A number of readers have expressed interest in the texts I use in my university writing classes. Below are some of the resources I use in my Rhetoric and Inquiry course, which focuses on racism in America. Our main text for the class is John Lewis’ graphic novel, March: Book One.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, a historical overview, or a course on anti-racist literature. It’s a writing class, so our focus is on the practice of writing, not a historical overview of the Civil Rights Movement or Black Lives Matter movement.
My hope is that this list provides a jumping off point in your anti-racism education. March is an excellent place to start. I’ll continue to add to this list as the term progresses.
Text:
March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
Selection from The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander *this book should be required reading
Articles/Essays/Poetry:
John Lewis’ Obituary in the NYT by Katherine Q. Seelye
“Together, You can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation” by John Lewis
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King
“A Fate Worse than Slavery” by Brent Staples
“The New Jim Crow” article by Michelle Alexander
“Why Mass Incarceration Defines Us as a Society” by Chris Hedges
“How it Feels to be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston
“Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes
“America” by Claude McKay
“Capital Punishment” by Sherman Alexie
Video:
John Green’s Crash Course: The 1960s in America
“The difference between being “not racist” and anti-racist.” TED talk conversation: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
“We need to talk about an injustice” TED talk with Bryan Stevenson
13th: the documentary by Ava DuVernay *this film is required viewing
