It is not enough to be non-racist – we need to be anti-racist. To move from passivity to an active position means calling out and challenging racism everywhere, from the workplace, to schools, to the community. If we want to dismantle structural and institutional racism and discrimination, we need to understand it. Only by informing ourselves and continuing to learn can we fight oppressive practices and hold duty bearers to account.
This is a starting place, but not an exhaustive list. Please share suggested resources using the comments section at the bottom of the page, and keep highlighting diverse and underrepresented voices from the arts, media and politics.
Read: non-fiction
If you own some of these books and have already read them, please consider sending to others who may not have access to libraries right now – you can use our Facebook page to share
- Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - The Sunday Times Bestseller – Akala
- How To Be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi
- Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging - Afua Hirsch
- White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo
- Me and White Supremacy : How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World - Layla Saad
- The Good Immigrant - Nikesh Shukla
- Don't Touch My Hair - Emma Dabiri
- Sister Outsider - Audre Lorde
- Superior: The Return of Race Science - Angela Saini
Read: fiction
Watch Jackie Kay, at the British Council and National Centre for Writing's International Showcase, discuss her selection of ten compelling BAME writers working in the UK today.
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Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo (Winner of the Booker Prize 2019)
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An American Marriage - Tayari Jones (Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019)
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Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
- Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Ordinary People - Diana Evans
- Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
- The Color Purple - Alice Walker
- Beloved - Toni Morrison
Watch: Documentaries and explainers
- 13th (Ava DuVernay) – Netflix
- I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin)
- Time: The Kalief Browder Story (Jenner Furst, Julia Willoughby Nason, Nick Sandow) – Netflix
- Walking while Black (Vox) – YouTube
- Systemic Racism Explained (act.tv) – YouTube
- Let's get to the root of racial injustice - Megan Ming Francis (Tedx Talks) – YouTube
- James Baldwin Debates William F. Buckley (1965) – YouTube
- Life of Privilege Explained in a $100 Race – YouTube
Watch: Films and series
- Selma (Ava DuVernay) – rent via BFI
- When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) – Netflix
- Get Out (Jordan Peele) – buy or rent via YouTube
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) – Hulu (free trial available)
- The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) – Now TV (7-day free trail available)
- Hale County This Morning, This Evening (RaMell Ross) – Amazon Prime (30-day free trial available)
Listen: Podcasts
Listen: Music
- Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
- Beyonce - Freedom
- Curtis Mayfield - We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue
- Dave - Black
- Nina Simone - Four Women
- Vic Mensa - There's Alot Going On
- Wretch 32 - Open Conversation & Mark Duggan
- Cadet - Gang Gang
- Solange – A Seat at the Table
- Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA
- Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
Follow: Social media and websites
- Rachel Cargle
- Monique Melton
- Layla F. Saad
- Munroe Bergdorf
- Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Tarana J. Burke
- Akala
- Afua Hirsch
- Ava DuVernay
- Kendrick Sampson
- Giselle Buchanan
- Colin Kaepernick
- No White Saviors
- gal-dem
- The Conscious Kid
- The Black Curriculum
- Check Your Privilege
- Millennial Black
Allyship
- 10 Steps To Non-Optical Allyship - Mireille Cassandra Harper
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice – Medium (USA focused but informative)
- How to be a good white ally – Vox
How to engage in conversations
Talking about Racism, Racial Equity and Racial Healing with Friends, Family, Colleagues and Neighbours: Conversation Guide - National Day of Racial Healing
Let’s Talk; Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students – Teaching Tolerance
Mental health and wellbeing
Please be mindful that these resources are intended for use by BAME people. Check before you access - it is vital these safe spaces are reserved for those they were built for.
Black Minds Matter – They support in making mental health topics relevant and accessible for all Black people in the U.K. They aim to fulfil this by connecting Black individuals and families with professional mental health services across the country.
BAATN – The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network - Home of the largest community of counsellors and psychotherapists of Black, African, Asian and Caribbean heritage in the UK.
POC Online Classroom - Resources curated by and for people of colour. This section contains readings on the importance of self-care, mental health care, and healing for people of colour and within activist movements.
Therapy for Black Girls - An online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
Sista Afya – A mental wellness service centered on Black women based in Chicago, but with an Instagram page to follow with resources.
The Loveland Foundation - Committed to showing up for communities of colour in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls.
Mind – Linking to their specific work and projects centered on supporting young Black men with their mental health.
Petitions
- Justice for George Floyd
- Battle racism by updating GCSE reading lists in England
- Make it compulsory for Black and POC UK histories to be taught in the Welsh curriculum
- Teach Black History in Scottish Schools
- More protection for Black Trans Women UK
Support
Black Lives Matter - A global organisation in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
Stop Hate UK - A leading national organisations working to challenge all forms of Hate Crime and discrimination, based on any aspect of an individual’s identity. Stop Hate UK provides independent, confidential and accessible reporting and support for victims, witnesses and third parties.
Show Racism the Red Card - The UK's leading anti-racism educational charity. They provide educational workshops, training sessions, multimedia packages, and a whole host of other resources, all with the purpose of tackling racism in society.
StopWatch - Since forming in 2010, they’ve led a wide-ranging campaign against the disproportionate use of stop and search, the increasing use of exceptional stop and search powers and the weakening of accountability mechanisms.
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust - Founded on the premise that inequality must be tackled in all its forms, they work with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds aged 13 to 30 to inspire and enable them to succeed in the career of their choice.
Southall Black Sisters - A group of Black and minority women with years of experience of struggling for women’s human rights in the UK. Although based in West London, their work has a national reach.
Runnymede – The UK's leading independent race equality think tank. They generate intelligence to challenge race inequality in Britain through research, network building, leading debate, and policy engagement.
Liberty - An independent membership organisation. They challenge injustice, defend freedom and campaign to make sure everyone in the UK is treated fairly.