University Library: Additional Resources on Race: Support Resources

Other Resources to Support Learning and Engagement

While we in the Library encourage academic research and scholarly investigation, we also realize discussions on topics like race require broader education. The Association of Research Libraries reminds us that authority is both constructed and contextual, and that "are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used." This page contains a range of resources for self-care and advocacy. These resources are publicly available on the internet and are only a small selection of what is available. They come from a variety of different perspectives and may not all resonate with each reader.

Most importantly, if you are struggling with mental health and feelings of depression, hopelessness, and anxiety, please reach out to someone. Some available resources follow:

CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services)
Community Counseling Center
Region 8 Crisis Services
National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255

If you are affiliated with FGCU (student, staff, faculty) and need to talk about discrimination or harassment, please reach out to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.

Support Resources for People of Color

Black and African American Communities and Mental Health
Mental Health America works nationally and locally to raise awareness about mental health. We believe that everyone at risk for mental illnesses and related disorders should receive early and effective interventions. Historically, communities of color experience unique and considerable challenges in accessing mental health services.
George Floyd and Me
But one of the painful things I’ve discovered over the last eight years or so since Trayvon Martin’s killing is that it’s possible to agree on those things and yet be in a completely different place when it comes to the issue of racial injustice. It also doesn’t mean that being a Christian has exempted me from the reality of being a black man in America and all the stigma that comes with it.
Filling Our Cups: 4 Ways People of Color Can Foster Mental Health and Practice Restorative Healing
Mental illness does not discriminate on the basis of identity or background. By denying our humanity, we downplay the mental-health effects of racial trauma.
I Tried to Fight Racism by Being a "Model Minority" - And Then It Backfired
I’m no longer interested in centering those who refuse to see my humanity.
Not Alone: Talking Through Impostor Syndrome
Impostor syndrome is the frequent feeling of not deserving one’s success and of being of a failure despite a sustained record of achievements.
Self-Care DIY: A How-To Just for You
As folks who are living at the intersections of many different experiences of oppression — queer, trans, gender non-conforming, people of colour, disabilities, class — self-care is more than just a practice, it is an act of resistance.
Strong Black Women Need Therapy Too
The trope of being a "strong, black woman" can be a blessing and a curse.
Students' Coping Strategies against Racial Microaggressions
From the University of Illinois Racial Microaggressions Research Project.
Surviving & Resisting Hate: A Toolkit for People of Color
Remember that the system does not get to determine your worth, dignity, and humanity.
Why Self-Compassion Works Better Than Self-Esteem
Boosting your ego won’t make you feel better. Instead, try talking to yourself like you would your best friend.
Why We Need Self-Care in the Face of Race-Based Trauma
Taking a break from the upsetting news cycle isn't proof that you're not affected by it. It's taking stock of your own health and well-being, and if you're a mother or caregiver, those of your loved ones as well.

Support Resources for Criminal Justice Advocates

Bureau of Justice Statistics
To collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded.
Campaign Zero
The Police Use of Force Project investigates the ways in which police use of force policies help to enable police violence in our communities.
Equal Justice Initiative
Committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
Equal Justice Society
Transforming the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social science, and the arts. EJS targets its advocacy efforts on school discipline, special education, and the school-to-prison pipeline, race-conscious remedies, and inequities in the criminal justice system.
Forward Through Ferguson
An in-depth exploration of changes made in the law enforcement space. Called the State of Police Reform, we set out to answer three core questions about police reform since the killing of Michael Brown and release of the Ferguson Commission Report. We need to be clear about our goal: to set a new culture and climate for public safety that is deeply committed to building a healthy and thriving community.
Justice Mapping
A consulting network of subject area experts and information technology specialists who study criminal justice operations and surrounding neighborhood conditions at the local level, both in the U.S. and around the world.
The National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice
A project to improve relationships and increase trust between communities and the criminal justice system and advance the public and scholarly understandings of the issues contributing to those relationships.
The Sentencing Project
Works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.

Systemic Racism Explained

Informational Resources for Allies

Project Implicit
Project Implicit is a non-profit collaboration between researchers interested in implicit social cognition - thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. Test your implicit bias on a variety of topics including race, age, and gender.
America Begins to See More Clearly Now What Its Black Citizens Always Knew
The racial tensions at play between black citizens and law enforcement are emblematic of a broader question about the powers of the state and the liberty of its people. Racial inequality has long been the primary issue that exposes the gap between what the United States says it is and what its actions communicate to the citizenry and the world. The protests in response to the killing of George Floyd are not just expressions of outrage at his death or at the long history of the use of excessive force in black communities. They are also a people’s rejection of the state’s violence and infringement on the rights, liberties, and autonomy of its citizens.
Bystander Intervention
If you witness public instances of racist, anti-Black, anti-Muslim, anti-Trans, or any other form of oppressive interpersonal violence and harassment, use these tips on how to intervene while considering the safety of everyone involved.
Desiring God: Race & Ethnic Harmony
Learn to pursue ethnic harmony from a biblical perspective
First, Listen. Then, Learn: Anti-Racism Resources For White People
A curated reading list developed by Julia Wuench, a Forbes Magazine contributor.
How Higher Ed Can Fight Racism
"The big thing that I’ve found really troubling is that our institutions of higher education are focusing on trying to walk away from the problem. They’re saying, 'We are good. We have values. We are in solidarity with this community. But it’s not our problem.' And these are the 'good' institutions that would actually recognize racism, and recognize white supremacy."
Want To Have Better Conversations About Racism With Your Parents? Here's How
There has also been an urgent call for Americans to not just talk about racism, but to speak out against it. You might be ready to do that with friends, maybe even with co-workers, but it seems to get even trickier when it comes to parents and elders.
Race and Black Theology Reading List: An Annotated Bibliography
The ongoing evils of police brutality have revealed to a wider (and whiter) audience the structural and systematic prejudices under which blacks live in the USA, and in many other places around the world. White Christians who observe these experiences and then draw upon their theological and ethical reading to make sense of them, commonly find that their theological education is barren of black voices. The following reading list is an attempt to begin remedying that barrenness.
Racism is Not a Party-Line Issue: A Young Conservative’s Point of View
I recognize that as a white person in America, I can never understand how it feels to be a person of color or to be treated differently based on the color of my skin. I also recognize that I have an ability to listen, learn, and reflect on stories from people who do.
To My White Friends Who See Tragedy in the Black Community and Say Nothing, Make it Personal
The next time you think about these issues, don’t think about them in the abstract. Don’t think about them in a political framework. Make it personal.

Additional Resources on Race

Other Resources to Support Learning and Engagement

Support Resources for People of Color

Support Resources for Criminal Justice Advocates

Systemic Racism Explained

Informational Resources for Allies

Florida Gulf Coast University Library