Local Groups Dedicated to Ending Racism
La Crosse Human Rights Commission
Waking up White Collaborative
The Greater La Crosse Area Diversity Council
The Privilege Institute
Waking up White Collaborative
The Greater La Crosse Area Diversity Council
The Privilege Institute
Scroll down for books, articles, videos, and podcasts on anti-racism.
Selected Articles & Books
Battalora, Jacqueline. "Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today"
Birth of a White Nation is a fascinating new book on race in America that begins with an exploration of the moment in time when "white people," as a separate and distinct group of humanity, were invented through legislation and the enactment of laws. The book provides a thorough examination of the underlying reasons as well as the ways in which "white people" were created. It also explains how the creation of this distinction divided laborers and ultimately served the interests of the elite. The book goes on to examine how foundational law and policy in the U.S. were used to institutionalize the practice of "white people" holding positions of power. Finally, the book demonstrates how the social construction and legal enactment of "white people" has ultimately compromised the humanity of those so labeled.
--Recommended by Thomas Harris, UW-L Multicultural Affairs
Birth of a White Nation is a fascinating new book on race in America that begins with an exploration of the moment in time when "white people," as a separate and distinct group of humanity, were invented through legislation and the enactment of laws. The book provides a thorough examination of the underlying reasons as well as the ways in which "white people" were created. It also explains how the creation of this distinction divided laborers and ultimately served the interests of the elite. The book goes on to examine how foundational law and policy in the U.S. were used to institutionalize the practice of "white people" holding positions of power. Finally, the book demonstrates how the social construction and legal enactment of "white people" has ultimately compromised the humanity of those so labeled.
--Recommended by Thomas Harris, UW-L Multicultural Affairs
Carson, Clayborne. “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr” (with permission from Dr King's family)
Fantastic reminder of Dr. King's moral compass and eloquence as a speaker. The book reminds us that the struggle for racial equality is over a century old. It took a decade from Rosa Park's bus ride to the passive of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rites Act. Also, a lesson that progress has been made, but it was made with sacrifice. Highly Recommended.
--Recommended by John Wochos
Fantastic reminder of Dr. King's moral compass and eloquence as a speaker. The book reminds us that the struggle for racial equality is over a century old. It took a decade from Rosa Park's bus ride to the passive of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rites Act. Also, a lesson that progress has been made, but it was made with sacrifice. Highly Recommended.
--Recommended by John Wochos
Coates, T-Nehisi. "Between the World and Me"
Ta-Nehisi Coates is a fantastic writer. I listened to the audio version of the book and was immediately drawn into Coates' own reading of this letter to his only son. He recognizes his own racial issues while urging his son to take a different path. If you want something short and accessible, this is both pithy and powerful.
--Recommended by Mary Ellen Haupert
Ta-Nehisi Coates is a fantastic writer. I listened to the audio version of the book and was immediately drawn into Coates' own reading of this letter to his only son. He recognizes his own racial issues while urging his son to take a different path. If you want something short and accessible, this is both pithy and powerful.
--Recommended by Mary Ellen Haupert
Cone, James H. "The Cross and the Lynching Tree" (Orbis Books, 2011)
From the introduction: "I do not write this book as the last word about the cross and the lynching tree. I write it in order to start a conversation so we can explore the many ways to heal the deep wounds lynching has inflicted upon us. The cross can heal and hurt; it can be empowering and liberating but also enslaving and oppressive. There is no one way in which the cross can be interpreted. I offer my reflections because I believe that the cross placed alongside the lynching tree can help us to see Jesus in America in a new light, and thereby empower people who claim to follow him to take a stand against white supremacy and every kind of injustice"
--Recommended by Karen Park (Religious Studies, St. Norbert's)
From the introduction: "I do not write this book as the last word about the cross and the lynching tree. I write it in order to start a conversation so we can explore the many ways to heal the deep wounds lynching has inflicted upon us. The cross can heal and hurt; it can be empowering and liberating but also enslaving and oppressive. There is no one way in which the cross can be interpreted. I offer my reflections because I believe that the cross placed alongside the lynching tree can help us to see Jesus in America in a new light, and thereby empower people who claim to follow him to take a stand against white supremacy and every kind of injustice"
--Recommended by Karen Park (Religious Studies, St. Norbert's)
DiAngelo, Robin. "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism"
This book is a must read for white people who think they understand racism. DiAngelo will challenge your thinking about race and force you to dig deeply about identity on many levels.
