Note: Send your additions or comments, updating everyday.
Hello Friends,
In the old model, no business owner—especially a female-owned small business just getting off its feet—would dare make statements that might offend or scare off customers. You won't find that here. This business stands for GOOD. And today that means standing arm in arm with Black Americans, helping to amplify their voices, their history and their reality. Each of us has the power to do more good. And you don't have to be on the front line protesting peacefully to do it. You can start here. Scroll down to get right to it.
If you’re on social media, you’ve witnessed a generous outpouring of information to help. Some of it to help the vulnerable. Some of it to wake the privileged. Either way, we’re lucky to have access to knowledge.
Unfortunately, this information isn’t reaching everyone. Maybe you’re not on social media. Maybe you're busy working and raising your family. Maybe you live and work in a more homogenous area. Maybe you're just looking for a place to start. Here we’ve created a rough list of resources intended to help us all gain a better understanding of where we are, how we got here, and more important, how we can actively support our brothers and sisters, people of color in the United States and indeed, around the globe.
We are in no way experts, far from it. We’re just a small business wanting to do more than post a meme. We are not the authors and take no credit for the insight, perspective, and experience in this list. The credit goes wholly to the passionate, the talented, the smart, and the socially focused folks who are tuned in and making change—and who engage us to do the same. We are simply amalgamators, cutting and pasting resources we find to share. If you have additions, please comment below or send an email to: hello@shopwhatsgood.com.
We haven’t watched every movie or read every book or explored every .org. But we’d like to. We need to. Join us in this journey.
Expand your understanding of both the injustice and rich heritage of POC by reading, watching and listening to the resources listed here and beyond.
Find a way to understand:
Why it’s so painful to hear “All Lives Matter” instead of “Black Lives Matter.” Click here.
Why looting/rioting, while painful, isn’t the same as murder.
Why systemic inequalities and disadvantages hold back people of color (education, health care, criminal justice (oxymoron), laws, banking, voting, and the list goes on. Here's a short video that summarizes without shaming:
Why peaceful and loud, resistance protesting (not passive & not violent), is a way to be heard... and is a fundamental right of every US citizen.
That taking a knee is not a slap in the face to veterans. In fact, it's the opposite; our troops have shed blood and lives so that Americans like Colin Kaepernick would have the freedom to voice pain and call out injustice. Taking a knee lifts our flag up.
Vote… not just in the big elections but for your local police leaders, school boards and budgets, judges, local representatives to your State and Federal legislators. That’s where the change starts.
Email, text, write, and call your local representatives and let them know you won’t stand for injustice. (Scroll down for any easy way to do this).
If you’re able, join protestors in your region, there is strength in numbers.
Be intolerant to people who are intolerant. Racism is real.
Don’t be silent.
ORGANIZATIONS IN NEED OF YOUR SUPPORT Take 30 minutes to check out these organizations, some are .orgs others are independent media outlets working to bring truth. Read their vision, mission statements and their articles. If you’re not overcome (insert with… sadness, anger, surprise, the need to help) then keep reading. Support can take many shapes, volunteering, contributing in kind, donating, sharing, listening, and acting.
TOOLS TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR REPS Thank you Alexis Babcock-Sklair: 5calls.org -- it makes it super easy for you to contact your representatives about issues you're passionate about!
Once you set your location, you just pick an issue from the list and get a summary about the issue, the names of your representatives, what level they serve at, their contact information, and a script for the call ☎️
BOOKS ABOUT RACISM+
My White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Caught by Marie Gottschalk
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones’
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood by P E Moskowitz
So You Wanna Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too by Christopher Emdin
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
What’s the Matter with White People? Why We Long for a Golden Age that Never Was by Joan Walsh
Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
BOOKS AUTHORED BY BLACK AMERICANS Stealing a line from a relative who has dedicated her life to social justice, “You might also consider books by Black people and other people of color that aren't explicitly about race. That's another great way to support the Black community and educate non-Black readers without an explicit focus on race—allows for some celebration of joy and other experiences as well.” Can’t say it any better than that.
Anything by Toni Morrison—Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, Jazz and so many more.
