LibGuides: Resources on Race, Racism/Anti-Racism, Policing and Equality: Activism

Young people are quickly becoming the revolutionaries of today. How can you get involved? Hannah Testa highlights her story as a youth activist and provides steps and advice on speaking out.

For the introverts among us, traditional forms activism like marches, protests and door-to-door canvassing can be intimidating and stressful. Take it from Sarah Corbett, a former professional campaigner and self-proclaimed introvert. She introduces us to "craftivism," a quieter form of activism that uses handicrafts as a way to get people to slow down and think deeply about the issues they're facing, all while engaging the public more gently.

Activism Resources

International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
ICNC provides information and educational opportunities about nonviolent civil resistance to activists and organizers around the world.
The Power to Change the World: A Teaching Unit on Student Activism in History and Today
From the NY Times, In this unit, students consider these questions as they examine gun-violence activism by teenagers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
ACLU | Racial Justice Program
The Racial Justice Program (RJP) fights to eradicate racial injustice in the U.S. and works to foster a society in which people of color and communities of color have full access to the rights and benefits of American society. Working with affected communities, RJP litigates, advocates, and educates to strike at the roots of racial injustice.
Activist Education | The Change Agency
Activist education is conducted by and with activists, is openly interested in the processes of change-making, and utilises education methods that effect justice-oriented social change.
Activism in the Social Media Age
As the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag turns 5 years old, a look at its evolution on Twitter and how Americans view social media's impact on political and civic engagement
The CROWN Act | Hair Discimination
Currently, it is legal to discriminate against a person in the workplace, schools, and/or pools because of their natural or protective hairstyle in all states except for California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, New Mexico, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Illinois, Maine, Tennessee, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Alaska, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, Arkansas, and Vermont. Hair discrimination remains a source of racial injustice with serious economic consequences for Black people. The CROWN Act corrects these racial injustice by making race-based hair discrimination illegal. See more about the CROWN Act and the petition here.

Activism Books

Communication Activism Research for Social Justice by Kevin M. Carragee
Call Number: HM671 .C3877 2024
ISBN: 9780367772680
Publication Date: 2023-09-01
Communication scholars have taken seriously the call for engaged scholarship, and this book examines the principles, practices, and outcomes of communication activism research for social justice. Communication activism research differs from other engaged communication scholarship through researchers promoting social justice, intervening collaboratively, and creating or assisting established collective actors that represent marginalized communities. Collective actors examined in this book include Black Lives Matter, the feminist movement, and LGBTQ+ groups. This book provides practical guidance on how to perform communication activism research, offering recommendations for managing its challenges and discussing qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating research interventions focusing on significant contemporary issues. This book will appeal to scholars who study and teach communication and social justice activism as well as scholars from disciplines such as sociology, and it is ideal as a text in courses on communication and activism, engaged communication scholarship, communication and social movements, and communication research methods.
Artificial intelligence, strategic communicators and activism by Lukasz Swiatek, Marina Vujnovic, Chris Galloway and Dean Kruckeberg.
Call Number: HD30.3 .S973 2024
ISBN: 9781032348308
Publication Date: 2024
This book argues that strategic communicators are uniquely placed to counter these AI-driven ethical dilemmas, by building their skills in human relationships and relationship-building, and their ability to craft and to deliver messages effectively. By discussing the different approaches that professionals can take across the spectrum of practice in relation to the challenges of AI, the book offers multiple perspectives that will help to build knowledge in diverse settings, and develop practice especially in community and activist strategic communication.