DARE I ALUMNAE/I COMMITTEE & RESOURCES

As members of an academic community, we question, research, and learn. With that knowledge, it is our duty to make positive change.

In partnership with Alumnae/i Relations and Development, the DARE I (Diversity, Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion) Alumnae/i Committee has compiled the following resources and readings - including a collective alumnae/i reading initiative - that have been helpful in our pursuit of positive change in line with the College’s mission to address structural inequities at Bryn Mawr and beyond. They were compiled with the lens of higher education as well as accessibility at all levels of antiracism work.

The list of books, podcasts, and articles will be updated over time so that each of us can better educate ourselves about antiracism in a higher education setting. We also welcome your suggestions for inclusion and will be working with our volunteers to review submissions. Please contact bmcalum@brynmawr.edu with suggestions and to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

2023-2024 DARE I Alumnae/i Committee:

Marcia Cantarella ’68
Nathan Gold ’07
Betsy Hodges ’91
Jane Park ’96

Collective Alumnae/i Reading Initiative

2023-24 Book Selection: The book selection for 2023-24 is The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. An on-campus discussion took place in October 2023 during Owls Fest, and a virtual discussion about the book took place in March 2024 led by committee member and former Mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges '91. If you have not already done so, you can purchase your copy today online at the Bryn Mawr College Bookshop. An adaptation for young readers is also available here. For e-book and audio book options, visit Penguin Random House.

2022-23 Book Selection: The alumnae/i committee selected My Broken Language by Quiara Alegría Hudes as its inaugural book. Alumnae/i came together to discuss My Broken Language through regional club events, Volunteer Summit and Homecoming in September, and a virtual event open to all alumnae/i in November. Associate Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Community Life, Ann-Therese Ortíz, led the virtual and in person discussions on campus.

Click here for a Terminology Guide.

Books

In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower

Across America, universities have become big businesses–and our cities their company towns. But there is a cost to those who live in their shadow. This book recommendation comes from committee member Marcia Cantarella ’68. For a more in-depth look, we also recommend: Ebony and Ivy by Craig Steven Wilder.

Nice Racism

Building on the groundwork laid in the New York Times bestseller White Fragility, Robin DiAngelo explores how a culture of niceness inadvertently promotes racism. This book recommendation comes from committee member Betsy Hodges '91

How to Be an Antiracist

Ibram X. Kendi discusses the structures and systems of oppression that perpetuate inequality by weaving them into historic accounts and his personal experiences. Each chapter focuses on a different theme, including ethnicity, culture, class, gender, and more.

Stamped From The Beginning: A Graphic History Of Racist Ideas In America

In collaboration with award-winning historian and comic artist Joel Christian Gill, this stunningly illustrated graphic-novel adaptation of Dr. Kendi's groundbreaking Stamped from the Beginning explores, with vivid clarity and dimensionality, the living history of America, and how we can learn from the past to work toward a more equitable, antiracist future.

My Grandmother's Hands

In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology.

So You Want to Talk about Race

Writer and speaker Ijeoma Oluo dives into the complexities of race, racism, and white supremacy in this New York Times bestseller. Oluo succeeds at speaking truth to power in a way that is accessible for all readers.

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

This eye-opening book challenges you to do the essential work of unpacking your biases, and helps white people take action and dismantle the privilege within themselves so that you can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.

A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School

A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door book cover

A trenchant analysis of how public education is being destroyed in overt and deceptive ways–and how to fight back. This book recommendation comes from committee member Marcia Cantarella ’68.

Caste: The Origins of our Discontents

The Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry book cover

Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism. This book recommendation comes from committee member Jane Park ’96.

Say The Right Thing: How To Talk About Identity, Diversity, And Justice

Research-backed, accessible, and uplifting, Say the Right Thing charts a pathway out of cancel culture toward more meaningful and empathetic dialogue on issues of identity. It also gives us the practical tools to do good in our spheres of influence.

Podcasts

Is It Time To Say R.I.P. To 'POC'?

On the Code Switch podcast, we often use the term "people of color." And it's not something we thought a ton about until the Black Lives Matter protests reignited in May, and we saw a refrain across social media, particularly among Black people: Stop calling me a person of color. This podcast recommendation comes from committee member Betsy Hodges '91.

On Being with Krista Tippett: Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem, In Conversation

The show we released with Minneapolis-based trauma specialist Resmaa Menakem in the weeks after George Floyd’s killing has become one of our most popular episodes, and has touched listeners and galvanized personal searching. So we said yes when Resmaa proposed that he join On Being again, this time together with Robin DiAngelo, the author of White Fragility.

Nice White Parents

We know American public schools do not guarantee each child an equal education. Two decades of school reform initiatives have not changed that. But when Chana Joffe-Walt, a reporter, looked at inequality in education, she saw that most reforms focused on who schools were failing: Black and brown kids. But what about who the schools are serving? In this five-part series, she turns her attention to what is arguably the most powerful force in our schools: White parents.

Seeing White

Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for? Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with an array of leading scholars. This podcast recommendation comes from committee member Nathan Gold '07.