--Recommended by Mary Ellen Haupert, Colleen Nugent
This book is a must read for white people who think they understand racism. DiAngelo will challenge your thinking about race and force you to dig deeply about identity on many levels.
--Recommended by Mary Ellen Haupert, Colleen Nugent
Franklin, John Hope. "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans" (McGraw Hill, 10th edition).
Widely considered the leading African American historian on the history of slavery, published From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans, which is now into its 10th edition, is the most widely read college history textbook on the subject.
--Recommended by Greg Wegner
Widely considered the leading African American historian on the history of slavery, published From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans, which is now into its 10th edition, is the most widely read college history textbook on the subject.
--Recommended by Greg Wegner
Irving, Debby. "Waking up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race"
I, like Vince, recommend Waking Up White. My book club of retired teachers from North Woods School, read Waking Up White last in April of 2019, and every one of us felt it is a book that should be read by all "Whites". Collectively, we felt we were very aware about racism issues, but Deb Irving's book opened our eyes to how naive we really were!! This summary from Goodreads does a much better job of explaining the book than I could: "By sharing her sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, Irving offers a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As she unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. Irving also explains why and how she's changed the way she talks about racism, works in racially mixed groups, and understands the antiracism movement as a whole."
--Recommended by Therese Regner, Vince Hatt
I, like Vince, recommend Waking Up White. My book club of retired teachers from North Woods School, read Waking Up White last in April of 2019, and every one of us felt it is a book that should be read by all "Whites". Collectively, we felt we were very aware about racism issues, but Deb Irving's book opened our eyes to how naive we really were!! This summary from Goodreads does a much better job of explaining the book than I could: "By sharing her sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, Irving offers a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As she unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. Irving also explains why and how she's changed the way she talks about racism, works in racially mixed groups, and understands the antiracism movement as a whole."
--Recommended by Therese Regner, Vince Hatt
Kendi, Ibram X. "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America"
In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.
--Recommended by Mary Ellen Haupert
In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.
--Recommended by Mary Ellen Haupert
LaPore, Jill. "These Truths: A History of the United States" (New York: W.W. Norton, 2018), a volume which begins with Columbus and ends with the results of the presidential election of 2016. LaPore engages us to think about Thomas Jefferson's words "these truths" from the Declaration of Independence including political equality, natural rights and sovereignty of the people. She challenges readers to ponder this question in light of our shared history: "But has the nation, and democracy itself, delivered on that promise?"
--Recommended by Greg Wegner
--Recommended by Greg Wegner
Loewen, James. "Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism" (Touchstone, 2006)
In this groundbreaking work, bestselling sociologist James W. Loewen, author of the national bestseller Lies My Teacher Told Me, brings to light decades of hidden racial exclusion in America. In a provocative, sweeping analysis of American residential patterns, Loewen uncovers the thousands of “sundown towns”—almost exclusively white towns where it was an unspoken rule that blacks could not live there—that cropped up throughout the twentieth century, most of them located outside of the South. These towns used everything from legal formalities to violence to create homogenous Caucasian communities—and their existence has gone unexamined until now. For the first time, Loewen takes a long, hard look at the history, sociology, and continued existence of these towns, contributing an essential new chapter to the study of American race relations.
--Recommended by Thomas Harris, UW-L Multicultural Student Services
In this groundbreaking work, bestselling sociologist James W. Loewen, author of the national bestseller Lies My Teacher Told Me, brings to light decades of hidden racial exclusion in America. In a provocative, sweeping analysis of American residential patterns, Loewen uncovers the thousands of “sundown towns”—almost exclusively white towns where it was an unspoken rule that blacks could not live there—that cropped up throughout the twentieth century, most of them located outside of the South. These towns used everything from legal formalities to violence to create homogenous Caucasian communities—and their existence has gone unexamined until now. For the first time, Loewen takes a long, hard look at the history, sociology, and continued existence of these towns, contributing an essential new chapter to the study of American race relations.