The Water Dancerby Ta-Nehisi Coates
Black Leopard, Red Wolfby Marlon James
Well-Read Black Girlby Glory Edim
Salvage the Bonesby Jesmyn Ward
Freshwaterby Akwaeke Emezi
Their Eyes Were Watching Godby Zora Neale Hurston
Go Tell It on the Mountainby James Baldwin
Invisible Manby Ralph Ellison A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Hunger by Roxane Gay
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
Such a Fun Ageby Kiley Reid
I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsby Maya Angelou
Homegoingby Yaa Gyasi
Indigoby Beverly Jenkins
Patsyby Nicole Dennis-Benn
The Yellow Houseby Sarah M. Broom
It's Not All Downhill from Hereby Terry McMillan
Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Grand Unionby Zadie Smith
Red at the Boneby Jacqueline Woodson
Children of Blood and Boneby Tomi Adeyemi
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
KID BOOKS Most of this list was compiled by Alica Bobesha from an article she wrote for BabyandBlog. We kept the links in since she deserves the credit should you buy any of the books... that said, if you can find it at books.org vs. amazon, life is gooder.
Nelson Mandelaby Kadir Nelson (Coretta Scott King Honor Book)
Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Ridin’ Cowboyby Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (Notable Book citations, Society of School Librarians International, and American Library Association Notable Book)
MOVIES/VIDEO Many of these are on Netflix, PBS, Hulu, HBO, Prime, and other channels. Also, your local library may have some, too.
Documentary
The House I Live In
13th
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975
I Am Not Your Negro
Whose Streets
Becoming
The Black Godfather
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke
Quincy
I Am Not Your Negro
Zion
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Films & Series
When They See Us
Just Mercy
Watchmen
If Beale Street Could Talk
Dear White People
American Son
See You Yesterday
LA 92
The Help
Malcom X
Juwanna Mann
For Colored Girls
Romeo Must Die
All Day and a Night
Get on the Bus
Uncorked
School Daze
Django Unchained
Cadillac Records
Soul Plane
Scary Movie 1 & 2
A Fall From Grace
American Son
Hitch
Barry
Dolemite Is My Name
Bad Boys I & II
Step Sisters
The Longshots
The Wedding Party I & II
Sextuplets
Lionheart
Moonlight
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Beats
See You Yesterday
Juanita
High Flying Bird
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Nappily Ever After
First Match
Beasts of No Nation
She's Gotta Have It
Burning Sands
Been So Long
The Holiday Calendar
Roxanne Roxanne
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Hate U Give
Hidden Figures
Rent
Selma
Just Mercy
Fruitvale Station
Stranger Fruit
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Please visit Oprahmag.org, it’s full of interesting lists like best dramas, best black movies that should have won Oscars, and a plethora of others you’ll want to know about people.
We want you to know we see the protesters and their message separately from the looters and rioters. Sure there can be some overlap, but the vast majority are there to get the message out. Does it make you uncomfortable? It is supposed to. It's how we enact change. We do not condone the crimes these bad agents are perpetrating against businesses and homes and municipal property, nor do we condone their aggression and violence against law enforcement officers. We believe these bad agents should be held accountable. That said, we also don't condone the use of the military, nor do we condone the use of violence from any law enforcement agency. We believe our tax dollars should support police, we need them, we pay them to be there for us—all of us. Instead of fighting them or throwing all of our rage their way, remember racism, inequality, injustice is spread across many connected systems (and beyond). What if we took a deeper dive into where their funding goes? What if we reallocated money toward programs that life communities up? Here are a few examples: housing, education, healthcare—human-centered services. What if we used the money to create better policing? We need to vote and petition to drive our tax dollars differently, to help them, help us — all of us. Only through better training, more psychological support, de-escalation techniques, stronger accountability programs, peaceful 'weapons', video cameras, and other strategies can we have a well-intentioned, community police force. It would be a win-win for all.
NOTE: INFO PULLED FROM ACROSS THE WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA
This is not an exhaustive list, there are so many good people and good organizations doing incredible work. It can be challenging to find the correct credit with so many posts and reposts. So if you’ve been left off the list and/or deserve credit for something on the list, please feel free to contact us to set it right.
Crooked.com NY Times.com Medium.com Oprah.org FaceBook Instagram Blacklivesmatter.org
1 Response
Hannah
July 10, 2020
https://youtu.be/TBDfMQ27Asw
Leave a comment
Good News
If any email is worthy of your inbox, it's this. Our goal is 1–2x per month. You'll get helpful & inspiring eco info, plus subscriber-only discounts.
Hannah
July 10, 2020
https://youtu.be/TBDfMQ27Asw