Social Justice
In the Realm of CORE VALUES
1: Strengthen your knowledge: research key historical events and movements that shaped social justice and equality.🌈
1: Strengthen your knowledge: research key historical events and movements that shaped social justice and equality.🌈Books on global social justice issues & their history
… there are so many directions a reading list like this could go – send us your favorites!
- Women, Race, & Class – by Angela Davis: an outspoken advocate for the oppressed and exploited, writing on Black liberation, prison abolition, the intersections of race, gender, and class, and international solidarity.
- An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States – by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz: Spanning more than four hundred years, this classic bottom-up peoples’ history radically reframes US history and explodes the silences that have haunted our national narrative.
- Homegoing – by Yaa Gyasi: follows the parallel paths of sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem.
- Cleaning Up Greenwashing – by Angus Nurse: Characterizes corporate environmental crime as an inevitable consequence of neoliberal markets and contemporary consumer culture and identifies that traditional criminal justice responses may be inadequate to deal with contemporary environmental harms.
- Responsibility for Justice – by Iris Marion Young: Discusses our responsibilities to address “structural” injustices in which we among many are implicated. Argues that addressing these structural injustices requires a new model of responsibility, called the “social connection” model.
- Freedom Is a Constant Struggle – by Angela Davis: illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world.
- Caste – by Isabel Wilkerson: Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Isabel Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more.
Podcasts
… please do send us your favorite Social Justice Podcasts!
- Pod Save the People – Podcast hosted by DeRay: Each Tuesday, the crew digs into the current events driving the political discourse – bringing cultural context, actionable insights, and a hot take or two – to help empower listeners to engage as thoughtful members of their communities.
- 1619 – NY Times Podcast: This podcast examines how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling.
- Race to Social Justice Podcast: Join hosts Keva White and John Kepner as they and their guests explore the myriad social and racial challenges facing the modern world.
2: Study terms such as privilege, systemic inequality, intersectionality, and allyship and how they apply to social justice.
Books
- How to Be An Anti-Racist – by Ibram X Kendi: reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America–but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.
- The New Jim Crow – by Michelle Alexander: stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status.
- Readings for Diversity and Social Justice: An Anthology on Racism, Antisemitism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Ableism, and Classism
- Between the World and Me – by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding of the US’s history and current crisis.
- BEST BOOKS ON FREEDOM, JUSTICE & EQUALITY – listed compiled by the International Council on Human Rights Policy – check it out for more powerhouse books.
Podcasts
- Intersectionality Matters – Podcast with Kimberle Crenshaw: offers deep insights into legal, social, and political intersections of identity, bridging academic theory with activism.
- Justice & Power – Podcast with Nekima Levy-Armstrong: a must-listen for anyone seeking to find solutions to tough topics and propel change.
- The Daily Radical – Podcast with Doctora Nicole: Doctora Nicole and her esteemed colleagues untangle the intricacies of today’s social climate while exploring possibilities for a better future.
3: Take responsibility for learning about your own biases and racism, rather than relying on marginalized groups to educate you.
Books
- How to Be An Anti-Racist – by Ibram X Kendi: reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America–but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.
- The New Jim Crow – by Michelle Alexander: stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status.
- Readings for Diversity and Social Justice: An Anthology on Racism, Antisemitism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Ableism, and Classism
- Between the World and Me – by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding of the US’s history and current crisis.
- BEST BOOKS ON FREEDOM, JUSTICE & EQUALITY – listed compiled by the International Council on Human Rights Policy – check it out for more powerhouse books.
Podcasts
- Intersectionality Matters – Podcast with Kimberle Crenshaw: offers deep insights into legal, social, and political intersections of identity, bridging academic theory with activism.
- Justice & Power – Podcast with Nekima Levy-Armstrong: a must-listen for anyone seeking to find solutions to tough topics and propel change.
- The Daily Radical – Podcast with Doctora Nicole: Doctora Nicole and her esteemed colleagues untangle the intricacies of today’s social climate while exploring possibilities for a better future.
4: Discover artists, poets, dancers, musicians, and writers that focus on these issues. Go to art shows, events, and performances to support these artists. 🌈
Podcasts
… We found that the intersection of Social Justice and Art is most alive in the constantly evolving arena of Podcasts that focus on this area. This is in lieu of Seven Realms posting a list of artists or poets. Check out these vital podcasts:
- ART is CHANGE Podcast: If you’re passionate about making a real difference through creativity, ART IS CHANGE (formerly known as Change the Story / Change the World) is your front-row seat to the real-world impact of art and social change.
- PART of the PRACTICE Podcast: with Catherine LaSota – Join artists, scholars, and collaborators from the Social Practice CUNY network as we discuss our art practices, our communities, and the role of socially-engaged art in work for social justice.
- ART & LABOR Podcast: with OK Fox & Lucia Love. Chronicles the stories of social justice organizing within the arts..
- VS – Poetry Podcast: hosted by poet Danez Smith and the Poetry Foundation. Bi-weekly series where poets confront the ideas that move them
- Art Ignites Change: from Mural Arts Philadelphia. Explore public art projects and programs from current and historical perspectives to build a greater understanding of the transformative power of creativity
- The Creative Process Podcast: the intersection of art, meaningful change, and the creative process playing out in our complex world.
5: Learn how to engage in conversations about social justice and systemic inequities without causing harm.
Books
- So You Want to Talk About Race – by Ijeoma Oluo: guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth in an attempt make honest conversations about race & racism more possible.
- How to Be An Anti-Racist – by Ibram X Kendi: reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America–but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.
Trainings & Webinars
- FREE Recorded Webinars from the National Equity Project: a whole variety of social justice and equity trainings to explore.
- Training Courses from Equity Literacy Institute: another great resource for low-cost training on a wide variety of social justice and equity/equality issues.
Podcasts & Videos
- Code Switch – Podcast from NPR: It’s the fearless conversations about race that you’ve been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, this podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor.
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – video series with Emmanuel Acho: Great video series!!! A safe place for uncomfortable conversations about race that many have never been able to have.
- Be Anti-Racist with Ibram X Kendi: what an antiracist society might look like and how we all can play an active role in building one.
- The Danger of a Single Story – TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding…