Essential Reading

In 2003, at the age of 92, revolutionary philosopher and activist Grace Lee Boggs delivered an impassioned speech titled “These are the times to grow our souls.” Reflecting on decades of struggle for Black liberation, Boggs concluded the urgent need to “recognize that we must each become a part of the solution because we are each a part of the problem.”

We must move beyond denial, identity politics and paralysis to create a new paradigm of selfhood and solidarity. But how? The task of developing a practice and orientation for a sustained response requires both literacy and action. At some point over the weekend, after watching several hours of media coverage, when I craved a deeper analysis than what I could gather from my social media feed, I walked to my bookshelf and began re-reading Alice Walker’s Overcoming Speechlessness. Her words remind me of the necessity to think beyond inherited ways of framing the moment we are in.

That is part of the work we are currently faced with. As we witness the manifestations of racialized apartheid in the U.S., we are challenged to think about our racial identities and capitulation differently. We will be confronted with questions of our own complacency and responsibility. But we can’t stop there. We will be asked to name the failures and also direct our energy toward alternatives.

This requires having new conversations, cultivating new ways of seeing and orienting ourselves toward anti-racism. I believe this work will be amplified through engagement with voices old and new who provide us with essential tools to push our thinking forward.

Here are some books that can help. Find them at such local stores as Tsunami Books, J. Michaels Books and Smith Family Booksellers.

Books defining the conversation

How to Be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Random House, $27

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele. St. Martin’s Griffin, $13.99

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. New Press, $17

Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. AK Press, $16

Essential women of color feminist analysis

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde. Crossing Press, $14.99

Women Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis. Random House, $16.95

Biographies

Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur. Foreword by Angela Davis. AK Press, $18.95

Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama by Diane Carol Fujino. University of Minnesota Press, $19

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X. Random House Publishing, $18

Books that fit in your back pocket

and you can read in a day

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis. Seven Stories Press, $7.96

Overcoming Speechlessness by Alice Walker. Seven Stories Press, $7.96

Books that will change you

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. One World, $14

How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America by Keise Laymon. Agate, $15

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!