Black Lives Matter - Important Information & Resources
![](https://network.youthmusic.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/body_image/public/Ijeoma%20Oluo.jpg?itok=M5nJ-RIC)
Following on from Youth Music’s statement in June 2020, we collated some resources to help people learn what they can do to help the Black Lives Matter movement. Credit for a lot of this post goes to Das Penman’s widely shared Instagram post. Please note this blog only scratches the surface but is a start, with some general information on racism and colonialism and some linking more specifically to this within music education. The work often starts with conversations at home – you don’t need a platform of hundreds or thousands of people to push back against racism, it can start with the people in your family or your close friends. And it’s also important to examine your own bias, prejudices and privilege. We aim to update this page frequently, especially as it gets a lot of traffic, from all over the world. This list was last updated in August 2024.
“It is not enough to be not racist, you must actively be anti racist” – Angela Davis.
General Resources
- Anti-racism resources for white people
- Further resources on Dazed Digital
- Ways To Help
- A list of resources for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement
- Practical ways to support BLM from the UK
- Suport Black-Owned Businesses
- Critical Race Theory
Music Industry/Music Education focus
- Black Lives in Music
- Unseen Unheard: Black Disabled Experience in the Music Industry (Video)
- Music in education: a living relic of Western Europe's colonial mentality
- The racial politics of music education
- Decolonise The Curriculum
- Stormzy vs Mozart vs Music Education
- Music:Leeds Linktree
- Sound Connections social justice reading and resources for organisations/companies
- Sound Connections Anti-Racism statement and resources
- Cultural Diversity in Music Resources Page YMN
- Are we failing our black boys? Nate Holder
- What Will It Take For The Music Industry To Become Truly Anti-Racist?
- Music Mark: Moving towards an anti-racist professional practice: Developing understanding and awareness
- UK Music Diversity Report - published October 2020
- Improving Inclusion & Diversity in Music Education Hubs
Books (All widely available, we encourage using alternatives to Amazon)
- Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Me And White Supremacy – Layla F Saad
- Between The World And Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Autobiography Of Malcolm X – Malcolm X & Alex Halsey
- Teaching For Black Lives – Dylan Watson, Jesse Hagopian, Wayne Au
- Black, Listed: Black British Culture Explored – Jeffrey Boakye
- How To Argue With A Racist – Adam Rutherford
- Natives - Akala
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander
- How To Be An Antiracist - Ibram X Kendi
- So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo
- White Fragility - Robin DiAngelo (a good resource but note it is written by a white author)
- Killing Rage: Ending Racism - Bell Hooks
- Sister Outside - Audre Lorde
- The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
- Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood - Trevor Noah
- The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
- If I Were A Racist - Nate Holder
Social media accounts to follow
- Rachel Cargle
- Mona Chalabi
- Munroe Bergdorf
- Candice Brathwaite
- Nate Holder
- Jeffrey Boakye
- Darren Chetty
- Akala
- Rachel Ricketts
- Mireille Cassandra Harper
- Ibram X. Kendi
- George The Poet
Organisations and campaign charities you can donate to
- Black Lives Matter
- Black Visions Collective
- Fearless Futures
- Charity So White
- Reclaim The Block
- UK QTIBIPOC Hardship Fund
- Campaign Zero
- Unicorn Riot
- Stephen Lawrence Trust
Funding for change makers and activists
Documentaries, Films & Podcasts
- 13th by Ava Duvernay (included as a free YouTube link)
- The Racial Wealth Gap - (15 mins, included as a free YouTube link)
- Seeing White
- Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
- A House Through Time
- Selma
- 12 Years A Slave
- The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson
Additional Resources in relation to race and class (added since original blog publication)
- Runnymede Trust - Race and Class
- Runnymede Trust - Reframing Race
- Race, Class and Instritutional Prejudice Report
- Race and class messaging toolkit
- Sunshine Behavioral Health - Racism as a public health crisis
- Live Another Day - A dual diagnosis guide written specifically for African Americans, addressing the complex issues surrounding mental illness and substance abuse.
- Increasing Financial Literarcy in the Black Community.
- A Guide to Working in the Trades as a Person of Colour.