Antiracism

25 Reads, Podcasts & Learning Resources That Teach Us About Antiracism

We're learning and listening, now and always.

by:
June  6, 2020
Photo by Kristen Barnhart (kristenbarnhart.com)

Black Lives Matter. We at Food52 are devastated by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Dreasjon Reed, and so many others. We stand in solidarity with the Black community, and hope that this coverage will serve as a helpful and important resource to further antiracism work in our community.


“I have this pet theory about book recommendations,” author and professor Lauren Michele Jackson writes in a recent piece for Vulture, “What Is an Anti-Racist Reading List For?"

“They feel good to solicit, good to mete out, but someone at some point has to get down to the business of reading.”

In the past few days, the country has focused its collective grief and anger over the death of George Floyd—and countless injustices and acts of violence toward the Black community—into action, from protesting and donating to amplifying Black voices and supporting Black-owned businesses. As part of our commitment to making systemic change here at Food52, we recognize that we must also be learning and listening as a community, now and always.

Join The Conversation

Top Comment:
“I believe our black and brown community deserves better. In my excitement from the article I clicked on links only to find that some of the websites had not even been fully developed they still had ”Lorem ipsum”. I love what you’re trying to do, please do it well.”
— Sheri
Comment

These book lists, articles, podcasts, and more are just the beginning of the work that we’re doing to be better allies, and it is by no means exhaustive. There is an abundance of writing from Black voices, across genres and mediums, beyond the topics of race and antiracism—and we urge you to seek them out, too. “But,” Jackson reminds us, “it is unfair to beg other literature and other authors, many of them dead, to do this sort of work for someone."

If there are other resources you’ve read, listened to, or watched that you’d like to see included here, please add them to the comments below, and our editors will make updates accordingly.

Reading Lists & Articles

  • An Antiracist Reading List: A collection of essential reads from author, historian, and scholar, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. “Think of it as a stepladder to antiracism,” he writes in the introduction, “each step addressing a different stage of the journey toward destroying racism’s insidious hold on all of us.” More recently, The New York Times also published an antiracism reading list for children (broken down by age) as a resource for parents.
  • How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change: Here, President Barack Obama shares “some basic lessons to draw from past efforts that are worth remembering” in order to bring about effective, lasting change. He writes: “We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform.”
  • How to Make Sure You’re Donating Effectively: These useful tips and resources from The Cut help make sure the dollars you donate are going to the right places. Here’s a list of organizations to support, but per The Cut’s article, check to make sure they are still accepting donations (if not, they may be directing funds to smaller organizations).
  • 9 Movies and Shows That Explain How America’s Justice System Got This Way: “If you are looking to better understand the history that led to what you see on the news today,” writes Vox film critic, Alissa Wilkinson, start by watching these films and television shows. “Through fiction and nonfiction, they help show how complex the interlocking problems are and point toward where true change might begin.”

Podcasts

  • 1619: 1619 is the year that enslaved Africans first arrived in what would become the United States over 150 years later. This New York Times series, hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and creator of the 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones, studies how slavery transformed America.
  • In Black America: “A long-running, nationally syndicated program dedicated to all facets of the African American experience,” produced at Austin’s NPR station, KUT. Another NPR podcast to check out: Code Switch, which explores how race “impacts every part of society—from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between.”
  • A Hungry Society: Produced and hosted by Korsha Wilson, this podcast—with 76 episodes and counting—seeks “to foster more diverse and inclusive conversations about the culinary world.”
  • Intersectionality Matters!: Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate, each episode explores a different topic through an intersectional lens, ranging from #MeToo and #SayHerName to the preexisting equalities that shape the impact of COVID-19.
  • America Did What?!: This one is brand new—out July 4 on Patreon. But before it comes out, the creators of the podcast, Blair Imani and Kate Robards, will first offer a 10-week hands-on course to shepherd you through your antiracism work; this will be released on June 18. It is, no doubt, one of many podcasts, websites, and social media platforms that we’ll be seeing emerge from our collective anger directed at structural injustice.
  • The Nod: If there was ever a joyful way to dissect the complicated, rich beauty of Black lives, this would be it. “Blackness’ biggest fans,” Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, have been missed ever since they ran the podcast’s final episode back in January—but they did come back for one more this week to “process their feelings and memorialize the lives lost.”
  • Good Ancestor Podcast: A series of interviews with change agents on what it means to be a “good ancestor,” hosted by Layla F. Saad, a globally respected writer on the topics of race and identity. Saad also just put together this antiracist reading list for The Guardian, to last you beyond the news cycle.
  • Still Processing: Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris, two Black culture writers for The New York Times, devour TV, movies, art, music, and the internet to find the things that move them. Smart, insightful, and a lot of fun, we can’t wait for its next season.

