Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Resource List

To Read

LWVMN Study

• An LWV Minnesota state study initiated by Liz Ebbott, LWV White Bear Lake Area, in 1963 remains a major published resource here in Minnesota.

Books

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• Mni Sota Makoce, The Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White

• Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, by Anton Treuer

• From Somalia to Snow, How Central Minnesota Became Home to Somalis by Hudda Ibrahim

• Stamped From the Beginning, The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

• We Are Not Here to be Bystanders by Linda Sarsour

• Hmong in Minnesota by Chia Youyee Vang

• The Underground Railroad: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

• The Nickel Boys: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

• Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

• White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

• The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez 

• Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving

• Black Girl Dangerous, on Race, Queerness, Class, and Gender by Mia McKenzie

• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

• A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota by Sun Yung Shin 

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson 

• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

• Loaded, A Disarming History of the Second Amendment by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• Trans Like Me, Conversations for All of Us by CN Lester

Articles

• "White People Are Really Confident That Things Are Getting Better for Black People" (Washington Post, 2017)

• "Beyond 'He' or 'She': The Changing Meaning of Gender and Sexuality" (Time Magazine, 2017)

• "So You Call Yourself an Ally: 10 Things All ‘Allies’ Need to Know" (Everyday Feminism, 2013)

• "Black and White: The Race Issue" (National Geographic, 2018, 8 articles)

Newsletters

• CAIR Minnesota (Council of American Islamic Relations) – there is a sign-up on the homepage

To Watch

TED Talks

• Mellody Hobson (2014) “Color Blind or Color Brave” (15 minutes)

• Bryan Stevenson (2012) “We Need to Talk About an Injustice” (23 minutes)

• Michelle Alexander (2013) “The Future of Race in America” (24 minutes)

Videos

• Lillian Medville. “Your Privilege Is Showing.” TEDx Beacon Street (13:26). Jan 31, 2018.

• Peggy McIntosh. “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion.” at TEDx Timberlane Schools.YouTube video (18:26). Nov 5, 2012.

• Tricia Rose, Ph.D. “Tricia Rose - Pain, Passion, and Possibility: Learning from Difficult Subjects.” YouTube video. 12:12. July 7, 2014.  

Interviews

• The Color Of Law with Richard Rothstein and Ta-Nehisi Coates (1 hour 20 minutes)

• America Coming to Grips With Its History: Treatment of African Americans in the U.S. (43 minutes)

• Flyover: The Politics of White Resentment (MPR News, 51 minutes)

Documentaries

• "The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross" – PBS (TV series, 6 episodes, 60 minutes each)

• "Mr. Civil Rights – Thurgood Marshall & The NAACP" – PBS (60 minutes)

• "I Am Not Your Negro" (DVD, 94 minutes)

• “Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity” – World Trust (DVD, 75 minutes)

Short Clips

• "Minnesota Ranked 2nd-Worst In U.S. For Racial Equality" by Jeff Wagner (Aug. 22, 2017)

• "Race Conversation for Black, White Families is Worlds Apart" – ABC News (2016, 11 minutes)

Definitions

Ally

Ally is usually used as a noun, but can also be a verb. As a noun, the word can be passive. As a verb, one must act on the statement of alliance. Allies do not provide leadership. They are not at the front of a march or the chair of a meeting. They do provide money and in-kind donations, lobbying and assistance as invited. At the end of the day, allies can go back to their own world of privilege. Communities that are marginalized cannot. (Source: Jamie Utt, in everyday feminism “So You Call Yourself an Ally: 10 Things All ‘Allies’ Need to Know”)

Assumptive World

An organized schema reflecting all that a person assumes to be true about the world and the self on the basis of previous experiences. It refers to the assumptions, or beliefs, that ground, secure, and orient people, that gives them a sense of reality, meaning or purpose. The assumptive world is learned and confirmed by the experience of many years, many generations. It is the world that we are socialized into.

Cultural Competency

Refers the ability to interact effectively with diverse cultures in an equitable and inclusive way.

Intersectionality

Though it was originally applied only to the ways that sexism and racism combine and overlap, intersectionality has come to include other forms of discrimination as well, such as those based on class, sexuality, and ability.

Micro Aggression

Small acts of discrimination that come out of unconscious or direct bias. If they are called out, there is a chance for learning and change. 

Tokenism

Tokenism is defined as actions that are the result of pretending to give advantage to those groups in society who are often treated unfairly, in order to give the appearance of fairness. This is often with good intentions.

Unconscious Bias

Bias is a tendency or inclination that results in judgment without question. It’s an automatic response, and a shortcut to interact with our world. Unconscious bias is mental associations without awareness, intention, or control. These often conflict with our conscious attitudes, behaviors, and intentions. The function of bias is to serve as our internal “danger detector,” and to aid us in making instantaneous decisions in a world that inundates us with information and stimuli. We all have unconscious biases and it is important to recognize what they are in order to begin to overcome them.

White Privilege

White privilege is the preference, intended or not, for white people and institutions. They are seen as the norm with people of color as other. This preference has become institutionalized. When undefined or discussed, it can bring white guilt or white shame. While the term is meant to emphasize a system or world view, it can sometimes be felt as blaming. Nobody chooses the race that they are born with. The deliberate ways that culture shapes “the assumptive world,” or what one thinks is normal, can prevent action or change. Awareness of a diverse world with equity and inclusiveness can lead to action instead.

White Supremacy

This is sometimes seen as a deliberate belief and action for white privilege. Sometimes white privilege and white supremacy are used interchangeably. There are arguments both for and against making this distinction.