At Illustoria, we believe it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and our children about racism and how to dismantle systems of oppression. Breaking down these walls begins with ourselves and our families. To that end, we’ve put together a reading list with books about race, white privilege, police brutality, white supremacy, black joy, and activism. This list can be enjoyed by readers from all walks of life, from grownups and children to tweens and teens. We’ve also included books for educators to assist their role in the classroom.

This list was made with great help from the San Francisco Public Librarians, and Mark Gozonsky, writer and English teacher at Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

We’ve created this reading list as part of our week long campaign, #illustoriaweekofaction, in solidarity with communities around the globe seeking justice for black lives cut short by atrocious acts of hate. Illustoria is committed to fighting racism and listening to the unheard. We hope you will join us in remembering the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade and all of the black lives we’ve lost. Thank you.

1. For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin
2. Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit
3. We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina L. Love
4. Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom by Jamila Lyiscott
5. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World by Django Paris
6. The Trouble With Black Boys: ...And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education by Pedro A. Noguera
7. Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris

1. We Gon' Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation Book by Jeff Chang
2. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
3. Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
4. Outlaw Culture by bell hooks
5. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
6. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo7. When They Call You A Terrorist by Asha Bandele and Patrisse Cullors

1. Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
2. Hands Up! by McDaniel, Breanna J.
3. Can I Touch your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Charles Waters and Irene Latham
4. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
5. The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
6. Something Happened in Our Town A Child's Story About Racial Injustice by Celano, Marianne

1. This Book Is Anti-racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell
2. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
3. For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington
4. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson (Editor), Cheryl Willis Hudson (Editor)
5. Genesis Begins With Action by Alicia D. Williams
6. Blended by Sharon M. Draper

1. How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon
2. Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to Use It by Jamie Margolin
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
4. We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
5. The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic by by Jamila Woods (Editor), Mahogany L. Browne (Editor), Idrissa Simmonds (Editor)
6. Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi