Black Lives Matter: Movies, TV shows and books on systemic racism

George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis last month has sparked protests against racial injustices in the United States and around the world. Protesters have taken to the streets – and social media – to outrage longstanding issues such as police brutality, systemic racism and oppression.

People also share resources to help others better understand the problems at hand and to learn how they can be better allies for black Americans. Dozens of books, novels, films and TV series deal with the discrimination that people with colored faces have spread online. Some have been recommended by libraries such as the Chicago Public Library and the Oakland Public Library. A Twitter thread with anti-racist children’s books shared by teacher Brittany Smith went viral. A Google document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein also includes some recommendations for viewing and reading.

Here are some recommendations from these lists obtained from CNET employees.

Jump to the recommendations:

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Non-fiction

The New Jim Crow: Mass Imprisonment in the Age of Color Blindness by Michelle Alexander: This book questions the idea that President Barack Obama’s election welcomed a new era of color blindness.

I’m not a woman: black women and feminism by bell hooks: This work examines topics such as the effects of sexism on black women during slavery and racism among feminists.

Between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Framed as a letter to his son, Coates explores the question of how to live freely in a black body in a country based on the idea of ​​race, a lie that the bodies of black women and men hurts the most.

Malcolm X’s autobiography. by Malcolm X: In this classic text, the Muslim leader Malcolm X tells his life story and talks about the growth of the black Muslim movement.

White fragility: why it is so difficult for whites to talk about racism by Robin DiAngelo: This book examines how white people protect racial inequality when they respond in a certain way to their assumptions that races are questioned.

Sister outsider by Audre Lorde: The black lesbian poet and feminist writer Lorde shares a collection of essays and speeches dealing with sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia and class.

Freedom is a constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the basics of a movement by Angela Y. Davis: The activist and scholar shows the connection between several movements that fight against oppression and state violence.

I know why the cage bird sings by Maya Angelou: The author’s first memoirs deal with topics such as loneliness, bigotry and love.

Slavery under a different name: The re-enslavement of black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon: This text examines the time after the emancipation declaration, in which convicts were brought back into involuntary bondage.

Shaped from the start: The final history of racist ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi: The historian reports on how racist ideas shaped US history and offers tools to uncover them.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic History of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson: This book tells the story of the migration of black Americans who have left the South to live a better life.

The price of their pound of meat: the value of the enslaved from the womb to the grave in building a nation by Daina Ramey Berry: This text examines how slaves were in early America in every phase of life.

White anger: The unspoken truth of our racial segregation by Carol Anderson: The historian addresses the forces that oppose black progress in America throughout history.

How to be an anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi: The founding director of the Anti-Racist Research and Policy Center uses history, science, class, gender and his own journey to investigate racism and what needs to be done to combat it in all forms.

Lock Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman Jr .: The author examines the war on crime from the 1970s and why it was supported by several African-American leaders in urban areas.

Eloquent rage: A black feminist discovers her superpower by Brittney Cooper: In a world where black women’s anger is portrayed as negative and threatening, Cooper states that anger can be a source of strength to keep fighting.

Difficult: an American memory von Kiese Laymon: This paper examines the effects of lies, secrets and deceptions on a black body, a family and a nation.

Me and the white supremacy: fight racism, change the world and become a good ancestor by Layla F. Saad: This book challenges readers to address their own prejudices and helps white people tackle their privileges so that they can also subconsciously stop harming colored people.

The possessive investment in white: How white people benefit from identity politics by George Lipsitz: This text examines the predominance of whites and examines how the concept of “whites” was used to define, beat, and control the racialized “other.”

Killing the black body: race, reproduction and the importance of freedom by Dorothy Roberts: This book shows how America systematically abuses the bodies of black women.

Post-traumatic slave syndrome: America’s legacy of permanent injuries and healing from Dr. Joy DeGruy: This book examines the effects of repeated traumas that have occurred over generations on African Americans today.

