Suggested Reads from the Office of Multicultural Affairs

  • His Name is George Floyd - Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
  • My Child Told Me They're Trans... What Do I Do? :  A Q&A Guide for Parents of Trans Children - Brynn Tannehil
  • The Legacy of the New Farmers of America - Antoine Alston and Dexter Wakefield
  • Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity - Paola Ramos
  • Caste - Isabel Wilkerson
  • The Fires Next Time – James Baldwin
  • Minor Feelings – Cathy Park Hong
  • America's Original Sin – Jim Wallis
  • The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
  • Good Talk – Myra Jacob
  • So you want to talk about race – Ijeoma Oluo
  • How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
  • Between the world and me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • I'm Still Here – Auston Channing
  • Stamped From the Beginning – Ibram X. Kendi
  • Color of Law – Richard Rothstein
  • The Warmth of Other Suns – Isabel Wilkerson
  • Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson
  • White Fragility – Robin Diangelo and Michael Eric Dyson
  • Why are all the black kids siting together in the cafeteria?- Beverly Daniel Tatum
  • This Book is Anti-Racist – Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand
  • Mindful of Race – Ruth King
  • The Fire This Time – Jesmyn Ward
  • When They Call you a Terrorist- Patrisse Khan-Cullors
  • US in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos

Annotated Book List

His Name is George Floyd:  One Man's Life and The Struggle for Racial Justice.

By Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa of the Washington Post.

His Name is George Floyd tells the story of a beloved figure from Houston's housing projects as he faced the stifling systemic pressures that come with being a Black man in America.  Placing his narrative within the context of the country's enduring legacy of institutional racism, this deeply reported account examines Floyd's family roots in slavery and sharecropping, the segregation of his schools, the over-policing of his community amid a wave of mass incarceration, and the callous disregard toward his struggle with addiction. Drawing upon hundreds of interviews with Floyd's closest friends and family, his elementary school teachers and varsity coaches, civil  rights icons, and those in the highest seats of political power, Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa offer a poignant and moving exploration of George Floyd's America, revealing how a man who simply wanted to breathe ended up touching the world.

My Child Told Me They're Trans...What Do I Do?:  A Q&A Guide for Parents of Trans Children

By Brynn Tannehill (Editor)

This book will be available for purchase on February 21, 2023.  My child just came out to me as trans: What should I do?'  If you are a parent looking for an answer to this question, you have come to the right place. Gathering together practical advice and personal experiences from a range of parents, activists and experts, this FAQ book provides answers to the most common questions you will have as a parent of a transgender child.  What if they change their minds?  How do I make sure my child is safe at school?  How do we tell our other children?  Sharing their experiences of how they navigated their child's transition to raise a happy and healthy child, the parents in this book will give you the tools you need to support your trans child to thrive, while the experts provide a research-based perspective on supporting trans youth. With answers to everything you need to know - from social transition, mental health and medical care, through to schools, faith and your personal feelings as a parent - this is the ultimate resource for any family with a trans child.

The Legacy of the New Farmers of America

By  Antoine Alston and Dexter Wakefield

Alston, A. J. & Wakefield, D. (2022)  The Legacy of the New Farmers of America.  SC: Arcadia Publishing. African Americans have contributed greatly to the history of American agriculture. One of its most compelling stories is the New Farmers of America (NFA), which was a national organization of Black farm boys studying vocational agriculture in the public schools throughout 18 states in the eastern and southern United States from 1927 to 1965. The organization was started at the suggestion of Dr. H.O. Sargent, federal agent for agricultural education for Blacks, who felt the time was ripe for an organization of Black agricultural students. Operating within the auspices of the "Separate but Equal Doctrine," the NFA started at Virginia State University in May 1927 with a few chapters and members and concluded in 1965 with more than 1,000 chapters and more than 58,000 active members, merging with the Future Farmers of America (FFA) as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

A City Divided: Race, Fear and the Law in Police Confrontations

By David A. Harris

When a high school honors student emerges from a police confrontation outside his home bruised and beaten, and facing serious criminal charges, an American city erupts in protests. A long quest for justice begins. "A City Divided" uncovers what happened and examines if race, fear and police conduct answer key questions that have become all too familiar. What goes wrong in these police confrontations and why? Can the courts find justice? And how can we prevent these tragedies in the future?

