Anti-Racism Reading List December 2025

“Over the following century the industry forcibly prevented people in West and southern Africa – where the greatest sources of natural stones were found – from mining and selling diamonds, to keep them scarce.”

“The key is balance. Give people enough information so they know what’s expected and feel ready, but don’t drown them in detail. You don’t need to map out the entire journey (no one can, because anti-racism is long-term, evolving work). What you can do is be clear about what’s involved right now and give people the support they need to take the next step.”

“Nearly 40 US states have banned the practice of shackling women during childbirth and yet, a study talking to labor and delivery nurses in America’s prisons found that many incarcerated patients were shackled sometimes to all of the time. This often happens due to confusion over legislative changes and guard discretion over who is considered a “security risk.” Yet, mainstream reproductive rights spaces often ignore this aspect of the fight to achieve reproductive freedom for all.”

“Here's what kills me: everybody's Malcolm X in the group chat. Revolutionary at the cookout. Ready to burn it all down after two drinks.

But Monday morning at 9 AM? They're professionally neutered. Strategically silent. Carefully colorblind.”

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“Across continents and centuries, the evidence is already here. Cultural leadership that remakes global taste—from spirituals to jazz to hip-hop, reggae and soca. Financial ingenuity in community-based credit and savings circles that predate modern microfinance. Movement design that toppled slavery, built civil rights, and still sets new norms for justice and equity. Technological leapfrogging in mobile money and fintech, where African-led platforms shape economies today. And a long tradition of resilient entrepreneurship, from informal markets to modern conglomerates. These are not side notes; they are world-changing proof of capacity and creativity.”

“It’s important to know who is and who is not an Indian because people profit off of false identities that create false portraits of Native identity. Most Indians today are urban Indians fighting to understand who they are and what it means to be an Indian in their current experience off the rez. People who “become” Indian, even if it is to obtain a certain sense of enlightenment or healing, are often extremely unhelpful to us in their zeal.

What’s equally as unhelpful are the hordes of Indian activists who place extra requirements on what it means to be an Indian today.”

“In the future, Black History Month conference organizers in the UK and US should consider organizing panels focusing on similar issues with the goal of developing robust anti-racist initiatives. Cross-national participation at both conferences can be facilitated via the web. This intervention would also blunt some misconceptions that currently constrain collective action. ”

“Diversity syndrome is a cultural condition where the “otherness” of an author is elevated over the impact of their work, to the detriment of the author, their work, and their audiences. Much like structural racism, it’s more systemic than individual, though individual actions certainly uphold or subvert its existence. An illuminating case study of diversity syndrome in the real world is that of Black authors of what I’ll broadly define as speculative fiction.”

“Very rarely do mainstream analysts explore the impact of British culture on immigrants and their descendants. Many proponents of the “Great Replacement” never consider the influence that Western culture for better or worse has had on migrants over time.

With each generation, the descendants of migrants adopt more of the host country’s culture becoming more Westernised.”

“But here’s the thing: while celebrities break the silence and comedies mine the material, the numbers tell an even bigger story. And for Black women, that story is a crisis. Black women are hitting menopause sooner, harder, and with fewer answers.

The data backs this up.”