--Recommended by Thomas Harris, UW-L Multicultural Student Services
Mcfadden, Joshua Rashaad. "Why Minneapolis Was the Breaking Point" (Atlantic Monthly; June 10, 2020)
This article is provocative, informative and useful in seeing the current social unrest in both a historical and contemporary perspective.
--Recommended by Mike Mader
This article is provocative, informative and useful in seeing the current social unrest in both a historical and contemporary perspective.
--Recommended by Mike Mader
Mouser, Bruce. "Black La Crosse" (La Crosse County Historical Society, 2002).
The La Crosse County Historical Society has published a book that examines the city's 19th Century African-American population. "Black La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1850-1906: Settlers, Entrepreneurs and Exodusers," written by retired University of Wisconsin-La Crosse history professor Bruce L. Mouser, is based on nearly 30 years of research on area Black settlers. "Black La Crosse" provides biographical sketches of 171 African-American households that lived in or near La Crosse between 1850 and 1906. In all, the book features 450 individuals, encompassing a range of occupations and lifestyles.
--Recommended by Thomas Harris, UW-L Multicultural Affairs
The La Crosse County Historical Society has published a book that examines the city's 19th Century African-American population. "Black La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1850-1906: Settlers, Entrepreneurs and Exodusers," written by retired University of Wisconsin-La Crosse history professor Bruce L. Mouser, is based on nearly 30 years of research on area Black settlers. "Black La Crosse" provides biographical sketches of 171 African-American households that lived in or near La Crosse between 1850 and 1906. In all, the book features 450 individuals, encompassing a range of occupations and lifestyles.
--Recommended by Thomas Harris, UW-L Multicultural Affairs
Ross, Kihana Miraya. "Call It What It Is: Anti-Blackness" (New York Times; June 4, 2020)
"Racism" fails to fully capture what black people in this country are facing. The right term is "anti-blackness."
--Recommended by Mike Mader
"Racism" fails to fully capture what black people in this country are facing. The right term is "anti-blackness."
--Recommended by Mike Mader
Saint-Jean, S.J., Patrick. "How Catholics Can Work for Racial Injustice." (U.S. Catholic)
This is an article that a Haitian-American friend of mine, Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ (Jesuit at Loyola - Chicago) wrote that you might like to put on the website.
--Recommended by Brother Derek Edwards (former UW-L student)
This is an article that a Haitian-American friend of mine, Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ (Jesuit at Loyola - Chicago) wrote that you might like to put on the website.
--Recommended by Brother Derek Edwards (former UW-L student)
Selected films
|
|
|
Selected YouTube Videos
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selected Podcasts
The Life of Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Greg Wegner regarding a possible study of the life of Sr. Thea Bowman:
You had asked for some input on a proposed program, "A Light in the Darkness." I immediately thought about the legacy of Sr. Thea Bowman (1937-1990), also known as a Servant of God by the church. There are two publications that might apply here including her autobiography, In My Own Words (2009) from Liguori Press, which also includes some of her writings and speeches. The second piece is Families, Black & Catholic, Catholic and Black (US Catholic Conference, 1985). Further research would undoubtedly provide more resources she created in addressing the issue of racism from a Christian perspective. How would her legacy and voice as a Franciscan help us in praying about our plans to organize a protest against racism and the murders of countless African American men by police? To what extend are the long history of slavery and the legacy of lynching related to this discussion and, perhaps, the plans we create for a public protest?
You had asked for some input on a proposed program, "A Light in the Darkness." I immediately thought about the legacy of Sr. Thea Bowman (1937-1990), also known as a Servant of God by the church. There are two publications that might apply here including her autobiography, In My Own Words (2009) from Liguori Press, which also includes some of her writings and speeches. The second piece is Families, Black & Catholic, Catholic and Black (US Catholic Conference, 1985). Further research would undoubtedly provide more resources she created in addressing the issue of racism from a Christian perspective. How would her legacy and voice as a Franciscan help us in praying about our plans to organize a protest against racism and the murders of countless African American men by police? To what extend are the long history of slavery and the legacy of lynching related to this discussion and, perhaps, the plans we create for a public protest?
Extras
Booklist for UW-L Summer Reading:
| anti-racist_literature__2_.docx |
Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) Toolkit:
| gare-racial_equity_toolkit.pdf |
