Resources for Race Awareness
Growing up in rural China, discussion of race and diversity were absent from education and daily life. We are raised to comfortably think race is "none of my business" with U.S. racial conflicts and progress portrayed as "their" White supremist mindset and capitalism's dead-end compromise.
Coming to the U.S., I quickly realized how much more complex race relations truly are. Without the right context or tools, I struggled to grasp the nuances of movements like Black Lives Matter, the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, and how to even begin talking about race as an international student. Over time, I noticed that many international students responded by avoiding these conversations and potential inter-group interactions entirely. This avoidance, however, often leads to damaging misconceptions, such as:
- Lumping one race or ethnicity as one homogeneous group.
- Viewing inner-city Black communities through harmful stereotypes of violence or laziness
- Falling to the trap of “blame the victim” mentality, which obscures systemic issues.
If you've felt similarly confused or are still unsure how to navigate these topics, you are not alone! Below, I have compiled a list of common terms and resources to help you better understand and talk about race in the U.S. context. I invite you to explore them, and please feel free to contribute as well. How was race taught and discussed in your culture? Let's learn from each other.
Knowledge Pool
- BLM
- The Great Migration
- Redlining and HOLC
- Jim Crow
- Hispanic/Latinx
- Structural Racism
- Racial Profiling
- Microaggression
Below are some great resources to begin with:
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Racial Beginners: Courses on the Basics of Race in America
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Resources for Teaching About Race and Racism Curated by New York Times
Further Reading
Documentaries
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LA 92 (National Geographic 2017): The 1992 LA Riots
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13TH (Netflix 2016): American's Mass Incarceration-Race Intersection Problem
Books
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Black in White Space (by Elijah Anderson)
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The Color of Law (by Richard Rothstein)
*Highly recommended if you live in the Bay Area.
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When Work Disappears (by Julius William Wilson)
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The Truly Disadvantaged (by Julius William Wilson)
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How was race taught and discussed in your culture?
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