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Recommended Readings and Resources

These resources are intended to help advance knowledge and understanding on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice as well as inspire positive and equitable social change. This list is not comprehensive and will continue to grow and change in response to shifts in our society. We hope these resources will encourage reflection and dialogue, and bring us closer to achieving the Heller motto of “knowledge advancing social justice.”

What We're Watching, Reading and Listening To:

Watching:

13th (Netflix)
Asian Americans (PBS, May 2020)
Crip Camp (Netflix)
How Racism Makes Us Sick (TED Talk, November 2016)
I Am Not Your Negro (Kanopy, Netflix)
Microaggressions in the Classroom (Focused.Arts.Media.Education., YouTube, May 2017)
Promoting the Health and Well-being of Children in Immigrant Families in the Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, April 2021)
RACE – THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION: How the Racial Wealth Gap Was Created (California Newsreel)
Stop AAPI Hate: Towards Prevention and Solidarity (Act to Change, YouTube, March 2021)
Teach Us All - Segregation and Education in the United States (Kanopy)
What I Hear When You Say: Model Minority (PBS, March 2017)

Reading:

"The Color of Law" by Richard Rothstein
"How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" by Clint Smith
"Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning" by Cathy Park Hong
"One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race" by Yaba Blay
"Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Kozol
"Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County" by Kristen Green
"The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together" by Heather McGhee
"Toxic Inequality: How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, & Threatens Our Future" by Thomas Shapiro
"Uneasy Peace" by Patrick Sharkey

Listening to: (podcasts)

In the News and Other Resources

Allyship

Hollaback! (Harassment Training Opportunities)
Guide to Allyship (An open source starter guide)
Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
How airlines are making travel easier for autistic passengers (National Geographic, December 2021)
12 Things Disabled People Want Their Nondisabled Friends To Know (HuffPost, March 2021)
A Conversation on Allyship (National Institutes of Health, February 2021)
103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice (Medium, September 2020)
Note to self: White People Taking Part in #BlackLivesMatter Protests (American Friends Service Committee, June 2020)
Inclusive Language Usage Guide (Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, January 2020)
Allyship (& Accomplice): The What, Why, and How (Medium, November 2019)
Working Definition of Allyship: The Handout (Oregon Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence)
Dear anti-racist allies: Here's how to respond to microaggressions (CNN, June 2020)
9 Phrases Allies Can Say When Called Out Instead of Getting Defensive (Everyday Feminism, May 2017)

History

The Cultural is Political: An AAPI Timeline (Highlights narratives of Brandeis's Asian American students from the 1970s to current day)
Queer History at Brandeis
A Different Asian American Timeline
Civil Rights Virtual Guide (Harvard Alumni Travels)
Teaching the Hard History of Slavery Key Concept Videos
Asian Americans Then and Now (AsiaSociety.org)
White Supremacy Culture Documents and History (Showing Up For Racial Justice)
This was the worst slaughter of Native Americans in U.S. history. Few remember it. (Washington Post, September 2021)
Hawai'i is not the multicultural paradise some say it is (National Geographic, May 2021)
A reading list to understand anti-Asian racism in America (Vox, March 2021)
Hispanic History Milestones: Timeline (History.com, September 2020)
158 Resources to Understand Racism In America (Smithsonianmag.com, June 2020)
The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day (Time, May 2020)
The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S. (PBS News Hour, April 2020)
The black liberators who helped defeat the Nazis and free the Dutch get their due (Washington Post, February 11, 2020)
By Bullet or Ballot: One of the Only Successful Coups in American History Literary Hub, January 2020)
Here's Why Discrimination Against Latinos is Nothing New in America (Be Latina, September 2019)
How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans (History.com, September 2019)
The Legacy of the Stonewall Riots (American University, School of International Service News, June 2019)
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War (Video) (PBS, April 2019)
An Ancestry of African-Native Americans (Smithsonian Magazine, February 2010)

Mental Health, Wellbeing and Self-care

Mental Health Resources for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) (Massachusetts General Hospital, June 2020)
55 Mental Health Resources for People of Color (Online MSW Programs, September 2020)
Caring for Yourself to Care for Others: A Burnout and Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (Larissa Pham, June 2020)
The Four Bodies: A Holistic Toolkit for Coping with Racial Trauma (Medium, May 2020)
Four Ways People of Color Can Foster Mental Health and Practice Restorative Healing (Mindful.org, January 2019)
Asian Mental Health Collective
Asian Women for Health
Asians Do Therapy
BIPOC Mental Health Resources (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
Ethel's Club
InnoPsych
Latinx Therapy
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
Native Wellness Institute
Therapy for Latinx

