Afro-Asian, Afro-Latino and Afro-Native American Book Recommendations

From racial slurs on social media to hurtful speech, recent incidents on college/university campuses suggest our nation has difficult work ahead in creating communities free of racism. Plus, we all come face-to-face with stereotypes about ourselves that interfere with understanding each other's culture and history. For example, Angela Glover Blackwell, Stewart Kwoh and Manuel Pastor write in Searching for the Uncommon Ground: New Dimensions of Race in America that "Latinos are often tired of hearing the issue of race reduced to black and white." The three authors go on to say Asians are "...monolithically considered the "model minority" by the larger society."

At the Association for Black Culture Centers (ABCC), we want to connect Latinos, Asians, Native Americans and African descended people through the Africana experience, as well as through their ethnic-specific Culture Centers. We believe a great place to start is exploring this list of book titles on Afro-Latino, Afro-Asian and Afro-Native American relationships. Finding a book that interests you and sharing what you've learned with others connects to our organization's larger goals:

1. Reclaim ethnic cultures – an understanding of their cross-fertilization
2. Be clear of myths and stereotypes regarding those cultures
3. Develop knowledge-based strategies to move beyond stereotypes and build synergy among ethnic-specific Culture Centers

You can also support our organization's goals and mission by becoming an ABCC member. Together, we’ll increase the understanding of each ethnic group's history and culture. It’s an effort we believe will lead to authentic integration on your campus and in your community.

Featured Books

Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White
By Frank H. Wu

Microphone Fiends: Youth Music and Youth Culture
Edited by Andrew Ross and Tricia Rose

Chocolate and Corn Flour: History, Race, and Place in the Making of “Black” Mexico
By Laura A. Lewis