February is the Month of Love
It’s a time to focus on kindness and empathy in our relationships with others and with ourselves. February is also Black History Month, which brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:
Recognizing Black History has come to mean more to me over the past two years, as my eyes have opened wider to the injustices and inequities that remain in our society and the continued struggle for civil rights. Real structural issues are baked into our world, from health equity to housing equity to pay equity to implicit bias to voting rights. As a White woman, I still have much to learn.
I've joined a number of efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), both in our department at work, in the educational materials we develop for the healthcare workforce, and in our community by helping to start a DEI committee and book group for AAUW Camarillo Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (the Facebook and discussion group are open to all, not just members).
I've read over a dozen books and have many more to go. I realize I need to add some original writings from Dr. King, James Baldwin, and others to my list. If you're interested, take a look at my Goodreads shelf on race and equity.
Where to start? I highly recommend "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo, an exceptional and accessible read, as well as "Caste" by Isabel Wilkerson, which should be required reading for all Americans. Did you know that Hitler looked at America's caste system of slavery and deemed it "too harsh?" Wow.
Of course, "The 1619 Project" is high on my "want to read" list.
What books about race and equity have you read?
What should I add to the list?