As an organization and a part of the Central Ohio community, Columbus Crew SC is committed to creating an educated and equitable society. In doing so, we want to provide educational resources and encourage open dialogue about our past, and to explore more thoroughly our relationships with our community and our roles as citizens.

As we put forth our efforts to educate, organize, and activate, we want to provide resources and educational information in the fight against systemic racism.

See below for educational and donation resources to help address this pervasive issue, whether by learning, taking action, or donating. This list is non-exhaustive, and we encourage everyone to use the linked resources as a means to continue learning about our respective roles in this fight, and ways to make our communities more welcoming places.

Educational Resources:

Literature, Podcasts, & Film:

For more information on the following article, podcast, film, & children's resources lists, view here.
The following book list came from the Center for Racial Justice in Education's resource page, ACLU-Washington's Recommended Summer Reading List, and Major League Soccer's Anti-Racism Education Resource Center.
*Additionally, check out Powell's reading list and the New York Times' reading list for more material.

What To Read:

Articles:

• “The Death of George Floyd, In Context,” by Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker
• “Of Course There Are Protests. The State Is Failing Black People,” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for the New York Times
• “This Is How Loved Ones Want Us To Remember George Floyd,” by Alisha Ebrahimji for CNN.
• The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning The 1619 Project is as important as ever. Take some time to read (or re-read) the entire thing, particularly this essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones
• “You shouldn’t need a Harvard degree to survive birdwatching while black,” by Samuel Getachew, a 17-year-old and the 2019 Oakland youth poet laureate, for the Washington Post
• “It’s exhausting. How many hashtags will it take for all of America to see Black people as more than their skin color?” by Rita Omokha for Elle
• “The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates for The Atlantic
• “How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change,” by Barack Obama in Medium
• “Black Male Writers For Our Time,” by Ayana Mathis in New York Times, T
• “I Was The Mayor Of Minneapolis And I Know Our Cops Have A Problem,” by R.T. Rybak
• “Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge,” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles Times
• “I’m Black. My Mom is White. This Is The Talk We Had To Have About George Floyd’s Killing,” by Kimberly J. Miller for the Huffington Post
• A project from Harvard University about implicit bias
• “The Law Isn’t Neutral,” by Boston University School of Law dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig in Slate

​Books:

• Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America's Largest Criminal Court by Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• White Fragility by Robin J. DiAngelo
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Brown Boy by Daphnie Glenn
• Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
• Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
• Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
• How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color by Andrea J. Ritchie
• Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
• Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
• Redefining Realness by Janet Mock 
• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
• The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
  by Grace Lee Boggs
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga
• When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson
• White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
• Bolgatz, J. Talking Race in the Classroom. New York: Teachers College Press, 2005.
• Derman-Sparks, Louise, and Patricia Ramsay. What If All the Kids Are White? Anti-Bias Multicultural Education with Young Children and Families. New York: Teachers College Press, 2006.
• Genishi, Celia, and A. Lin Goodwin. Diversities in Early Childhood Education: Rethinking and Doing. New York: Teacher College Press, 2008.
• Irving, Debbie. Waking Up White in the Story of my Race. Chicago: Elephant Room Press, 2014.
• Lee, Enid, Deborah Menkart and Margo Okazawa-Rey, eds. Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education, and Staff Development. Washington, DC: Network of Educators on the Americas [NECA], 1998.
• Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.The New Press, 2013.
• Michael, Ali. Raising Race Questions: Whiteness and Inquiry in Education. New York: Teachers College Press, 2015.
• Pollock, M. Colormute: Race Talk Dilemmas in an American School. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 2004.
• Pollock, M. (Ed.) Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School. New. York: The New Press. 2008.
• Steele, Claude M. Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. New York: W. W Norton & Company, 2010.
• Stevenson, Howard C. Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference. New York: Teachers College Press, 2015.
• Tatum, B. D. “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations About Race. New York:  Harper/Collins. 1997. 
• Tatum, B.D. “Can We Talk About Race?” and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation. New York: Beacon Press, 2007.
• Van Ausdale, D. & Feagin, J.R. The First R: How Children Learn Race and Racism.Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 2001.