Covering: The Hidden Assault on our Civil Rights

Yoshino, K. (2007). Covering. New York, N.Y.: Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book provides an in-depth analysis on race and sexuality within the views of contemporary society. Kenji Yoshino illustrates how we as a society aim to cover the unfavorable identities in order to become a part of the mainstream.

Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do

Steele, Claude (2010). NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. The author exposes the myriad of ways that threats to our identities exert a powerful stranglehold on our individual and collective psyche. Throughout the book, Steele offers insight into the various stereotypes that affect American identities and he lays out a plan to diminish the "threat" of stereotypes.

Microagressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

Sue, D. (2010). Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. Author Derald Wing Sue presents a first-of-its-kind guide on the subject of microagressions. This book insightfully looks at the various kinds of microagressions and their psychological effects on both perpetrators and their targets. Dr. Sue suggests realistic and optimistic guidance for combating and ending microagressions in our society.

Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education

Smith, M. (2016). Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education. New York: Nation Books. Mychal Denzel Smith describes his challenging upbringing and his struggle to be accepted into a world that denied his humanity. He rejects assumptions made about what black masculinity means in order to change the story to include depression, anxiety, feminism and LGBTQ rights.

What If? Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue

Robbins, S. (2008). What If?: Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue. Boston: Davies-Black Publishing. Robbins offers twenty-six stories that illustrate concepts regarding diversity and inclusion. He gives insight and advice to bring together unity and diversity to create a stronger workplace. At the end of each chapter, Robbins provides some questions, an activity, and an assignment with the goal of discovering a way to implement the techniques he discusses into both the work and home environment.

Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People

Banaji, M. and Greenwald, A. (2013). Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People. New York: Delacorte Press. Banaji and Greenwald explore the various hidden biases that we experience based on our exposure to cultural norms regarding age, gender, race, and sexuality. "Good people" are those who attempt to align their behavior with their intentions, which doesn't always occur. Blindspot offers a simple explanation in order to help these "good people" align their behavior and intentions.

A People's History of the United States

Zinn, H. (2003). A People's History of the United States. New York: The New Press. In this 1980 non-fiction book, Zinn attempts to provide a different interpretation of United States history. Zinn believes that a large portion of US history is based on the tyranny of the few, taking advantage of the masses. As a result, his book stands as a foil to various other historical accounts.

"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"

Tatum, B. (1997). "Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" And Other Conversations About Race: A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity. New York: BasicBooks. Dr. Tatum argues that clear and straight communication is absolutely essential in having conversations across the various ethnic, cultural, and racial divides. Tatum provides new ways of thinking about race through racial identity, something everyone has. In order to have consistent productive dialogues, we must affirm these racial identities.

Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal

Hacker, A. (2003). Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal. New York: Scribner. Hacker offers an insightful analysis into the numerous conditions that dangerously separate blacks and whites and the impact it has on the American dream. This book provides a new and dramatic inspection of the racial relations and divide in 1990's America by analyzing the daily decisions of everyday Americans.

Hidden Rules of Class at Work

Payne, R. and Krabill, D. (2002). Hidden Rules of Class at Work. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc. This book takes a look at the slight but significant impact of economic class on workplace behavior and how within the organization the class structure is reflected. Hidden Rules was created for those who supervise others in order to help them learn how class can develop organizational resources.

35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say

Cullen, M. (2008). 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say. Garden City, NY: Experts Academy Press. Sometimes someone might say, "Some of my best friends are. . .(Black, White, Asian, Jewish, etc.). Often times, statements like these can divide us and the people we interact with. Despite the good intentions, this can drive a wedge in the diversity gap between people and cause more harm than good. This guide offers some alternatives in order to become more inclusive.

Privilege, Power, and Difference

Johnson, A. G. (2001). Privilege, power, and difference. CA: Mayfield Publishing Company. The author provides an easily applied theoretical model for thinking about systems of privilege and difference. Writing in accessible, conversational prose, Johnson joins theory with engaging examples in ways that enable readers to see the nature and consequences of privilege and their connection to us.

