The More You Know
DEIB Book of the Month
About "Be Amazing" by Desmond is Amazing
Desmond is amazing—and you are, too.
Throughout history, courageous people like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and RuPaul have paved the way for a safer, more inclusive society for LGBTQ individuals, and it’s thanks to them that people just like Desmond can be free to be who they really are.
Featuring illustrations by Dylan Glynn
One of the Most
Banned Books of all Time
In 1998, a school district removed one of American literature's most acclaimed works from its curriculum. Parents pushing for the ban said the book was both "sexually explicit" and "anti-white." The book at the center of this debate was Maya Angelou's "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings." Why was the memoir so controversial? Mollie Godfrey digs into one of the most banned books of all time. [Directed by Laura White, narrated by Karen Marie, music by Stephen LaRosa].
Learn more about book bans and censorship in American schools and libraries:
Book Suggestions
Barnes & Noble is one of the best places to find books and they have committed to being a place that celebrates Black voices. Below are some of the recommendations they have for celebrating diversity, Black authors, and authors from systematically excluded groups.
Black Authors, Diverse Literature, Antiracism Books, and More.
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah Jones
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah Jones
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, Sonja Cherry-Paul (Adapted by), Rachelle Baker (Illustrator)
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Nic Stone
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell, Aurelia Durand (Illustrator)
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, Alex Haley (Editor)
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
The Sum of Us (Adapted for Young Readers): How Racism Hurts Everyone by Heather McGhee
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo, Michael Eric Dyson (Foreword by)
by Robin DiAngelo, Toni Graves Williamson (Adapted by), Ali Michael (Adapted by)
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad, Robin DiAngelo (Foreword by)
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
I Am Not Your Negro: A Companion Edition to the Documentary Film Directed by Raoul Peck by James Baldwin, Raoul Peck
The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Amandla Stenberg (Foreword by)
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin, Edward P. Jones (Foreword by)
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Slavery By Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
DEIB Picks for DEI Reads:
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Cullors, asha bandele
The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy: Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker by Emmanuel Acho
The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing by Anneliese A. Singh PhD, LPC, Tim Wise (Foreword by), Derald Wing Sue Ph.D. (Afterword)
The Antiracism Handbook: Practical Tools to Shift Your Mindset and Uproot Racism in Your Life and Community by Thema Bryant PhD, Edith G. Arrington PhD, Kevin L. Nadal PhD (Foreword by)
Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book by W. Kamau Bell, Kate Schatz
The Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK, David Olusoga (Foreword by)
Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene, Ciara Sana (Illustrator)
Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, Philip Wang
Role Models Who Look Like Me: Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Who Made History by Jasmine M Cho
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle Duster
Anti-Racism (Words of Change series): Powerful Voices, Inspiring Ideas by Kenrya Rankin
Image Credit: Netflix
Culture Corner Spotlight:
Using innovative animation and expert insights, this documentary based on Ibram X. Kendi's bestseller explores the history of racist ideas in America.
The Listening Corner
How to be Antiracist with Ibrahim X. Kendi
Movies That Matter
12 Years a Slave (Movie)
42 (Movie)
1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed (Documentary) Max
1619 Project (Documentary) Hulu
The 13th (Documentary) -Netflix
A Ballerina’s Tale (Documentary)- Amazon Prime
American Son (Movie) -Netflix
BlacKkKlansman (Movie) -Hulu
Black Panther (Movie)
Chevalier (2022 Movie)
Coco (Movie) -Disney Plus
Crazy Rich Asians (Movie)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Documentary)
Dear White People (TV Show & Movie) -Netflix
Do The Right Thing (Movie)
Emancipation (Movie) -Disney Plus
Encanto (Movie) -Disney Plus
Everything's Going to Be All White (Documentary) -Amazon Prime, Hulu, Paramount
Fences (Movie)
Fruitvale Station (Movie)
Glory (Movie)
Harriet (Movie)
Hidden Figures (Movie)
The Hate U Give (Movie) -Hulu
I Am Not Your Negro (Documentary)
Imitation of Life (Movie) Amazon Prime
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Movie)- Max (HBO)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Movie) -Hulu
John Lewis: Good Trouble (Movie)
Judas & The Black Messiah (Movie)
Just Mercy (Movie)
The Kalief Browder Story (Documentary) -Netflix
Loving (Movie) -Hulu
Marshall (Movie) -Rent
Malcom X (Movie) -Netflix
Marshall (Movie)
MLK/FBI (Movie)
Moana (Movie) -Disney Plus
More Than Word (Documentary)
Moonlight -Netflix
One Night in Miami (Movie) -Amazon Prime
Mudbound (Movie) -Netflix
Raya (Movie)- Disney Plus
Ruby Bridges (Movie) -Amazon Prime
Tell Them We Are Rising (Documentary) -PBS
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (Movie) Netflix
The Murder of Fred Hampton (Documentary)
Till (Movie)
Turning Red (Movie)
The Joy Luck Club (Movie)
Passing (Movie) -Prime
Power: The Trayvon Martin Story
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War (TV Series) -PBS
Reservation Dogs (Series)
Rosewood (Movie)
Selma (Movie)
Soul (Movie) -Disney Plus
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse (Movie) Disney Plus
Teach Us All (Documentary) -Netflix
The Princess & the Frog (Movie)- Dsney Plus
The Problem with Apu (Documentary) -Amazon Prime
United Shades of America (TV Series) -CNN
Wonder (Movie) -Amazon Prime
Wakanda Forever (Movie)
When They See Us (Television Series) -Netflix
Whose Streets? (Documentary)
*Please note that this list has some films, shows and series that feature adult content, language and situations. They may not be appropriate for younger viewers, so viewer discretion is advised.
The More (Terms) You Know...
Linguistic Reappropriation
The cultural process by which a group reclaims a word or language historically used to demean or disparage, creating semantic change that neutralizes the word over time.