CLA Reads - March 2021
Check out this list of books written by or about women of color. Each narrative centers women leaders, activists, and organizers and explores the challenges and benefits of intersectionality.
the purpose of power: how we come together when we fall apart by alicia garza (2020)
Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.
With the speed and networking capacities of social media, #BlackLivesMatter became the hashtag heard 'round the world. But Garza knew even then that hashtags don't start movements--people do.
Long before #BlackLivesMatter became a rallying cry for this generation, Garza had spent the better part of two decades learning and unlearning some hard lessons about organizing. The lessons she offers are different from the "rules for radicals" that animated earlier generations of activists, and diverge from the charismatic, patriarchal model of the American civil rights movement. She reflects instead on how making room amongst the woke for those who are still awakening can inspire and activate more people to fight for the world we all deserve.
This is the story of one woman's lessons through years of bringing people together to create change. Most of all, it is a new paradigm for change for a new generation of changemakers, from the mind and heart behind one of the most important movements of our time.
vanguard: how black women broke barriers, won the vote, and insisted on equality for all by Martha s. jones (2020)
The epic history of African American women's pursuit of political power -- and how it transformed America.
In the standard story, the suffrage crusade began in Seneca Falls in 1848 and ended with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. But this overwhelmingly white women's movement did not win the vote for most black women. Securing their rights required a movement of their own.
In Vanguard, acclaimed historian Martha S. Jones offers a new history of African American women's political lives in America. She recounts how they defied both racism and sexism to fight for the ballot, and how they wielded political power to secure the equality and dignity of all persons. From the earliest days of the republic to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond, Jones excavates the lives and work of black women--Maria Stewart, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Fannie Lou Hamer, and more--who were the vanguard of women's rights, calling on America to realize its best ideals.
no, you shut up: speaking truth to power and reclaiming America by symone sanders (2020)
"Symone's honest and profound reflection on standing up and speaking out is sure to inspire young people across the country to become the change agents the world needs." -- Congresswoman Maxine Waters
In this rousing call to leadership, the self-described millennial spokesperson for the culture, CNN's designated woke AF former commentator, and the youngest national press secretary in the history of the United States shares her take-no-prisoners approach to life, politics, and career success, and shows a new generation how to be loud and powerful in their own right.
Many people--most notably white older men--may try to stop Symone Sanders from speaking up and out. But Symone will NOT shut up. And neither should you. In this inspiring call-to-action, Symone tells stories from her own life of not-shutting-up alongside loud young revolutionaries who came before her to help you find your authentic voice and use it to your advantage; to fight ideological battles more effectively, and to resist those who try to silence you.
reclaiming her time: the power of maxine waters by helena andrews-dyer (2020)
In the tradition of Notorious RBG, a lively, beautifully designed, full-color illustrated celebration of the life, wisdom, wit, legacy, and fearless style of iconic American Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
"Let me just say this: I'm a strong black woman, and I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O'Reilly or anyone."--Maxine Waters
To millions nationwide, Congresswoman Maxine Waters is a hero of the resistance and an icon, serving eye rolls, withering looks, and sharp retorts to any who dare waste her time on nonsense. But behind the Auntie Maxine meme is a seasoned public servant and she's not here to play. Throughout her forty years in public service and eighty years on earth, U.S. Representative for California's 43rd district has been a role model, a crusader for justice, a game-changer, a trailblazer, and an advocate for the marginalized who has long defied her critics, including her most vocal detractor, Donald J. Trump. And she's just getting started.
her story is our story: a children’s book for young women of colour by pria gokhale (2020)
“Growing up, I rarely saw someone who looked like me celebrated in their classrooms, printed in my history books, or made into statues. Mistakenly, I believed this was because most women of color had simply not done anything notable; as I grew older I realized that this could not be further from the truth.” - Pria Gokhale
During quarantine at the end of summer, Pria started researching and writing. She wrote with the hopes that young women of color may have the representational role models she did not.
The children’s book, Her Story is Our Story features 10 amazing women of color who you will not find in your history books. The book shares important lessons to be learned from each woman’s incredible accomplishments and teaches children an inclusive version of the complex narrative that is history.
Not only does this book reaffirm any young reader’s confidence in their ability to achieve amazing things, but all proceeds from book sales benefit GirlForward, an organization seeking to empower young women displaced by conflict and persecution in Austin, Texas.