What To Watch:

• The Hate U Give, a film based on the YA novel offering an intimate portrait of race in America
• Just Mercy, a film based on civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s work on death row in Alabama
• The 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley
• My hour on the history of Confederate statues in Nat Geo’s America Inside Out
• Becoming, a Netflix documentary following Michelle Obama on her book tour
• Let It Fall, a documentary looking at racial tensions in Los Angeles and the 1992 riots over LAPD officers’ brutal assault on Rodney King
• When They See Us, a Netflix miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five
• 13th, a Netflix documentary exposing racial inequality within the criminal justice system
• I Am Not Your Negro, a documentary envisioning the book James Baldwin was never able to finish
• Selma, a film that chronicles the marches of the Civil Rights Movement
• Whose Streets?, a documentary about the uprising in Ferguson
• Fruitvale Station, a film with Michael B. Jordan about the killing of Oscar Grant
• American Son, a film with Kerry Washington about an estranged interracial couple waiting for their missing son
• The Central Park Five, a documentary from Ken Burns

Who To Follow:

• Rachel Cargle, a writer and lecturer who explores the intersection between race and womanhood
• Ibram X. Kendi, the author of How To Be An Antiracist and Director of the Antiracism Center
• Nikkolas Smith, the artist behind portraits of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others
• Charlene Carruthers, founder of the Black Youth Project 100
• Brittany Packnett Cunningham, co-founder of Campaign Zero, a policy platform to end police violence, and a host of Pod Save The People
• Ally Henny, a Christian commentator on race
• Candace Andrews, a photographer documenting protests

What To Listen To:

• This podcast episode with Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan, and Bryan Stevenson about Just Mercy
• Still Processing, a New York Times culture podcast with Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morrison
• Seeing White, a Scene on the Radio podcast
• Code Switch, an NPR podcast tackling race from all angles
• Jemele Hill is Unbothered, a podcast with award-winning journalist Jemele Hill
• Hear To Slay, “the black feminist podcast of your dreams,” with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom
• Pod Save The People, organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics with analysis from fellow activists Brittany Packnett, Sam Sinyangwe, and writer Dr. Clint Smith III
• The Appeal, a podcast on criminal justice reform hosted by Adam Johnson
• Justice In America, a podcast by Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith on criminal justice reform
• Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi, a podcast episode on antiracism

Resources For Kids & Teens

What To Watch:

Films, Series, & Documentaries

• The Hate U Give, a film based on the YA novel offering an intimate portrait of race in America
• Becoming, a Netflix documentary following Michelle Obama on her book tour
• Dear White People, a Netflix series about being black at a predominantly white college
• Hidden Figures, a film about the brilliant African American women of NASA
• These 26 New York Times mini-films for students

What To Read:

• “Talking About Race.” Helpful resources from the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
• Dear Martin by Nic Stone
• Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
• Anything by Angie Thomas.
• The Colors Of Us by Karen Katz
• Skin Again by Bell Hooks
• Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
• Monster by Walter Dean Myers
• This Promise of Change by Jo Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
• How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race | NPR
• Teaching Your Child About Black History Month | PBS
• Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup from Pretty Good

Donation Opportunities & Community Initiatives:

• IMPACT Community Action - Founded in 1964 in the wake of President Lyndon Johnson's vision for a society that ushered in Civil Rights reform, IMPACT Community Action was formed to fight the war on poverty and is one of 48 Community Action Agencies in Ohio and more than 1,100 nationally.
• Columbus Urban League- A community‐based, non‐profit, advocacy organization dedicated to empowering African Americans and disenfranchised groups through economic, educational and social progress.
• Maroon Arts Group- The Maroon Arts Group (MAG) is a collective of creatives who have galvanized to develop and provide a platform for conscious art centered around the preservation and promotion of cultures of African descent. Learn more about their programs, events, and how to volunteer.
• People's Justice Project- A nonprofit grassroots organization of working people and communities of color united across Columbus, Ohio.
• Community Development For All People - A group dedicated to creating a more inclusive and sustainable community on the south side of Columbus.
• Mozaic- A wellness program and community space for transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people of color ages 13-29.
• Black Lives Matter- Help the fight to end State-sanctioned violence, liberate Black people, and end white supremacy forever.
• ACLU of Ohio- Donate to help fund legal battles and urgent advocacy efforts as we fight to end police brutality, demand racial justice, and defend the right to protest.
• Columbus Freedom Fund - Support those who fight for equality in Columbus.
• Community Bail Funds- Fight not just your community, but for those experiencing injustice across the country.
• Campaign Zero - A national movement to end police violence in America.
• Unicorn Riot- An independent media organization dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues across the nation.
• Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law - Donate to help mobilize, advocate, and litigate against the inequities facing marginalized communities.
• George Floyd Memorial Fund- Donations will assist with the burial and memorial costs, in addition to the estate of George Floyd and in support of his children.
• For Our Future Ohio Action Fund - For Our Future Ohio is dedicated to ensuring economic prosperity, strong public schools, racial & social justice and environmental protection.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund - Donate to the NAACP LDF, as they fight racial injustice through litigation, advocacy, and public education.
• YWCA of Columbus- Help local leaders initiate systematic social change that will create a city of peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all in Columbus.

Juneteenth:

Learn more about the historical legacy of Juneteenth through this resource center provided by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture.