As college students gear up for the fall semester, they’re grappling with a world that’s in the midst of a pandemic, a country in the midst of an economic recession, and a society in the midst of a reckoning with racism. A significant number of college students are voicing their views about – and experiences with – systemic racism. Perhaps they’re deeply involved in activism, participating in the protests for racial justice taking place across the nation over the summer months.

Whether college students engage in learning this fall remotely online, or in person on campus, here are some resources to support a healthy dialogue at this critical time in history.


PODCASTS

Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

White People Talking about Whiteness
Eleanor Hancock, executive director of White Awake, discusses why it’s so important to engage white people in the creation of a just and sustainable society, and explores the problematic aspects of white wokeness.

An Uncomfortable (But Meaningful) Conversation About Race
Lama Rod Owens, author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, says now is the time for white people to “embrace discomfort.”

NPR

Throughline
To understand the history of systemic racism in America, hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei “go back in time to understand the present.” Check out American Police, Mass Incarceration, and Milliken v. Bradley.

Code Switch
This podcast is hosted by a team of multi-racial, multi-generational journalists who are “fascinated by the overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture, how they play out in our lives and communities, and how all of this is shifting.”

Monique Melton

The Shine Brighter Together Podcast
This popular podcast is a place to “share the challenges, complexities and sheer joy of building healthy relationships and doing the heart work for true diverse unity.”


BOOKS

How to Be an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi’s bestselling memoir and has been called “essential,” “honest,” “electrifying,” and “courageous.”

The Racial Healing Handbook
This book, which is part of a social justice series, bears the subtitle: “Practical activities to help you challenge privilege, confront systemic racism, and engage in collective healing.”

White Fragility
In Robin DiAngelo’s bestseller, she writes, “For those of us who work to raise the racial consciousness of whites, simply getting whites to acknowledge that our race gives us advantages is a major effort. The defensiveness, denial, and resistance are deep.”


TED TALKS

Talks to Help You Understand Racism in America
This roundup of talks showcases broadcasts covering racial gaps in policing, racism’s impacts on public health and the economy, racial violence, and the path forward.

An Interview with the Founders of Black Lives Matter
This compelling broadcast begins with the question, “Why is Black Lives Matter important for the US right now, and in the world?” Patrisse Khan-Cullors responds, “Black Lives Matter is our call to action. It is a tool to re-imagine a world where Black people are free to exist, free to live.”