The souls of the black people by W.E.B. Du Bois: In this influential collection of essays, Du Bois, who played a crucial role in shaping the black protest strategy of the early 20th century, argues that begging for rights that belong to everyone is under the dignity of a person and that Supremacy of whites fairly will only maintain black oppression.

So you want to talk about races by Ijeoma Oluo: The author offers everyone a blueprint on how to discuss breeds honestly and productively and divides ways to bring about change.

Fiction books

The subway by Colson Whitehead: This novel follows the desperate journey of a young slave towards freedom.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead: Two boys are sentenced to reform school in Florida during the Jim Crow era.

pass by Nella Larsen: This novel examines the fluidity of racial identity using the story of a fair-skinned woman married to a racist white man who knows nothing about her African American heritage.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: The book tells the story of two half-sisters, who were born in different villages in Ghana in the 18th century, and their descendants, one sister later living comfortably and the other being sold into slavery.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A young couple leaves Nigeria heading west, each taking a different path: they face what it means to be black in the US while living in the UK without papers. They meet again in Nigeria 15 years later.

Her eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: The classic from 1937 follows the journey of an independent black woman, Janie Mae Crawford, in her search for identity.

Roots: The saga of an American family by Alex Haley: This novel is based on Haley’s family history and tells the story of Kunta Kinte, who is sold into slavery in the USA.

About beauty by Zadie Smith: This novel tells the story of an intercultural family affected by cultural wars.

Invisible man by Ralph Ellison: A nameless narrator describes how he grew up in the south, attended and was excluded from a Negro college, moved to New York and finally went into the basement of the invisible man in the midst of violence and confusion, whom he considered himself looks at yourself.

Sale by Paul Beatty: This satire follows a man trying to restore slavery and separate local high school, resulting in a Supreme Court case.

TV shows and films

13. (Netflix): Filmmaker Ava DuVernay examines racial inequality in the United States with a focus on prisons.

When You See Us (Netflix): Ava DuVernay’s exciting mini-series is based on the real story of the falsely accused teenagers known as Central Park Five.

Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement (BET): This documentary examines the evolution of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dear Whites (Netflix): Based on a film of the same name, this series shows the prejudices and injustices that a group of color students at Winchester University, a predominantly white Ivy League College, faces.

American son (Netflix): An estranged couple meets at a Florida police station to try to find his teenage son.

If Beale Street could speak (Hulu): Based on James Baldwin’s novel, this Barry Jenkins film is all about the love between an African-American couple whose lives are torn apart if the man is wrongly accused of crime.

Blindspotting (Hulu with Cinemax): Collin has three more days to go on probation, and his relationship with his best friend is tested after he sees a police officer shoot a suspect during a car chase.

The last black man in San Francisco (available for rent): A young black man dreams of regaining his parents’ home in a now gentrified neighborhood in San Francisco.

Fruitvale Station (rentable): The biographical film written and directed by Ryan Coogler tells the story of Oscar Grant III, who was killed in 2009 by a white policeman.

Selma (available for rent): Directed by Ava Duvernay, the historical drama follows the civil rights protesters in 1965 as they marched from Selma to Montgomery.

The Hate U Give (Hulu with Cinemax) – Based on Angie Thomas’ novel for young adults: The story follows Starr Carter’s struggle to strike a balance between the poor, mostly black neighborhood she lives in and the wealthy, mostly white school that she visits. Things get more complicated after seeing a cop kill her childhood best friend.

16 shots (Showtime): This documentary examines the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in Chicago in 2014.

Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (Paramount): This six-episode series follows the life and legacy of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot in 2012 in Sanford, Florida.

America to Me (Starz): The documentary series offers an insight into one year in Chicago’s Oak Park and River Forest High School, one of the most powerful and diverse public schools in the country.

Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (HBO): The comic and writer Wyatt Cenac examines the excessive use of police force in black communities and discusses solutions with experts in this late-night talk / comedy series. The show is currently free to watch on YouTube.

Do the Right Thing (For Rent): Salvatore “Sal” Fragione, an Italian pizzeria owner in Brooklyn, and neighborhood buggin ‘out butt heads after buggin’ out is upset that the restaurant’s wall of fame features only Italian actors . Tensions increase as the wall becomes a symbol of racism and hatred of others in the neighborhood.

BlacKkKlansman (HBO Max): Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective to work in the Colorado Springs Police Department, sets out to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.

The Wire (HBO): This show examines Baltimore’s drug addiction scene from the perspective of law enforcement agencies, drug traffickers and drug users.

(Disclosure: CNET is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS, which also owns Paramount and Showtime.)

Children’s book

It’s okay to be different by Todd Parr: This book shares the importance of acceptance, understanding and trust.

Malcolm Little: The boy who grew up to become Malcolm X. by Ilyasah Shabazz: This book was written by Malcolm X’s daughter and tells the story of the boy who became one of the most influential leaders.

Let’s talk about races by Julius Lester: Lester tells his story and discusses what makes us all special.

The undefeated by Kwame Alexander: The award-winning picture book, which is based on a poem by Alexander and contains illustrations by Kadir Nelson, records the struggles and successes of the black Americans.

Let it Shine: stories of freedom fighters of black women by Andrea Davis Pinkney: This book tells the stories of brave black women who fought oppression, including Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.

The history of the ruby ​​bridges by Robert Coles: This tells the story of the first African American child to have integrated a school in New Orleans.

Something happened in our city: a children’s story about racial injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins and Ann Hazzard: The story is about a white and a black family discussing the police shooting of a black man in their city. It is designed to answer children’s questions about such events and inspire them to challenge racial injustice.

My hair is a garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera: When a girl named Mackenzie is mocked by classmates over her hair, a neighbor shows her the real beauty of natural black hair.

Separate is never the same: Sylvia Mendez and her family’s struggle for desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh: Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education was denied entry to an “only white” school for an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, which prompted her parents to organize the Hispanic community and file a lawsuit. This ultimately ended the separate education in California.

Mixed by Sharon Draper: This story about the mixed family of 11 year old Isabella deals with topics like divorce and racial identity.

Young Water Protectors: A story about standing rock by Aslan Tudor, Kelly Tudor and Jason EagleSpeaker: A few months after 8-year-old Aslan came to North Dakota to try to stop a pipeline, he returned and found that the world was now watching.

My family shared: a girl’s journey from home, loss and hope by Diane Guerrero and Erica Moroz: The actress Diane Guerrero tells the story of her undocumented parents who were taken away from home, locked up and deported as a child in Boston.

The other side by Jacqueline Woodson: Two girls make friends on a fence that separates the separated African American side of the city from the white side. The book is published by E.B. Lewis.

We are grateful: Otsali League by Traci Sorell: A citizen of the Cherokee Nation tells the story of modern Native American life.

Schomburg: The man who built a library by Carole Boston Weatherford: This book tells the story of Arturo Schomburg, who loved collecting books, letters, music and art from Africa and the African diaspora and highlighting the achievements of people of African origin. His collection finally reached the New York Public Library and is now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi: When Lailah is enrolled in a new school in a new country, she is afraid that her classmates will not understand why she does not go to the dining room with them during Ramadan.

The day you start by Jacqueline Woodson: The book with art by Rafael López is about being brave and connecting with others, even when you feel alone and scared.

Bud, not buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis: This classic tells the story of a boy’s journey to find his father.

IntersectionAllies: We create space for everyone by Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council and Carolyn Choi: Nine characters share their stories and backgrounds in this book celebrating allies and community.

Black lives count. visit blacklivesmatters.carrd.co to learn how to donate, sign petitions and safely protest.

CNET’s Anne Dujmovic contributed to this report.