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This issue is about calling things out: socialisation, racialisation, colonisation, extraction, misuse of language and much more. I didn't know that was how it would turn out, but maybe this is what we need right now: to call a thing a thing, so we can start to fix it. What do you think?
Here's this month's list:
1. We Were Taught to Be Useful Before We Were Allowed to Be Human by DeLisha Tapscott, Ed.D.
All I can say is: "whew". This is a powerful piece that unpacks the socialisation of girls and women, especially Black girls and women. I recognised some of the examples she shared, and there's much food for thought here.
“For the women who came before me, usefulness was never abstract. It was shaped by limited options, by constant scrutiny, by systems that offered little room for error. Being useful could mean keeping a job, keeping a family afloat, and keeping yourself from becoming disposable. These lessons were not failures of imagination; they were responses to conditions that required vigilance and adjustment. Therefore, much of what we inherit arrives through watching and repetition, teaching us quietly the understanding that certain ways of being make life smoother, if not easier.”
2. Daggers by Naomi Raquel Enright
I missed this post the first time round. It's from Naomi's archives, and it's very powerful. She describes herself as "the brown-skinned biological mother of a son presumed to be white" and share how it feels. The piece also includes a critique of whiteness.
“There is nothing inherent about whiteness — it is an invention, meant to divide and conquer, and it has worked for centuries.”
3. “I Am Somebody”: The Echo That Still Rises by Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle
When I was rewatching A Different World recently, the moment when our good ancestor Reverend Jesse Jackson encouraged the students to say: "I am somebody" loud and proud gave me chills. So I love this tribute, reflection and call to action from Dr. Lynne.
“Because affirmation is powerful, but collective affirmation is transformational. Hearing a room full of Black voices, young and old, declaring their worth together created a shared strength that pushed back against centuries of dehumanization.”
4. ‘These connections are overlooked’: how British companies profited from slavery in Brazil long after abolition by Tiago Rogero
For those who know some history, this may be a "water is wet" moment. For others, it's an opportunity to learn about the aftermath of enslavement and to examine how the wealth built then underpins many cherished institutions today.
“British financial institutions treated enslaved people as “collateral assets” for loans and mortgages. When debtors defaulted, the banks forced auctions to recover their capital – at one such sale in Rio de Janeiro in 1878, a 22-year-old mother, Caetana, was separated from her three-year-old son, Pio.”
Reading is the first step; sustaining the work is the next. This reading list is - and will remain - free for all 5700+ subscribers. If you are in a position to pay it forward so that others can continue to access this education, upgrade your subscription here. Help me keep this independent library growing.
5. Karens, State Surveillance, the black body and everyday racism by Asanda (Saule) Ngoasheng
This article is interesting because it links "Karen" behaviour around the globe, with particular reference to South Africa and the US. It also explains the dire, sometimes fatal, consequences of that behaviour for the Black people who are reported on:
“ For many, Karen behaviour is just mildly annoying behaviour but for Black people globally, being surveilled by a “Karen” is triggering because it mirrors centuries of systemic state surveillance, policing, and the controlling of Black bodies and actions.”
6. Africa doesn’t need charity — it needs economic justice by Nqobizitha Mlambo
In this article, the author explains the continuing extraction by former colonial powers on the African continent, and I, for one, am glad to see some countries pushing back:
“Africa is rich in natural resources. Yet for centuries those resources have been extracted by foreign companies that pay little tax and leave nothing behind. For centuries, Western nations have exploited them by extracting the raw materials without paying fair taxes, and often facilitated by corruption.
This is not accidental.”
7. Black Women Across Generations: Medicine, Science, and Structural Change by Amanda N.R.
This piece introduces three Black women who have made and are making phenomenal contributions to medicine and science.
“Dr. Crumpler provided care to formerly enslaved people in the post-Civil War South despite extraordinary resistance. Her work was not simply clinical. It was structural. She practiced medicine in a system that did not believe she belonged there."
This is a piece about precision in language, and why it matters, about performative DEI, and about Black women being treated as threats.
“Dr. Timnit Gebru holds a PhD from Stanford. She was the co-lead of Google's Ethical AI team. She was, by every measurable standard, one of the most qualified people in any room she entered. She was not disadvantaged. She was not a diversity hire who needed the institution's grace to succeed. She was an expert whose expertise was leveraged until it became inconvenient, at which point the institution decided she was the problem.”
Well, we know why, but this author lays out many of the issues. It's worth a read.
“This is not simply about what is taught, but how it is framed. Slavery becomes a “labor system.” The Civil Rights Movement is reduced to a few widely accepted figures and sanitized quotes. Structural racism is reframed as a relic of the past rather than an enduring force. In this retelling, Black history is not denied outright—it is diluted until it loses its meaning.”
10. "Inclusion" Cannot Fix the Structural Roots of Systemic Racism by Dr. Shereen Daniels
The author of The Anti-Racist Organization unpicks an engagement with the Metropolitan Police and draws some wider conclusions for all organisations in relation to structural racism and inclusion practices:
“Acknowledging anti-Black racism does not mean pretending other groups do not experience discrimination. Of course they do. People encounter institutions through multiple aspects of their identity and how they live.
But recognising that reality is not the same as pretending all harms are produced in the same way.”
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Of Note - Things Worth Highlighting
Racist AI fakes are now a business — and a political tool (you'll need to sign up to read this for free)
As always, feel free to share, either by commenting below or replying to the email, what stood out to you from this month's reading list, and what's the next intentionally anti-racist action you'll take as a result.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon
What did you think of today's article?
Note: poll feedback is private - if you’re happy to share your thoughts in public, then please also leave a comment.
*Note: all articles linked here were free to read when I put together this edition. However, some may be paywalled by the time it is published, because capitalism. There’s not much I can do about that, but I hope the included quotes give you a flavour of the content.
© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2026. All Rights Reserved.
Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism educator, author of I’m Tired of Racism, and founder of the SHHARE anti-racism community and of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter, which provides tools and lived experiences to fuel systemic change. A seasoned professional writer and journalist, she leverages over 30 years of experience to mentor introverted leaders, and is co-founder and co-host of the Introvert Sisters Podcast. Her recent work focuses on helping Black and Global Majority women achieve high-impact visibility and professional influence without the exhaustion of performing extroversion.