In Honor of John Lewis

In honor of John Lewis’s Legacy (a civil rights icon, activist, politician, Freedom Rider, and American leader), we wanted to share some ways you can follow in his foot steps (and it’s pretty darn simple); be active, be a voice, and vote. There are plenty of ways as allies you can help, and one of the most important ways is to educate yourself and take the time to have these conversations. It is actually astounding how much we weren’t taught in schools, so here are some guides for you a long the way:

Documentaries to watch:

• John Lewis: Get in the Way

• Freedom Riders

• 13th

• Jewel’s Catch One

• LA 92’

Books on history and a good starting point:

• Across that Bridge by John Lewis

• Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde

• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

• Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis

• Stamped From The Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi

• A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

• White Rage by Carol Anderson

• So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

• Becoming by Michelle Obama

• Tears We cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson

Books on Anti-Racism :

• The Burning House: Jim Crow and the Making of Modern America by Anders Walker

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

• The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America by Khalil Gibran Muhammad

• How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

• Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond by Marc Lamont Hill

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum

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

• Blackballed: The Black Vote and U.S. Democracy by Darrel Pinckney

Fiction & Graphic Novels to read :

• March ( a trilogy ) by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, illustrator Nate Powell

• Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

• Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

• The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

• The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale

If you are a Feminist, these topics matter to you too :

• Beloved by Toni Morrison

• How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

• Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment by Patricia Hill Collins

• Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism by Bell Hooks

• Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

• In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose by Alice Walker

• Women Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis

• Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur

LGBTQ+ books to read:

• Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

• Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers

• No Tea, No Shade: New Writings in Black Queer Studies edited by E. Patrick Johnson

• Since I Laid My Burden Down by Brontez Purnell

• The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin

• No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black & Free in America by Darnell L. Moore

• The Summer We Got Free by Mia McKenzie

Book Lists to Follow: by Divya from Gotham Taxidermy on bookshop.org

References/Resources used:
Link to the anti-racist resource guide that Victoria Alexander created
Instagram & newspaper @goodgoodgoodco
Women Love Tech
Graphic Novels for Black, Brown, Queer Girls
Willa’s Books and Vinyl, 1734 E 63rd St, Kansas City, MO 64110

Black Lives Matter

We have compiled a list of resources and other ways how you can help - if there are things we are missing, let us know and we will add it to the list!:

Resources for Mental Health:

• Loveland Foundation - thelovelandfoundation.org - therapy fund and efforts to bring opportunity and healing to communities of color, especially for black girls and women

Black-led LGBTQ+ Organizations:

• House of GG - houseofgg.org - creating safe space for community to heal, focusing on trans women of color in the South

• TransJustice Funding Project - transjusticefundingproject.org - grassroots trans justice group run by and for trans people

• The Okra Project - theokraproject.com - collective that seeks global crisis faced by black trans people by bringing home cooked meals and resources to the community

• Youth Breakout - youthbreakout.org - works to end criminalization of LGBTQ youth in New Orleans to build safer and more just community.

• SNaPCo - snap4freedom.org - builds power of black trans and queer people to force systemic divestment from prison industrial complex and invest in community support.

• Black AIDS Institute - blackaids.org - working to end the Black HIV epidemic

• Trans Cultural District - transgenderdistrictsf.com - first ever legally recognized trans district which aims to stabilize and economically empower trans community

• LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund - lgbtqfund.org - posts bail for LGBTQ people held in jail or immigrant detention, raises awareness of LGBTQ over incarceration.

People of Color in Tarot and Oracle Cards:

• The Black Gold Lenormand Deck Kickstarter by Tea- celebrating the enduring legacy of Black Americans and innate connection to spirit.

• The Hoodoo Tarot by Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Katelyn Foisy - depicts legendary rootworkers past and present as well as important Hoodoo symbolism, celebrating the complex American Rootwork tradition.

• The Melanated Tarot by Julia Goolsby and Oubria Tronshaw - an inclusive alternative to the traditional Rider Smith Waite Deck.

• Dust II Onyx by Courtney Alexander - a melanated Tarot deck created by multimedia artist Courtney Alexander featuring cultural myths, symbolism, history, and icons within the Black Diaspora.

• The Afro Goddess Tarot and Oracle Decks by Andrea Furtick - handpainted imagery infusing African ancestry and culture in traditionally structured Tarot and Lenormand style decks.

• Akamara Tarot and Okana Oracle Decks by Bespoke Asé - an homage, collective admired portrayal, and gift of the divinity and variety in the spiritualities that make up the African Diaspora; from Nigeria to Cuba, the Caribbean (West indies) to Haiti and African America to the Aboriginal Culture.

• Kaleidadope Tarot and Absolute Affirmations Oracle Decks by Krystal Banner -aesthetically exciting decks by illustrator/author Krystal Banner that bring Tarot and oracle cards into the 21st century with a mix of color, culture & representation.

• Shadeux Oracle by Intuitive Tosha - features 56 eye-catching cards for those who are in need of shadow healing or want the raw and uncut truth about themselves and those around them who may not be a positive influence in their life.

• Afro Tarot and Flora and the Fauna of Africa Oracle decks by Jessi Jumanji - an Afrofuturist Tarot deck which combines authentic African imagery with the traditional Rider Waite themes and a beautiful oracle deck featuring plant and spirit animals, along with messages and affirmations of spiritual guidance.

• Adinkra Ancestral Guidance Cards by Simone Bresi-Ando - a 44-card oracle deck that help you channel information, messages and direction from your ancestors using the power and philosophies of Adinkra symbols.

Amazing People to Follow:

• Corina Newsome - @hood_naturalist - zoo keeper turned biologist has organized #blackbirdersweeek & #blackandSTEM

• Good Good Good - @goodgoodgoodco - Antiracism books & resources? newspaper & channel to help you feel more hopeful & do more good

• Show Up for Racial Justice - @showingupforracialjustice - National network to help individuals organizing white people for racial justice

Articles about Change:

• Are Natural History Museums Inherently Racist? - other resources and info at NatSCA

Always keep your foot on the gas