13th (2016, dir. Ava DuVernay)
This documentary directed by Ava DuVernay showcases the ways black Americans have been unfairly criminalized and imprisoned even after the 13th amendment ended slavery in the United States. It dives deep into issues like the disproportional imprisonment rates of black and brown Americans, criminalization of black activists, and the privatization of prisons that have contributed to the serious racial issues in our criminal justice system today. This documentary was especially important to me because it lays out the issues with the systematic racism in our legal system concisely and in an interesting way, as well as the historical context for how these issues were perpetuated at every level of the government for generations. This taught me a lot about the unfair criminalization of activists of color that crippled movements for black liberation, and a lot about the narratives we tell in our history that disadvantage minority groups.
Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)
This book recounts lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s work with the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization that provides legal advocacy to incarcerated individuals. It provides an interesting and timely look at the issues with the American criminal justice system, most especially the issues surrounding racial discrimination and the death penalty. This is the book that inspired me to study the intersections of racial issues and the criminal justice system, and to further examine ways our criminal justice system could be reformed. This is an extremely compelling book that uses powerful examples to illustrate the racism that has and continues to exist in the American criminal justice system, and I think this should be necessary reading for anyone looking at a career in criminal justice.
Say Nothing (Patrick Radden Keefe)
This book discusses the terror that was inflicted on communities in Northern Ireland by paramilitaries during the Troubles, a period of conflict between Irish nationalists and British security services that lasted decades. During this time, civilian communities often lived under the fear of paramilitary violence, whether the violence came from members of the Catholic-nationalist community or the Protestant-unionist one. Many innocent people, as is discussed in the book, were killed by paramilitaries on the suspicion of being informers, disloyal, or simply angering the wrong person. The fight to get justice for these people was extremely complicated, and continues to this day. This book was especially important to me in gaining a perspective on international issues of social justice, and in my work at the Pat Finucane Center in Derry, Northern Ireland. I learned a lot about social movements in other countries through this and my work at the PFC, and I hope to take what I’ve learned into my future career.
Why Does He Do That? (Lundy Bancroft)
This book explains the dynamics and psychology that create and are perpetuated by people, especially men, who commit domestic abuse. I read this book in preparation for my internship at Tubman, and it taught me a lot about not only things my loved ones had experienced, but how to help other people going through the same things.This book taught me a lot about the pathology behind domestic abuse, and how to interrupt the cycle and give abuse survivors more control over their own life.
Stamped From the Beginning (Ibram Kendi)
This book discusses the history of racism in America through the lens of thinkers who perpetuated racist and antiracist ideas throughout American history. Examining intellectuals from Cotton Mather to Angela Davis, Kendi provides an incredible analysis of the history of racism in America. While I only read this book recently, I include it in this list because of how important history and remembrance is to my interpretation of social justice. I strongly believe that knowing where we’ve been in the past, and making sure we hear narratives from people who have previously not been able to tell their stories is necessary to improve things in the future. I think justice cannot happen without first understanding the scope of the wrongs that were initially done, and how they affect the wrongs that are being done today.
Marshall (2017, dir. Reginald Hudlin)
This movie is a fictional account of activist and lawyer Thurgood Marshall’s (later the first black justice on the Supreme Court) defending a black man accused of rape in front of an all-white jury in the 1940s. Despite not even being allowed to speak in the courtroom, and the court of public opinion having tried and convicted his client, Marshall is able to overcome the odds and prove his client’s innocence. This film was especially important to my understanding of social justice because it showed how, even in a system that disadvantages people of color to such a heavy extent, dedicated advocates can make a difference, even if it’s just for one person.