Policing, Criminalization & the Justice System

Policing Is Killing Black Disabled People. Centering Intersectionality Is Critical to Reducing Harm. (Urban Institute, November 2021)
Visualizing the unequal treatment of LGBTQ people in the criminal justice system (Prison Policy Initiative, March 2021)
When A Black Teenager Killed Her Rapist, Kenosha Had No Tolerance For Vigilante Justice (Bustle, September 2020)
American Police (Throughline Podcast, June 2020)
History of Police in the US (Insider, June 2020)
Opportunity Lost: The 1968 Government Report on White Racism That America Chose to Ignore (KQED, June 2020)
Resources on the History of Policing and Today's Calls for Reform (KQED, June 2020)
Economics Research on Racial Disparities in Policing, by Felipe Goncalves and Emily Weisburst, University of California, Los Angeles (June 2020)
Letter from the Seven Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court to Members of the Judiciary and the Bar (Mass.gov, June 2020)
Social Distancing and Incarceration: Policy and Management Strategies to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission and Promote Health Equity Through Decarceration (Health Education and Behavior, May 2020)
Slave Patrols: An Early Form of American Policing (National Law Enforcement Museum, July 2019)
Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls' Childhood (Georgetown Law, 2017)
LGBT individuals more likely to be incarcerated (Reuters, December 2016)

Public Policy & Public Health

How Air Pollution Across America Reflects Racist Policy From the 1930s (New York Times, March 2022)
How Modern Medicine Still Neglects Disabled Mothers (Los Angeles Times, September 2021)
The Five-Year Bar harms Hispanic children – it's time to eliminate this restrictive rule (diversitydatakids.org, September 2021)
An increase in SNAP benefits will reduce food insecurity, but Hispanic children are left behind (diversitydatakids.org, August 2021)
As Warming Fuels Disasters, Relief Often Favors White People (New York Times, June 2021)
The Link Between Health and Racism (TED Playlist)
Racial Trauma (Mental Health America)
Psychiatry Confronts Its Racist Past, and Tries to Make Amends (New York Times, April 2021)
People of Color Breathe More Hazardous Air. The Sources Are Everywhere. (New York Times, April 2021)
How People of Color Can Experience Grief Differently Than White People (Huffpost, April 2021)
To reduce child poverty equitably, we must include children in immigrant families (diversitydatakids.org, March 2021)
I'm 'afraid to leave my house': Asian women are living in fear (USA Today, March 2021)
Redlined US homes face higher flood risks from climate change, new study finds (CNN Business, March 2021)
Structural racism is taking a toll on children’s mental health (CNN, November 2020)
How Native American Team Names Distort Your Psychology (Politico, July 2020)
Racism is a Public Health Crisis (Harvard School of Public Health, June 2020)
Disparities in Access to Health Care During a Pandemic (Econofact, May 2020)
The Color of Coronavirus: COVID-19 Deaths by Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. (APM Research Lab, May 2020)
Reopening America: How to Save Lives and Livelihoods (Brookings, May 2020)
Why Aren’t White Mothers Being Blamed for the Opioid Crisis Like Black Mothers During the Crack Epidemic? (Patheos.com, December 2019)

Link Between Racial Discrimination and Cardiovascular Health (Tufts Now, June 2019)
The Spread of Hate and Racism: Confronting a Growing Public Crisis (Video) (PRI’s The World & WGBH, February 2019)

Representation Matters

Playlist: Race & Ethnicity in the Media (The Critical Media Project)
The Equity Talk: Muslim women say their voices aren't heard in the workplace (Business Insider, April 2022)
DEI Expert Lee Bitsóí Explains Why ‘Chief’ Should Be Eliminated from Diversity Titles (Insight Into Diversity, April 2022)
Native Hawaiian Hula Teacher Among Five Women Who Will Appear on Quarters (New York Times, April 2022)
LGBTQ+ Representation in the Workforce (Investopedia, September 2021)
To succeed as a Latinx creator in Hollywood, it helps to be white-passing (Insider, September 2021)
Asian Americans Are Finally Getting the Heroes We Deserve (New York Times, September 2021)
Five Pioneering Black Ballerinas: 'We Have to Have a Voice' (New York Times, June 2021)
How Hollywood Is Complicit in the Violence Against Asians in America (Variety, March 2021)
10 Historical Black Stories Hollywood Can Tell That Aren't About Slavery (Screen Rant, January 2021)
Hollywood needs 'more representation in decision-making,' Anita Hill says (USA Today, December 2020)
How Business Schools Can Help Corporate America Fight Racism (Harvard Business Review, November 2020)
Why Representation Matters in Research (Critical Value an Urban Institute Podcast, November 2020)
People Like Us: Why Representation Matters In The Workplace And Beyond (Medium, November 2020)
This Is Exactly Why Representation Matters (Byrdie, August 2020)
There Is a Staggering Lack of POC in Wellness—Here’s How We Can Change That (The Everygirl, July 2020)
Wellness isn't always welcoming. Meet the women bringing change to the industry (Today, July 2020)
Here's how national parks are working to fight racism (National Geographic, June 2020)
Representation Matters in Social Work: We Need More Black Therapists (N.A.H., June 2020)
Minorities In Healthcare: Adjusting with the Times and Paving the Path for Healthcare Diversity (PRC, January 2020)
Greta thunberg isn't the only young climate activist you need to know (ID Vice, September 2019)
Outdoors for all: How national parks are addressing accessibility challenges (Roadtrippers, April 2019)
Fact Sheet: The Need for Diversity in the Health Care Workforce (Health Professionals for Diversity Coalition)

