Eight recommended books by women to understand the uprisings

Keisha N. Blain is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh and author of Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom. She is also the co-editor of To Turn the Whole World Over: Black Women and Internationalism, New Perspectives on the Black Intellectual Tradition, and Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence.

At Ms. magazine Blain recommended "eight books, all written by women, which have shaped [her] own thinking on race, politics and activism. They each grapple with the current challenges we are facing as a nation and offer solutions and strategies for how we might build a more just and equal society. And in this moment of pain and despair, they may even offer some hope." One title on the list:

From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (2016)

Drawing connections to earlier political movements for Black rights and freedom, Taylor powerfully demonstrates how racism and inequality has limited Black access to rights, opportunities, and services. She highlights many of the problems that continue to devastate Black communities, including mass incarceration, housing discrimination and unemployment.

Significantly, Taylor emphasizes the significance and potential of the Black Lives Matter movement to radically transform American society.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue