General Resources

Ethnographies, Multicultural/Diversity Readings, Social Justice

GR 1: The People Speak, American Voices, Some Famous, Some Little Known: Dramatic Readings Celebrating the Enduring Spirit of Dissent edited by Howard Zin: To celebrate the millionth copy sold of Howard Zinn’s great People’s History of the United States, Zinn drew on the words of Americans — some famous, some little known — across the range of American history. These words were read by a remarkable cast at an event held at the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City that included James Earl Jones, Alice Walker, Jeff Zinn, Kurt Vonnegut, Alfre Woodard, Marisa Tomei, Danny Glover, Myla Pitt, Harris Yulin, and Andre Gregory.  From that celebration, this book was born. Collected here under one cover is a brief history of America told through dramatic readings applauding the enduring spirit of dissent.

GR 2: Love in a Global Village: A Celebration of Intercultural Families in the Midwest by Jessie Carroll Grearson and Lauren B. Smith: In praise of diversity, Jessie Grearson and Lauren Smith offer Love in a Global Village: A Celebration of Intercultural Families in the Midwest, an account of the triumphs of fifteen intercultural families and the perseverance of their relationships in Midwestern America. Love in a Global Village presents love stories in which couples recount their courtships, their adventures and difficulties, and their individual choices to build lives together despite differences of race, language, religion, and culture. Divided into four sections, the book presents a progression from early courtship and marriage to raising children and preserving multiple cultures and traditions.

GR 3: Struggle for Respect: Reader Volume 2: Composition of Poetry with an emphasis on multicultural and racial perspectives.

GR 4: Struggle for Respect:  Reader Volume 2: Composition of Poetry with an emphasis on multicultural and racial perspectives.

GR 5: Struggle for Respect: Composition of Poetry with an emphasis on multicultural and racial perspectives.

GR 6: Struggle for Respect: Composition of Poetry with an emphasis on multicultural and racial perspectives.

GR 7: A Salute to Historic Black Women: An Empak “Black History” Publication Series: Profiles the accomplishments of twenty-four American Black women over the past three centuries.

GR 8: The Jackson Phenomenon: The Man, The Power, The Message by Elizabeth O. Colton: In January 1988, Colton, a former foreign correspondent for Newsweek , was asked by Jackson to serve as his press secretary. She began work with his presidential campaign plans already in place. It took Colton a few months to become disillusioned and quit, mainly over Jackson’s egocentrism and shabby treatment of staff members. He would frequently reprimand Colton publicly, usually for little reason, and even went so far once as to punch her in the back when she got between him and the television camera. While a number of similar episodes are recounted, Colton does not dwell on them. Hers is mostly an insider’s view of the candidate’s impressive performance on the campaign trail.

GR 9: I’ve Known Rivers: Lives of Loss and Liberation by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot: Portraying six African American professionals, Lawrence-Lightfoot shows that even successful African Americans are affected by racism. Her work elegantly complements the statistical approach to African American life while offering valuable biographical information on these unsung individuals.

GR 10: Living in the Shadows of a Legend: Unsung Heroes and ‘Sheroes” Who Marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Deric A. Gilliard: Deric Gilliard has done a commendable job in searching out and interviewing some of the heroes who made the civil rights movement such an important episode in American history. As time goes on, their numbers are declining, and he caught several before their inevitable deaths. They give an eyewitness account to history that will help to bring it alive for future generations.

GR 11: Malcom X: A Tribute, A Literary Anthology Toward Liberation: Malcolm X / Gwendolyn Brooks — For Black poets who think of leadership / D.H. Melhem — A libationary chant-prayer for Malcolm and his sacred autobiography / Louis C. Young, Jr. — Malcolm ; For unborn Malcolms / Sonia Sanchez — Requiem for Malcolm X / C. Eric Lincoln — X… is a constant in time / J.E.M. Jones — In honor of truth and the prophet Malcolm X / Juan Villegas — The meaning of el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz in the 1980’s / James Jennings — Malcolm X, the man and his times / John Henrik Clarke — For Malcolm, for us / Kalamu ya Salaam — Death in the family: a memory of Malcolm / Alfred Duckett — Schooling Malcolm: Malcolm Little and Black culture during the Golden Age of jazz / Douglas Henry Daniels — The death of Malcolm X / Amiri Baraka — Selected bibliography of Malcolm X.

GR 12: Going for the Gold: The Story of Black Women in Sports by Ken Bentley

GR 13: Speaking Truth to Power by Anita Hill: Professor Hill addresses issues surrounding her testimony at the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings in 1991, including the difficulty of being thrown into the media spotlight and the effect these events had on women and the workplace.

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