White friends; fiction is part of our work trying to deprogram ourselves from our racist upbringing. Representation in fiction isn’t only “for” BIPOC to see themselves in stories, it is also important for white readers/viewers to see BIPOC characters. Fiction leads to empathy.

It’s not only on us to educate our minds about racism. It’s on us to educate our emotional responses, to try to condition our our learned secret hatreds and fears by replacing them with empathy, with knowing that BIPOC (& not only our friends) are as complex and beautiful as we

Because our society taught us every day growing up that only white people are fully human. That’s something that fiction (or autobiography) can help with. Maybe my white friends have other ways to do that work, and that’s great. But to me, fiction has been the best help

Conversely, fiction that reinforces the pervading racism of our society is to be avoided, not only to deprive the creators of our money, but to avoid the shoring up of the hatreds and fears every one of us was taught from birth.

A quick google brings up a lot, although most of the first page is children’s lit, which is fine, but here’s a great list that links to previous great lists; http://www.artforourselves.org/reviews/read-bipoc-a-list-of-books-by-black-indigenous-andor-people-of-color-writers

But I’m currently reading Lovecraft Country, which is EXCELLENT so far. I was up late with it

Anyway I’m not out here to tell y’all what to do I guess, and this thread comes off as “”virtue signaling” I guess but it’s what I think. Quick addition as well: don’t shy away from works that are ABOUT racism, confront that, but you can read/watch/seek out other stories too