While finishing up my previous blog post reflecting on the Rise Up! conference, I realized I still had some fragments of information left over in my notes. Throughout the Q&As, during the programs, and while chatting with librarians I made sure to make note of any recommendation I was given. The recommendations ranged anywhere from helpful online resources to community organizations to informative books and movies, but they didn’t quite fit into the flow of my reflection so I decided to document them in a brief categorized listicle. I’m hoping I’ll be able to quickly reference this whenever I need help with my own personal career development or maybe the next time I need something for a library program.

Books

• The Little Book of Circle Processes – A New/Old Approach to Peacekeeping: a book about the benefits and process of facilitating a Peace Circle as a way of intervention
• Love, Hate and Other Filters: a book about a Muslim teen coping with Islamophobia, cultural divides among peers and parents, and a reality she can neither explain nor escape
• This Book is Gay: a self-proclaimed instruction manual for coming out a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans

Movies/Videos

• Each One, Reach One: a video project in which teens interview older generations of civil rights activists
• Race – The Power of an Illusion: a three-part PBS documentary that investigates race in society, history, and science
• The Interrupters: a documentary about three people who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed
• 13th: a documentary that explores the intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States
• Forgiveness – A Time to Love and a Time to Hate: a multi-part PBS series exploring forgiveness
• See What I’m Saying – The Deaf Entertainers Documentary: a documentary detailing the lives, trials and tribulations of several successful entertainers — all of whom are deaf.
• Being 12 – The Year Everything Changes: interviews with middle schoolers from NYC about race and what it’s like to grow up today

Organizations

• Thriftbooks: a large web-based used book seller, great for donating non-circulating material if you don’t want to just throw them out
• The If Project – Incarcerated Voices: a collaboration of law enforcement, currently and previously incarcerated adults and community partners focused on intervention, prevention and reduction in incarceration and recidivism
• Not in Our Town: a movement to stop hate, address bullying, and build safe, inclusive communities for all
• Our Voices Chicago: an online pledge to promote diversity in your work space
• Tiger Stripe Publishing: an independent publisher of print and electronic books with the mission of developing high-quality products that celebrate underrepresented people
• StoryCorps: a non-profit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs
• Teen Parent Connection: a nonprofit agency serving teen parents in DuPage County as they navigate the challenges of both parenthood and adolescence
• PBIS: an organization with the broad purpose of improving the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schools and other agencies
• Bella Books: a small press publisher of lesbian literature

Online Resources for Programming

• Libraries 4 Black Lives: an online resource guide to developing programs and having conversations that ensure libraries are a safe space for black lives
• Make: DIY projects and ideas for Makers
• UChicago – Urban Labs: five labs working to address challenges across five key dimensions of urban life (crime, education, health, poverty, and energy and environment)

Blogs

• Reading While White: a blog of white librarians organized to confront racism in the field of children’s and young adult literature