Whose Voices Are Heard? Exploring the voices of the Black Lives Matter movement: Books

When Trayvon Martin took his last walk down a Florida street on a cool February evening in 2012, he was just another American teenager, heading home with candy and a soda, talking on the phone with a friend, and dreaming of the future. By the end of the night he was dead--gunned down by a neighborhood watchman. Within weeks his name would be on the lips of a President and the movement for justice in his case would spread all over the country. Today his name is still evoked -- in the media, by artists like Beyonce and Frank Ocean in their work, and by presidential candidates--and his iconic photo, a boy in a hoodie, gazing at the camera, has been seen all over the world. But who was Trayvon Martin before he became, in death, an icon? And how did one black child's death on a dark street in a small Florida suburb become the match that lit a movement?

Student summary: "This memoir is written by one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. She is an artist and activist passionate about changing the culture around how we treat People of Color in the US. This book is specifically about systematic ways we oppress People of Color and the ways Patrisse Khan-Cullors has personally been affected by prejudice and racial profiling. In a society in which we privilege White people and criminalize Black people, police brutality and injustice flourish which is exactly what Khan-Cullors and her co-founders are working to stop."

Student summaries:
"This book goes in depth from the very beginning. [The author uses] pieces from other authors and public figures such as, Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglas, Langston Hughes, Ida B. Wells, Anna Julia Cooper, and many others. Lebron talks about how these issues run far deeper than 2013 when the death of Trayvon Martin sparked the #BlackLivesMatter. People of color have had to fight for their freedom [for] way longer than just five years. Lebron wants to show people that this is still an issue and always has been. He also talks about the issues with the social media hashtag being different than how we think the problem should be solved. There is a lot of things that people do not realize about this movement and Christopher Lebron wants to make those factors known."

"The book The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea by Christopher J. Lebron is just that: a history about how the Black Lives Matter movement got started. Lebron writes about how even though the title of the movement is fairly young, the ideas that make up Black Lives Matter stem from a long and hard fight that black people have had to endure for centuries. He pulls quotes from many strong and public black figures from the past and lets his audience know that people of color should have equal rights and equal dignity. Lebron mentions that police brutality and other discrimination will continue if the matter of equality is left unaddressed."

Student summary: "In the book From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor goes into great detail about the history of civil rights, all the way back to the 1920s. She writes about the government and the effects that various policies had on the general population and specifically people of color. There is a focus in the book on people of color that live below the poverty line and what the government does and does not do to help those people. Not only that, but Taylor gives examples of police brutality and Black unemployment and how discrimination is still a huge problem today."

Student summary: "Wesley Lowery’s They Can't Kill Us All is both emotional and educational. The book covers in detail the most notable Black Lives Matter events including, but not limited to, the Ferguson unrest. This work draws from documented reporting, first-hand accounts, and the interviews of many involved parties such as the families of victims. This helps humanize the movement for those currently too far removed from its realities."

Student summary: "This book is a valuable publication in the study, research, and education of an audience on the subject of the Black Lives Matter movement. This is because the book offers a very well-constructed overview of the issues, circumstances, notable events, and associated systemic issues. This should be one of, if not the first, book an interested party reads."

Student summary: "So You Want to Talk about Race, by Oluo Ijeoma, is a collection of essays from her experiences with people wanting to change the way they addressed issues around race. This collection is a mix of memoir and self-help, related to becoming a better communicator about race and the issues that come up. These issues come from real people seeking out Oluo Ijeoma’s advice on her blog."

Student summaries:
"Many years ago, Jim Crow laws were abolished, helping to supposedly decrease segregation and the ingrained racism that was in many Americans’ hearts. However, today there is a different kind of mistreatment. Instead of focusing the mistreatment on people of color, the mistreatment is directed toward convicted criminals in the same way that Black people were treated in the age of Jim Crow laws. Convicted criminals, many of them black, are treated as second class citizens with minimal rights. Michelle Alexander goes into more detail about how convicted criminals are being mistreated in her book The New Jim Crow."

"The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander, explains how racial injustices in America have still continued from before the civil rights movement to today. Michelle Alexander uses her expertise in the justice system to explain how people, especially men, are lost into a broken system, started from a racist government agenda."

Student summary: "You Can’t Touch My Hair, by Phoebe Robinson explains what it is like for her being a black woman in today’s world of racism. Phoebe Robinson’s comedy perspective appeals to many people and helps explain what is not acceptable to do or say in situations with people of color. This memoir is educational for everyday situations and learning other perspectives on what is appropriate."