Other Educational Resources

  • Black Lives Matter: Ways You Can Help: Compiled by 17-year-old Nico, this set of resources aims to make it easier for you to do your part. Find petitions to sign, organizations to donate to, and maps of protests. Notably, there are also resources included on here for other critical protest movements around the world—Palestine, Hong Kong, and more.
  • The Great Unlearn: Activist, writer, and public academic, Rachel Cargle, provides syllabi and supporting resources geared towards helping us unlearn what we know about race; her work supports our critical discourse on “our collective pursuit of knowledge and justice in our world.”
  • Systemic Racism Explained: An animated explainer, via act.tv, that approaches the issue of systemic racism from every angle (think: predatory loans, incarceration rates) and every area of life it affects.
  • The Movement for Black Lives: The Movement For Black Lives seeks to mobilize a week of action in defense of Black lives from June 1st to 7th. Each day for the week of action represents one demand, with ideas for how to take action in the community and resources to learn how.
  • Antiracism Resources for White People: A list of resources for people interested in “getting more intentional about deepening anti-racism work,” plus ideas for how to use available platforms to highlight Black artists, entrepreneurs, and change agents.
  • Racial Equity Tools: All the tools, research, tips, and curricula for people who want to educate themselves and to help those working toward racial justice—in systems, organizations, communities, and our culture at large.
  • 5 Ways to Set Healthy Boundaries Around News and Social Media: Camesha L. Jones, a therapist and founder of Sista Afya, a Chicago-based community wellness initiative, lays out her strategies for confronting the inundation of negative news—from COVID-19 to racial violence—and how to step away. Her advice: “Consume the minimum amount of news you need to feel informed, then follow it up immediately with something that gives you hope.”

Listen Now

On Black & Highly Flavored, co-hosts Derek Kirk and Tamara Celeste shine a light on the need-to-know movers and shakers of our food & beverage industry.

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21 Comments

Ramona B. June 19, 2020
Powerful podcast series on seeing white in America. How racism came to be.
https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/
 
Stephanie D. June 11, 2020
Thank you so much for starting the conversation here. For those who are politically inclined I'd also suggest the Democracy in Color podcast. It helps make sense of race dynamics in politics and policy.
https://democracyincolor.com/
 
Bevi June 9, 2020
I recommend that all follow Samin Nosrat on instagram, ciaosamin. She has complied extensive resources and is devoting what seems like all of her efforts to educating homecooks and people who are not BIPOC about resources, organizations to donate to, black chefs and cooks to follow, and black owned businesses around the USA to support. Samin has done an amazing job and is to be commended.
 
Lew R. June 8, 2020
I highly recommend a book titled "Waking Up White" by Debby Irving. Elephant Room Press. ISBN 978-0-9913313-0-7
Marilew Rudisill (76 yr.old white Southern female)
 
karen L. June 8, 2020
Since your company is working with solving political and social issues I highly recommend you also educate yourselves and listen to a brilliant man , Shelby Steele with the Hoover institute .
 
Laura W. June 7, 2020
I have been a Food52 follower since the beginning and I remember a few years ago when a similar dust up happened after Amanda and Merrill published a letter saying that inclusivity, diversity and social/political topics were much needed and they were committed to that mission...and there were just as many "clutch the pearls" outraged voices threatening to unfollow and demanding to know why a "recipe site" had to ruin everything by being political...I would hazard a guess a few of those folks soon returned quietly with their tails between their legs...food is political because it is...and if you don't want it to be for you, then yes sure, unfollow and go somewhere else...I, for one, LOVE Food52 and have come across many ideas and thoughts about food and politics that I was unaware of...and I am thankful...I will NOT be unfollowing...I strongly support your continued mission to push the conversation forward...and sorry but when I see the words "sheeple" and "George Soros funded", all credibility is lost...
 
