Ten to Read, Hear and See About Race – Bruce Reyes-Chow

Not generally a big fan of the Top Ten List, I do understand that, taken as whole, many of these Top Ten suggestions can help to share some interesting news and instigate good debate.  And do not worry, I am under no delusions that my list of 10 is in any way exhaustive or even authoritative. This list is more of a, “If you asked me at this very moment as I sip my coffee at my favorite cafe” kind of list.

So in no particular order . . .

BOOK The Racial Middle: Latinos and Asian Americans Living Beyond the Racial Divide by Eileen O’Brien – This is a good read that explores some of the issues facing Latino/a and Asian folks in the United States around race when conversations are so often focused on White/Black dynamics.

BOOKParty Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence by Keli Goff – An insightful look at some of the generational shifts as politics emerges from the hands of the baby boomer and civil rights generations.

BOOKAmerica Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan – A classic story of the Filipino immigrant experience written by one of the giants of Filipino literature.

GRAPHIC NOVEL – Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology a great collaboration of Asian American artist and writers who tackle some important questions of identity and culture.

BLOG – Colorlines.com – A great source or insightful commentary and news that impacts conversations about race.

BLOG – Rhetoric, Race and Religion – Some great writers and aggregator of topics that converge around faith, politics, life and race.

BLOG – Angry Asian Man Curator of the disturbing, insightful and amusing as it relates to Asian American life and politics.

VIDEO- How To Tell People They Are Racist by Jay Smooth, is one of the best videos out there to help folks see the difference between being a racist and doing something that is racist.  [Watch Video]

VIDEO – Marlon Esquerra’s Spoken Word, Nothing, is a power piece about the struggles to speak out from generation to generation. [Watch Video]

MOVIE The Debut Not the best movie ever made in terms of filmmaking, but the topic and content is well-worth seeing. Keeping in mind that it’s still a Hollywood flick, the story of a Filipino American community rang about 75% true for me: the food, the family and playing basketball at night with car headlights lighting the court.

I would love to know of other books, videos, blogs, etc. that would add the breadth of perspectives and experiences, so please share away!

Bruce Reyes-Chow is the author of The Definitive-ish Guide for Using Social Media in the Church as well as the soon-to-be-released, “But I don’t see you as Asian”: Curating Conversations about Race. He can be found online on twitter at @breyeschow, on facebook at @breyeschowpage and/or on his blog at www.reyes-chow.com.

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