Celebrate Juneteenth by Doing Some Reading! - a list of our favorite books on being an ally

Happy Juneteenth, friends! If you're reading this, you're excited about the idea of educating yourself on, or perhaps furthering your awareness of, the Black Experience. Chef Julia is no expert, but she's done some reading on this subject thanks to her time in a fabulous local book club, and she'd like to share her favorites here!

White Fragility - written by a white woman, this book was an easy intro to this subject (as Chef is also white and a woman) and a lot of the situations she described felt close to home. A good context-setting book for further reading;

The Warmth of Other Suns - this book recounts the tale of the Great Migration, and is dense, covering decades of time and thousands of miles through the eyes of three unique individuals as they transition from slaves to "free people". It is a a practice in empathy and will leave you marveling at the strength and determination of the protagonists. 

The Color of Money - painful at times, this tome describes the numerous times Black wealth has been undermined or stolen by American banks and real estate practices, and makes bold suggestions for how to close the gap going forward.

Between the World and Me - a work of poetry or art more than literature, this book attempts to put into words what it feels like to inhabit a Black body in modern times. A great tool for empathy building, beautiful, and a joy to read.  

Me and White Supremacy - a great book for workshopping your racism! Full of exercises and prompts, this is less a book to read and more a book to DO. And we all need to be doing MORE.  

Next up: The New Jim Crow - this book was actually recommended by Sous Chef Delisa! That's up next for chef's book club. 

Enjoy, and thanks for reading! If you end up picking one of these up and love it, drop us a line. 

Ready for more? Read some suggestions for Father's Day gifts and adventures here!