Below are significant resources that can provide a foundational understanding of the themes listed. Note that some resources are listed in more than one place. As much as possible, we’ve ordered resources such that shorter items precede longer items. Neither the themes, nor lists of resources, are meant to be exhaustive. Self education is a lifelong journey. Guidance on how to incorporate different themes and resources into a group experience can be found on our Guiding Group Work and Sample Curriculum pages, and is also available through consultation

Understanding Racism and White Supremacy

• “What is White Supremacy?” (online article) – Elizabeth Martínez
• Birth of a White Nation (video/book)– Jacqueline Battalora
• Our Analysis (online resource) – White Awake
• “Are Cracker, White Trash, & Redneck Racist?” (video/short) – Decoded / MTV News
• “Reverse Racism” (video/short) – Aamer Rahman
• Are You Ready for Some Hard Truths About the Birth of Our Nation? (article) – Frank Joyce
• “The Wellbriety Journey to Forgiveness” (documentary) – whitebison.org (the video title is linked to an edited version for White Awake workshops; the full documentary can be found on Youtube here)
• “The Case for Reparations” (article) – Ta-Nehisi Coates
• “Race: the Power of an Illusion” (film series) – CaliforniaNewsreel
• Indigenous People’s History of the United States (book) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The Invention of White People / Whiteness as a Cultural Force

• Birth of a White Nation (video/book) – Jacqueline Battalora
• The Lie of White Identity (article/essay) – Sean Donahue
• White Supremacy Culture (online resource) – Tema Okun
• “Who Invented White People” (article) – Gregory Jay
• “How Did Jews Become White Folks” (chapter) – Karen Brodkin
• “How the Irish Became White” (interview) – Noel Ignatiev
• “Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination” (article) – bell hooks
• “Race: the Power of an Illusion” (film series) – CaliforniaNewsreel

Whiteness and Class

• “Are Cracker, White Trash, & Redneck Racist?” (video/short) – Decoded / MTV News
• “Why I Quit the Klan” (personal narrative/reading) – C.P. Ellis
• Cross-Class Capacity Tool (online resource) – Showing up for Racial Justice
• Birth of a White Nation (video/book) – Jacqueline Battalora

Costs of Racism for White People

• “Costs of Racism for White People” (handout) – Paul Kivel
• Costs of Oppression to People from Dominant Groups (assessment) – Diane J. Goodman and Lee Anne Bell
• “Not Somewhere Else, But Here” (essay) – Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker
• “Why I Quit the Klan” (personal narrative/reading) – C.P. Ellis
• “Where Does it Hurt” (audio/transcript here) – Ruby Sales / Episode “On Being”
• Combined Destinies: Whites Sharing Grief About Racism (book) – Ann Todd Jealous and Caroline T. Haskell, eds.

Historical Grief and Trauma

• “The Wellbriety Journey to Forgiveness” (DVD) – whitebison.org (the video title is linked to an edited version for White Awake workshops; the full documentary can be found on Youtube here.)

The Roots of Colonialism/Supremacy in Europe

• “Qallunology 101: A Lesson Plan for the Non-Indigenous” (article) – Derek Rasmussen
• “Qallunology 201: We are the First De-Indigenized Civilization” (article) – Derek Rasmussen
• The Vast and Beautiful World of Indigenous Europe (essay) – Lyla June
• Healing the Dominant Group, Breaking the Cycle of Violence (blog post) – White Awake profile of David Dean
• Indigenous People’s History of the United States (book/see chapters 2 & 3) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• “Boudicca” (online article) – unc.edu
• “Appendix A: the Burning Times: Notes on a Crucial Period of History”, from Dreaming the Dark (book) – Starhawk
• Druids (book) – Morgan Llywelyn

Cultural Appropriation

• WANTING TO BE INDIAN: When Spiritual Searching Turns into Cultural Theft (PDF hosted online) – Myke Johnson
• “A much needed primer on cultural appropriation” (article) – jezebel.com
• Dear White People/Queridos Gringos: You Want Our Culture But You Don’t Want Us – Stop Colonizing The Day Of The Dead (article) – Aya de Leon

Decolonization

• “How to support Standing Rock and confront what it means to live on stolen land (article) – Berkley Carnine and Liza Minno Bloom
• Decolonization is not a metaphor (article) – Eva Tuck
• Indigenous People’s History of the United States (book/ see conclusion) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• Standing Rock Syllabus – NYC Stands with Standing Rock

Identity and Intersecting Social Hierarchies

• The urgency of intersectionality (TED talk/video) – Kimberle Crenshaw
• How Privileged Are You? (inventory and video) – Buzzfeed

Collective Liberation

• “Anti-Racist Organizing Strategy” (article) – the Catalyst Project (modified version of chapter from Chris Crass’ book “Towards Collective Liberation”)
• This is an Uprising (book) – Mark Engler and Paul Engler

The Perils of “Helping” Across Cultures

• “Qallunology 101: A Lesson Plan for the Non-Indigenous” (article) – Derek Rasmussen

Building Accountable Relationships with Communities of Color

• Building Accountable Relationships with Communities of Color (online resource) – Pax Christi Anti-Racist Team

Racial Caucusing

• Racial Identity Caucusing: A Strategy for Building Anti-Racist Collectives (online resource) – Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training
• “Paying Attention to White Culture and Privilege” (article) – Gita Gulati-Partee, M.B.A., and Maggie Potapchuk, M.Ed.:

Developing a Positive Identity (despite social classification as “white”)

• “Where Does it Hurt” (audio/transcript here) – Ruby Sales / Episode “On Being”
• The Vast and Beautiful World of Indigenous Europe (essay) – Lyla June
• “Not Somewhere Else, But Here” (essay) – Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker
• “We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know” (book) – Gary Howard

Return to Manual for Group Work table of contents page