Erik W. June 7, 2020
Thank you for today's home page. We all need to help with these necessary changes. As a first generation (Dutch) American (age 75) I have seen many changes yet there are more to come, and they are welcome as well as necessary.
BLACK LIVES MATTER!

Erik
 
Sheri June 7, 2020
I’m always thrilled to be invited to new places and ways to enjoy food. Food is an art and experience and when managed well you can learn about people around the world global. Please be careful to not exploit the opportunity to grow your company. I believe our black and brown community deserves better. In my excitement from the article I clicked on links only to find that some of the websites had not even been fully developed they still had ”Lorem ipsum”. I love what you’re trying to do, please do it well.
 
Brinda A. June 7, 2020
Hi Sheri, thanks for reading! Wondering if you’d be able to tell me which links you mean? Are you referring to the content in this piece or ads you are seeing embedded within the webpage? I just checked through the contents of this article again and couldn’t find any instances of what you’ve mentioned—but please let me know what you’re seeing, would love to rectify any errors as soon as possible.
 
tnypow June 7, 2020
OK, let me put it another way. The email was "jarring"...not for the content, but the fact that POC chefs have "maybe" mentioned less than a handful of times on this site...and I've been here since the launch. So it feels like jumping on the bandwagon while the moment is "hot."

Opportunistic comes to mind...not in a good way.
 
Sheri June 7, 2020
Thank you for your quick reply. My comment is stemmed from a personal commitment I have made to take micro decisions every day towards positive change. The downside of commenting publicly is we lose the ability to have a healthy one on one conversation. Please reach out to me personally if you’d like to connect. Here is the link I followed. I realize now the link was connected to your article but is a link to a Food52 article written on June 3. Some of the businesses listed need some more development. I will continue to read and grow. We all are learning new ways for positive change. Thank you for trying to do your part. https://food52.com/blog/25342-black-owned-businesses-matter?utm_campaign=20200607_eds_readinglists_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=20536417
 
joelle June 7, 2020
Thank you for stepping up and publishing this. I really appreciate it.
 
JacquelineW June 7, 2020
So love this blog and so grateful that you're doing so much to be allies during this time. Thank you!
 
Karen June 7, 2020
I’m a white woman, a therapist, almost 77 and I am looking for ways to deepen my own understanding of my personal rascism as well as for ways to be more active In this energy toward antirascism and I find all these resources on Food 52. And there are other entities and corporations which seem to be addressing these issues, to standing up for change. These sources listed by Food 52 are welcome to me. I appreciate your involvement.
 
Chana O. June 7, 2020
Agree. Cooking is all about community, nurture and love. I’m a 74 year old southern white woman who gave more than a dozen copies of The New Jim Crow to family and friends last year.
Reading is educating ourselves but then we must act.
 
Cheeta T. June 7, 2020
Here is a great children's book-
When History Was Black II:The Making of the United States of America by Cherrel Turner-Callwood.
It is a great book to help children or anyone else explore how we got to this point. Available at: [email protected] or on Amazon. Check it out!
 
Latoya June 6, 2020
Could you stop already with the virtue signaling and just publish cooking content? Sheesh!
 
Brinda A. June 6, 2020
Hi—our food content owes a lot to the contributions of the Black community, and our goal is to inspire a practice of antiracism in everybody who approaches our cooking content. Thanks so much for reading and take care.
 
Tanya June 7, 2020
Latoya's comment makes this particular link in particular all the more worth sharing. Which is... you know... is not actually virtue signaling-- just very called-for civic engagement.
https://civileats.com/2017/06/27/why-we-cant-talk-about-race-in-food/

Most importantly, white people must take action to divest from white supremacy and dismantle systemic racism on a very large scale, in every direction. Thank you Food52 for holding us accountable.
 
Laurie G. June 7, 2020
Tanya’s link is worth reading for everyone, but especially those of us who enjoy information shared in the context of food.
Thank you, food52, for sharing these resources. From where I’m sitting, we need virtue signaling until virtue becomes second nature.