Resources Library
Books Worth Reading
The Bluest Eye a Novel by Toni Morrison
The Bluest Eye, debut novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, published in 1970. Set in Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, in 1940–41, the novel tells the tragic story of Pecola Breedlove, an African American girl from an abusive home. Eleven-year-old Pecola equates beauty and social acceptance with whiteness; she therefore longs to have “the bluest eye.”
I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings by Maya Angelou
'I write about being a Black American woman, however, I am always talking about what it's like to be a human being. This is how we are, what makes us laugh, and this is how we fall and how we somehow, amazingly, stand up again'
- Maya Angelou
In this first volume of her seven books of autobiography, Maya Angelou beautifully evokes her childhood with her grandmother in the American south of the 1930s. Loving the world, she also knows its cruelty. As a Black woman she has known discrimination, violence and extreme poverty, but also hope, joy, achievement and celebration.
White Feminism by Koa Beck
In her new book, "White Feminism," Koa Beck argues that white feminism is more than a convenient label or catchphrase.
White feminism is an ideology that can be traced throughout the history of the feminist movement in the United States, starting with the suffragettes and leading up to “girl bosses,” the savvy female executives who primarily deploy feminism as a marketing strategy, the current avatars of this brand of feminism. This ideology preaches the importance of individual success and conceives of equality as something women can achieve primarily through careerist endeavors and the exploitation of other women and marginalized people. The goal of white feminism is not to alter the systems that oppress women — patriarchy, capitalism, imperialism — but to succeed within them.
Latinas in the Workplace: An Emerging Leadership Force by Esther Lopez-Mulnix
This series is about successful women who have reached the pinnacle of their careers. It features stories about extraordinary women who have found paths to success—whether it is leading a college or university or becoming successful scholars in science and engineering or thriving in some other male-dominated arena. These books offer guidance from role models for women who aspire to positions of leadership – in any field of endeavor.
Websites to Check Out
The mission of The Representation Project is to fight sexism through films, education, research, and activism. The organization runs a global youth filmmaker program to train the next generation of change agents. The Rep Project is also known for its impactful media research and social activism campaigns, including #NotBuyingIt, #AskHerMore, and #RepresentHer.
Founded in 2004 by Academy Award Winning Actor Geena Davis, the Institute is the only research-based organization working collaboratively within the entertainment industry to create gender balance, foster inclusion and reduce negative stereotyping in family entertainment media.
One in three jobs held by women is deemed “essential” during COVID-19. But this pandemic exposes deep inequities faced by low-paid workers. At the same time, it is an opportunity for the collective power of essential Black, Latinx, and Asian women workers & their experiences to transform the modern American workplace for all of us.