Confronting Systemic Racism: A Compilation of History-Based Resources

Last Updated June 12, 2020

On June 4, 2020, the Montgomery History staff and Board of Directors released a statement regarding the role of historical societies in addressing systemic racism. As part of our contribution to this national effort, we have compiled a list of reading material and other resources that explore our country’s history with racism, police brutality, and other relevant topics. As those who study history know, learning about our past is vital to understanding our present. Please explore this list of resources and write to us if you have contributions, suggestions, or thoughts. Contact Executive Director Matt Logan at MLogan@MontgomeryHistory.org.

Chotiner, I. (2020, June 1). Bryan Stevenson on the frustration behind the George Floyd protests. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/bryan-stevenson-on-the-frustration-behind-the-george-floyd-protests

*Duffin, S. & Smith, A. (2020). Gibbs v. Broome: Rockville’s place on the road to Brown v. Board of Education. The Montgomery County Story, 62(2).

*Duyer, L. (2014). Mob law on Delmarva: Cases of lynchings, near-lynchings, and race riots of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia 1870-1950. Self-published.

Equal Justice Initiative. (2017). Lynching in America: Confronting the legacy of racial terror. https://eji.org/reports/lynching-in-america

Foner, E. (1988). Reconstruction: America’s unfinished revolution 1863-1877. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Goff, Dr. P. A. (April 2019). How we can make racism a solvable problem—and improve policing [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_phillip_atiba_goff_how_we_can_make_racism_a_solvable_problem_and_improve_policing?referrer=playlist-talks_to_help_you_understand_r

Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an anti-racist. Random House.

*LaRoche, C. J. (2013). Free black communities and the Underground Railroad: The geography of resistance. University of Illinois Press.

*Loewen, J.W. (2005). Sundown towns: A hidden dimension of American racism. The New Press.

*Masur, J. (2019). Heroes of the Underground Railroad around Washington, D.C. The History Press.

McKinstry, C. (2011). While the world watched: A Birmingham bombing survivor comes of age during the Civil Rights Movement. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

*Mills, B. (2007). Got my mind set on freedom: Maryland’s story of black & white activism 1663-2000. Heritage Books, Inc.

Rothstein, R. (2018). The color of law: A forgotten history of how our government segregated America. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation.

*Available from Montgomery History through our museum shop. Contact Office Manager Stacie Vodra at SVodra@MontgomeryHistory.org for more information.