The Next America...Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown

Taylor, Paul (2014). The Next America...Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown, NY: Public Affairs. America is in the throes of a demographic overhaul. Huge generation gaps have opened up in our political and social values, our economic well-being, our family structure, our racial and ethnic identity, our gender norms, our religious affiliation, and our technology use. Drawing on Pew Research Center's extensive archive of public opinion surveys and demographic data, The Next America is a rich portrait of a future marked by the most striking social, racial, and economic shifts the country has seen in a century.

Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence

Derald Wing Sue, 2015. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Unspoken social rules determine much of what we say and do at home, at school, and at work with clients and coworkers. Often, these rules are good for society - they allow us to get along with one another in the world. But occasionaly, these hidden rules have a detrimental impact, and in those situations the rules must be brought to light and eliminated. In avoiding this emotionally charged topic, we usually have good intentions - a concern for politeness, a desire not to offend - but Dr. Derald Wing Sue's research has shown that we do far more harm than good when we stay silent.

Caleb’s Crossing

Geraldine Brooks (2011). Caleb’s Crossing. New York, NY.: Viking Penguin This story takes place in 1665 and follows the life of the first Native American graduate from Harvard College. Brooks took the few facts that survived this historic event and created a luminous tale of passion, belief, magic and adventure.

Just Mercy

Bryan Stevenson (2014). Just Mercy. NY: Penguin Random House, LLC This book provides insight for one of Bryan Stevenson’s first cases, Walter McMillian who at the time was a young man sentenced to die for a notorious murder he didn’t commit. The case drew Stevenson into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion

Jonathan Haidt (2013). The Righteous Mind. New York, NY.: Random House, Inc. The author shows how moral judgements arise not from reason but from gut feelings after 25 years of research on moral psychology. He explains why liberals, conservatives and libertarians have such different intuitions about right or wrong and demonstrates why each side is right about many of its central concerns.

US in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos

Lulu Delacre (2017). Us, in Progress. New York, NY.: Harper Collins Publishers The author gives a look into the lives of boys and girls as they face hardships, celebrate victories and allows readers to better understanding of what it means to be a Latino in the United States. This collection of short stories is heartwarming, humorous and insightful look into the diverse Latinos who live in the United States.

My Black Family, My White Privilege: A White Man’s Journey through the Nation’s Racial Minefield

Michael R. Wenger (2017). My Black Family, My White Privilege. Bloomington, IN.: iUniverse This book follows the life of a Jewish man named Michael Wenger from New York City that marries an African American woman from North Carolina in 1970. Years later, Mr. Wenger served as Deputy Director for Outreach and Program Development for President Clinton’s Initiative on Race. This autobiography gives the reader insight into some of the challenges Mr. Wenger and his family faced as an interracial family in 1970.

The Poverty Industry: The Exploitation of America’s Most Vulnerable Citizens

Daniel L. Hatcher (2016). The Poverty Industry. NY: New York University Press The author shows how state governments and their private industry partners are turning America’s most vulnerable populations into sources of revenue. The poverty industry is taking billions in federal aid and other funds from impoverished families, abused and neglected children and the disabled and elderly poor.

Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement

Monica M. White (2018). Freedom Farmers. NC: The University of North Carolina Press In the late 1960’s Fannie Lou Hammer purchased forty acres of land in the Mississippi Delta, launching the Freedom Farms Cooperative (FFC). A community-based rural and economic development project, FFC grew over 600 acres, offering means for local sharecroppers, tenant farmers and domestic workers to pursue community wellness, self-reliance and political resistance. This book expands the historical narrative of black freedom struggle to embrace the work, roles and contributions of southern black farmers and the organizations they formed.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Reni Eddo-Lodge (2017). Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. London, UK.: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. This author explores everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race in Britain today. This book helps the reader better understand how structural racism works.

How To Be An Antiracist

Ibram X. Kendi (2019). How To Be An Antiracist. London, UK.: One World In this memoir, Kendi uses his personal experiences, history, science and ethics to describe different forms of racism. This book is about actively choose to be "antiracist," because not being racist isn't enough, we must work to undo racism and its component polices in order to build an equitable society.

Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age 2nd Edition

Juana Bordas (2012). Salsa, Soul, and Spirit. Oakland, CA.: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. In this text, Juana Bordas shows how incorporating Latino, Black and American Indian approaches can enrich leadership and offers a more viable model for our expanding multicultural society. Since current leadership approaches are written most by White males and is Eurocentric.