List
MLK Day 2021
To honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this year, my colleagues and I present this list that focuses on labor and voting rights, community service, and activism. The list is not exhaustive, but we hope you find it inspiring.
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To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice
2018 by Honey, Michael K.Get this itemPublishers Weekly calls this a "concise but richly detailed work about King's attempts to bring about economic justice for all Americans" that will "encourage the many who revere his memory to continue his work toward this goal." Allyson
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Labor Rising: The Past and Future of Working People in America
2012Get this itemA collection of essays about the labor movement described by Publishers Weekly as a "cogent, varied, and accessible collection [that] has much to offer union leaders, social advocates, and all those curious about the future of the labor movement." Becca
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'All Labor Has Dignity'
2011 by King, Martin LutherGet this item"A gathering of King's speeches to remind readers that his campaign for civil rights was as much about economic justice as desegregation." (Library Journal) Becca
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A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History
2018 by Theoharis, JeanneGet this itemA book that takes an in-depth and nuanced look at the Civil Rights Movement's legacy, shedding light on the work that remains. Becca
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Gospel of Freedom
2013 by Rieder, JonathanGet this itemDr. King says, “[t]he time is always right to do what is right. Now is the time to realize the American dream. Now is the time to transform the bleak and desolate midnight of man’s inhumanity to man into a glowing daybreak of justice and freedom.” Becca
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Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years. Episode 8, Two Societies, 1965-1968
2017Get this itemPart 8 of the award-winning and immersive docuseries focuses on MLK's work "to help Chicago's civil rights leaders in their nonviolent struggle against segregated housing." Newsweek says that though it's "as much encyclopedia as film...anyone who watched couldn't say they didn't even feel the struggle." Allyson
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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
2014 by Stevenson, BryanGet this itemImpassioned, clear, and compelling memoir from the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative about defending the marginalized and pursuing compassionate justice in the United States. An important book, to be sure, made into a movie starring Michael B. Jordan. Allyson
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America Divided: Episode 1, The System
2018Get this itemThis whole series, presented by celebrities who return to their hometowns to "illustrate how the American Dream is undermined by inequality," is worth a watch. In "The System," Common returns to Chicago in the aftermath of the police killing of Laquan McDonald and "discovers a decades-long pattern of police corruption and sophisticated cover-ups that stretch all the way to the mayor's office. But Common also finds reason for hope." Allyson
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Belong: Find Your People, Create Your Community, & Live a More Connected Life
2018 by Agrawal, RadhaGet this itemBelong is divided into two parts: "Going In" (finding your values, interests, and abilities) and "Going Out" (building on what you've learned about yourself to find your community and fulfill your dreams). Also available through Hoopla. Becca
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How We Show up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community
2020 by Birdsong, MiaGet this itemPublishers Weekly says, "Activist Birdsong illuminates in her insightful debut how one can build a chosen family and support system. Examples of how people help others, enact social justice, and make community members feel safe form the core of Birdsong's testament to community power outside mainstream institutions." Becca
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Soul Consciousness: A New Vision of Community Empowerment and Cultural Transformation
2018 by Vick, StephenGet this itemFeaturing interviews with community leaders from across the country, along with the author's own reflections and anecdotes, Soul Consciousness explores how greater spirituality and a shared sense of humanity can fuel real change. Becca
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Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and a Story of Reconciliation
2020 by Johnson, J. ChesterGet this itemAn illuminating journey to racial reconciliation experienced by two Americans, one Black and one white. Damaged Heritage brings to light a deliberately erased chapter in American history, and Chester offers a blueprint for how our pluralistic society can at last acknowledge—and deal with—damaged heritage and follow a path to true healing. Lukie
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Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963
1988 by Branch, TaylorGet this itemWell-researched and wide in scope, this book (part 1 of 3) dives into the why, how, and what of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. It includes stories of the movement's key players, the struggles of so many people, and the events that led to the need for change. Paul
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Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All
2020 by Jones, Martha S.Get this itemKirkus calls this "highly charged, absorbing reading and most timely in the era of renewed advocacy for civil rights" and the New York Journal of Books says, "Vanguard serves both as a tocsin and an inspiring map forward if we are to protect voting rights for all." Allyson
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U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler's Guide to the People, Places, and Events That Made the Movement
2021 by Douglas, Deborah D.Get this itemSometimes reading about history isn't enough. With a forward by Bree Newsome Bass, this travel guide includes "eye-opening landmarks to celebrations of triumph over adversity" so that travelers may "experience a tangible piece of history." Allyson
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