Systemic/Structural Racism & Discrimination

Reproductive Justice for Disabled Women: Ending Systemic Discrimination (Center for American Progress, April 2022)
Racial covenants, a relic of the past, are still on the books across the country (NPR, November 2021)
What is ableism, and what is its impact? (MedicalNewsToday, November 2021)
The Privilege of Mediocrity (New York Times, September 2021)
The often ignored discrimination many Latinos face at work (LinkedIn, September 2021)
The history of tensions — and solidarity — between Black and Asian American communities, explained (Vox, March 2021)
How diversity can blind us to society's underlying racism (BrandeisNOW, December 2020)
Women are advancing in the workplace, but women of color still lag behind (Brookings Institute, October 2020)
Talking About Race: Whiteness (Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, July 2020)
Biased Algorithms Are Easier to Fix Than Biased People (New York Times, December 6, 2019)
Children of African descent in Latin America (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, November 2019)
I Wanted to Know What White Men Thought About Their Privilege. So I Asked. (New York Times Magazine, July 2019)
The Nonprofit Sectors' Problems with Race (Nonprofit Quarterly, July 2019)
(More) Bias in Science Hiring (Inside Higher Ed, June 2019)
The Bias of ‘Professionalism’ Standards (Stanford Social Innovation Review, June 2019)
White liberals dumb themselves down when they speak to black people, a new study contends (Washington Post, November 2018)
When it comes to race and justice, ‘colour-blindness’ is not good enough (The Conversation, November 2018)
The Groundwater Approach: Building a Practical Understanding of Structural Racism (Racial Equity Institute, 2018)

Teaching & Learning

Multicultural Teaching and Learning: Inclusion and Belonging In and Outside the Classroom (Brandeis University Library Research Guide)
21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge © Educator Edition (America & Moore)
Syllabus: 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge (American Bar Association)
Being Antiracist Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Five Shifts of Consciousness for Multicultural Educators
4 Simple Ways to Help Your Most Disconnected Students (The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2021)
Why Critical Race Theory (CRT) is Controversial (Age of Awareness, May 2021)
After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History (Learning for Justice, March 2021)
Higher Education Should Lead the Efforts to Reverse Structural Racism (The Atlantic, October 2020)
Research: Discrimination Impacts Educational Outcomes for Latinos (Salud America!, September 2020)
EJI Documentary True Justice Wins Emmy Award (Equal Justice Initiative, September 2020)
Classroom Discussions on Race: Hear What 5 Black Students Say They Need (Education Week, July 2020)
27 Mistakes White Teachers of Black Students Make and How to Fix Them (Education Post, January 2020)
A Crooked Seat at the Table: Black and Alone in an Honors Class (Teaching Tolerance, October 2019)
What Faculty Members Think (Inside HigherEd, March 2019)
Race and Gender Bias in Online Courses: Study finds instructors are much more likely to respond to comments from white male students than from others. (Inside Higher Ed, March 2018)
Does Confident Pluralism Mean Protecting Racist Views? (Conversations on Diversity, February 2018)
10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools (Everyday Feminism, August 2015)

Voices/Perspectives

A Conversation on Race: A series of short films about identity in America (New York Times)
Immigrant Stories (University of Minnesota)
I'm Black But Look White: Here Are The Horrible Things White People Feel Safe Telling Me (HuffPost, December 2021)
I Grew Up Latinx & Disabled - & I'm Creating the Change I Want to See (Refinery29, September 2021)
Diversity's Fault Lines: Sociologist Sarah Mayorga examines the coded ways white people engage with their Black and Latinx neighbors (Brandeis Magazine, September 2021)
Tribes Want Medals Awarded for Wounded Knee Massacre Rescinded (New York Times, April 2021)
I Wish People Supported the Asian Community the Way They Do Our Wellness Practices (Well + Good, March 2021)
Atlanta spa shooting suspect's 'bad day' defense, and America's sexualized racism problem (NBCNews THINK, March 2021)
If You're Surprised by the Anti-Asian Violence in Atlanta, You Haven't Been Listening. It's Time to Hear Our Voices (TIME, March 2021)
To be an Asian woman in America (CNN, March 2021)
I’m a Black woman writing about money and race. Here’s what I see. (Washington Post, December 2020)
I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet, by marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (Washington Post, June 2020)
As police violence comes under more scrutiny, Black parents say they're still giving their kids 'The Talk' about dealing with cops (Insider, June 2020)
I Am So Tired, by Robert M. Sellers, Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (May 2020)
The Time for Concrete Action is Now, by Laurie Nsiah- Jefferson '80, PhD '06, Director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (UMass Boston, May 2020)
Racism, not a lack of assimilation, is the real problem facing Latinos in America (NBC News, February 2019)
Executive Functioning Problems: A Frustrating Aspect of Being Autistic (Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, October 2017)
Walking While Black (Literary Hub, July 2016)

Organizations