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Here's the last reading list of 2025. This month's curation crosses continents and cultures to look at racism and anti-racism in branding, creativity, publishing, medical treatment and much, much more. Enjoy the holidays and see you in 2026!
1. The dark side of the sparkling stones by Duncan Money
I love the idea of African countries regaining control of their resources. Because when that control is forcibly removed (thank you colonialist exploitation), this is what happens:
“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.”
2. 3 Lessons for Building an Anti-Racist Brand That Lasts by Collette Philip
This article shares a starting point for embedding anti-racism into your organisation to ensure that it's a lasting change.
“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.”
3. The Activists Fighting for Dignity for Incarcerated Pregnant Women by Brea Baker
Black people face disproportionate levels of incarceration compared to other demographic groups, and the tendency to view walking in that skin as threatening has horrifying consequences for Black women in prison, as this quote shows:
“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.”
4. Black on Both Sides: The Mirror That Cuts Both Ways by Terrell Groggins
Wondering about the emotional and physical cost for folx racialised as Black of staying silent while facing oppression? This article gives some insight.
“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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5. Building from Brilliance by Giselle Hudson
I love the way this author flips the script: Black folx aren't striving for excellence. We already embody it, and the evidence is global and multi-generational:
“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.”
6. The Almost NDN by Steve Dragswolf
This article gave me an insight into a common Indigenous experience today (note: it is ONE article so we can't take this as universal). And it also reminded me of the policing and cooptation of Black identity:
“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.”