This post is part of the Reading Writers of Color challenge hosted by Lonely Cryptid Media’s staff writer and editor, Dan Michael Fielding.

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March, in the Northern Hemisphere, is the time of the spring equinox. In my home state of Minnesota we are still very much in the grip of icy winter, and it’s difficult to remember that in a few month’s time trees will be regrowing their leaves, flowers will be blooming, and the snow will melt again to water.

The reading writers of color challenge for March is to read a book that is social-justice oriented. This is building off momentum from last year, where the challenge in May was to read a book that was about a social justice movement or historical event. The guide introduced you to ten books on #StopAsianHate, a topic that remains relevant today.

For this guide the lens is a little broader. I have here five more books about various social justice movements to pique your interest. But you should also feel free to read books about social justice movements not listed here, and share those books in the comments sections so we can grow our reading lists.

What is a “social justice movement?” For the purposes of this challenge it is any movement which strives towards a just distribution of opportunity, wealth, and privilege. Social justice movements often strive to break down barriers to opportunity, to raise awareness of structural and institutional harm, and to effect change at a societal level.

It is important to focus not just on the race of the authors we are reading, but also on the content they are putting forth and the ideas they are presenting. The challenge for March was inspired by a memory of my African American Philosophy course in college. In that class we read from a variety of African American philosophers from the early days of this country to contemporary writers.

One debate that stands out was between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Both Du Bois and Washington were Black men who believed in the equality of Black people, but their approaches to that subject could not have been more opposite. Washington was a powerful political force who even fought the establishment of the NAACP. His views were, in a nutshell, accommodationist to the particular manifestation of white supremacy at the time.

This month’s challenge asks us to avoid reading the Booker T. Washington’s of the world and to instead read from the W.E.B Du Bois’s. Not to say that we shouldn’t read other works in order to understand their perspective, but there are no shortage of accommodationists who find their works elevated by the structures of racism within media production.

For this challenge try to pick books that are truly social justice oriented. Avoid books that say the status quo is acceptable, or which try to placate eager activism into moving more slowly. Avoid books which claim nothing can be done to solve problems, or which are dismissive of people taking the “wrong sort” of action.

Instead, enjoy books which call for liberation and imagine new possibilities. Read about people taking real action and hear their perspective on what went wrong and what they would do differently next time. Read about the real challenges that those involved in social justice movements face, and what keeps them coming back each day regardless.

To get us started here are five books about five distinct (yet always interrelated) social justice movements:

What books about social justice movements have you read and enjoyed? What are you planning to read this month? Share in the comments below so we can grow our reading lists!

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