Student summary: "This book tells the story of Jojo, a thirteen year old biracial boy, living in rural Mississippi. His white father is in prison and his black mother is a drug addict who has been
psychologically scarred by the tragic death of her little brother. Jojo also has a little sister, whom he is fiercely protective of, and is more of a parent to her than his mother. When the father is released from prison, the dysfunctional family takes a road trip to the penitentiary to pick him up. Jojo is confronted with the reality that he is not completely unique in his journey."

Student summary: "Behold the Dreamers tells the story of Jende and Neni, immigrants from Camaroon, Central Africa. They are hoping to give a better life to their young son, Liomi. The story takes place in 2008, just as the housing crisis is taking hold in America. Jende, has recently earned the job as a chauffeur to the Edwards family, who is currently going through an uncertain time, as the company that Clark Edwards works for has declared bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Jende faces the possibility of deportation, though Neni is legal in America as a student. These troubled times provide a lot of uncertainty for both families, yet offer up opportunities for compassion and perseverance."

Student summary: "I am Alfonso Jones, by Tony Medina, is a graphic novel targeted for 6th to 8th graders learning about police brutality and racial injustices. This fictional work parallels many current cases of police brutality. The character is a good kid, and is shot because a [police officer] mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun. Tony Medina brings awareness to teens about real occurrences happening to people of color. This novel focuses on what the deceased can teach us and the impacts that are made by police brutality."

Student summary: "[This book] combines a highly credible author and current legal activist with an in-depth exploration and education of systemic racism in America. The book discusses the what, who, when, and why of systemic racism in America and spends as much time on the systems such as law, government, and education as it does the racism itself."

Student summary: "Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice by Paul Kivel is a must read for white people who would like to learn about how to combat systemic racism effectively. This is important to the Black Lives Matter movement because it will allow those who are not black to figure out how to effectively work towards racial harmony and the removal of systemic racism in America. The book offers information, skill guides, exercises and much more to aid the self-involvement process."

Using case studies, statistics, and police history, the aspects of police brutality are discussed.

Student summary: "Racial tension is discussed in [this] book as being something that has changed over time. It is something that has always been a key issue. [This is] a book that intertwines key issues behind race, what race is, and what we can do about race. It mentions why race has been so prominent in the 'postracial age'."

Explains how years of desegregation and affirmative action have led to the revelation of four distinct African American groups who reflect unique political views and circumstances, in a report that also illuminates crucial modern debates on race and class.

Student summary: "The book Dismantling the Racism Machine: A Manual and Toolbox is exactly what it sounds like: a book that helps a reader take apart racism. Karen Gaffney goes back to the beginning to describe how systemic racism first came to be, but she then brings it to the present and explains how it is still an issue that needs to be addressed. Not only does she make it clear that systemic racism needs to be talked about to be fixed, but she gives the reader tools and methods to use to be a more successful advocate for civil rights. She uses the term “Racism Machine” to further acknowledge that systemic racism was created long ago when people were lumped into invented categories based on the color of their skin."

Student summary: "Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison? is a combination of research into the prison systems of America, an autobiographical account of the author’s experiences in that system, and the racial intersections of both. While not an all-encompassing piece of literature in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, one would be hard pressed to find a more suitable and applicable book on the subject of minority incarceration."

Presents the history of the United States from the point of view of those who were exploited in the name of American progress.

Student summary: "This book examines and explores the disproportionate violent victimization rates among LGBTQ people of color, all with an intersectional lens. [It examines] homophobic and transphobic violence, all forms from microaggressions to innocent lives lost, and how those rates have drastically increased over the years. This book educates its readers about a very important issue that is often overlooked; violence against Trans Women of Color, is [happening] at an alarming rate. This book adds so much to the entire idea behind Black Lives Matter, because black queer and trans lives matter, equally."

A highly accessible account of the evolution of American racism, its perpetuation, and black people's struggles for equality in the post-civil rights era. Guides students to a better understanding of the experiences of black Americans and their ongoing struggles for justice, by highlighting the interconnectedness of African American history with that of the nation as a whole.

Student summary: "This book presents data about education, environment, entertainment and sports, health, justice, lifestyle and identity, military service, money and jobs, politics, voting, and civic engagement, science and technology, and finally a section broken down by gender. Readers gain knowledge and in the process of reading will confront commonly misheld beliefs and myths. The basis of any good discussion or debate is knowledge and a common understanding of the facts. This book [will help people] understand the state of black life in America and will foster more productive and accurate discourse."