What You Need to Know for Black History Month

This provocative work has shifted how we think about civil rights and prison reform. Alexander makes her case that the War on Drugs created a new racial caste system in a highly readable and compelling way.

This brilliant deep-dive into the historical origins of racism takes readers on a journey way beyond conventional explanations. History professor Ibram X. Kendi chronicles how racist ideas shaped a slew of policies throughout the nation’s history, and while the ideas are always morphing and manifesting differently, they are still an intrinsic part of the country’s politics and cultural identity today.

In his searing sermon to white America, Michael Eric Dyson writes: “There is a paradox that many of you refuse to see: to get to a point where race won’t make a difference, we have to wrestle, first, with the difference that race makes.” This is a fantastic place to start.