in Progress June 7, 2020

Sign Petitions

1. To demand that a transparent investigation is held into the actions of the police officers present when Regis Korchinski-Paquet died, you can sign the petition here.
2. To demand racial data on police-involved deaths in Canada, you can sign the petition here.
3. To demand justice for George Floyd, you can sign the petition here.
4. To demand that the police officers involved with George Floyd’s death are arrested and charged with second-degree murder, you can sign the petition here.
5. To demand the immediate arrest of the three officers who were present when Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, sign the petition here.

Donate (Sources: Family and Friends, Refinery29)

1. GoFundMe has many campaigns that you can choose from
2. Black Lives Matter
3. Black Mental Health Matters: A Fund for Black Therapists 
4. Black Youth Helpline (Canada)
5. Justice For Regis
6. Official George Floyd Memorial Fund.
7. The Bail Project, which provides funds to pay bail for those who have been arrested during the protests. You can split your donation between the 39 bail funds (including the Philadelphia Bail Fund, the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, the Community Justice Exchange National Bail Fund Network and the Mississippi Bail Fund Collective) by clicking here.
8. National Bail Fund Network, which includes a directory of community bail funds.
9. The Movement For Black Lives, a global initiative that aims to support Black organizations to conduct conversations about current political conditions.
10. Unicorn Riot, which supports independent journalists on the front line.
11. Say Her Name, a campaign that calls attention to police violence against Black women, girls, and femmes.
12. Black Legal Action Ontario, a non-profit community legal clinic that provides free legal services for low or no income Black residents of Ontario

Graffiti Alley in Toronto, June 8, 2020