The Law Library supports the Law School’s social justice mission by prioritizing the collection of resources related to social justice advocacy. We are committed to the acquisition of materials that reflect principles of equality, inclusion and fairness.
Nearly all of the books listed here are available in print in the Law Library or online. Please note that many more books on social justice issues can be found at other libraries on campus and are discoverable through UC Library Search.
We welcome suggestions for additional acquisitions.
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by
A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms Run a Google search for "black girls"--what will you find? "Big Booty" and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in "white girls," the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about "why black women are so sassy" or "why black women are so angry" presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society. In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color. Through an analysis of textual and media searches as well as extensive research on paid online advertising, Noble exposes a culture of racism and sexism in the way discoverability is created online. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance--operating as a source for email, a major vehicle for primary and secondary school learning, and beyond--understanding and reversing these disquieting trends and discriminatory practices is of utmost importance. An original, surprising and, at times, disturbing account of bias on the internet, Algorithms of Oppression contributes to our understanding of how racism is created, maintained, and disseminated in the 21st century.
Black in White Space: The Enduring Impact of Color in Everyday Life by
From the vital voice of Elijah Anderson, Black in White Space sheds fresh light on the dire persistence of racial discrimination in our country. A birder strolling in Central Park. A college student lounging on a university quad. Two men sitting in a coffee shop. Perfectly ordinary actions in ordinary settings--and yet, they sparked jarring and inflammatory responses that involved the police and attracted national media coverage. Why? In essence, Elijah Anderson would argue, because these were Black people existing in white spaces. In Black in White Space, Anderson brings his immense knowledge and ethnography to bear in this timely study of the racial barriers that are still firmly entrenched in our society at every class level. He focuses in on symbolic racism, a new form of racism in America caused by the stubbornly powerful stereotype of the ghetto embedded in the white imagination, which subconsciously connects all Black people with crime and poverty regardless of their social or economic position. White people typically avoid Black space, but Black people are required to navigate the "white space" as a condition of their existence. From Philadelphia street-corner conversations to Anderson's own morning jogs through a Cape Cod vacation town, he probes a wealth of experiences to shed new light on how symbolic racism makes all Black people uniquely vulnerable to implicit bias in police stops and racial discrimination in our country. An unwavering truthteller in our national conversation on race, Anderson has shared intimate and sharp insights into Black life for decades. Vital and eye-opening, Black in White Space will be a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the lived realities of Black people and the structural underpinnings of racism in America.
The Color of Crime, Third Edition by
How we can understand race, crime, and punishment in the age of Black Lives Matter When The Color of Crime was first published in 1998, it was heralded as a path-breaking book on race and crime. Now, in its third edition, Katheryn Russell-Brown's book is more relevant than ever, as police killings of unarmed Black civilians--such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Daniel Prude--continue to make headlines around the world. She continues to ask, why do Black and white Americans perceive police actions so differently? Is white fear of Black crime justified? With three new chapters, over forty new racial hoax cases, and other timely updates, this edition offers an even more expansive view of crime and punishment in the twenty-first century. Russell-Brown gives us much-needed insight into some of the most recent racial hoaxes, such as the one perpetrated by Amy Cooper. Should perpetrators of racial hoaxes be charged with a felony? Further, Russell-Brown makes a compelling case for race and crime literacy and the need to address and name White crime. Russell-Brown powerfully concludes the book with a parable that invites readers to imagine what would happen if Blacks decided to abandon the United States. Russell-Brown explores the tacit and subtle ways that crime is systematically linked to people of color. The Color of Crime is a lucid and forceful volume that calls for continued vigilance on the part of scholars, policymakers, journalists, and others in the age of Black Lives Matter.
How the United States Racializes Latinos: White Hegemony and Its Consequences by
Mexican and Central American undocumented immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens such as Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans, have become a significant portion of the U.S. population. Yet the U.S. government, mainstream society, and radical activists characterize this rich diversity of peoples and cultures as one group alternatively called "Hispanics," "Latinos," or even the pejorative "Illegals." How has this racializing of populations engendered governmental policies, police profiling, economic exploitation, and even violence that afflict these groups? From a variety of settings-New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Central America, Cuba-this book explores this question in considering both the national and international implications of U.S. policy. Its coverage ranges from legal definitions and practices to popular stereotyping by the public and the media, covering such diverse topics as racial profiling, workplace discrimination, mob violence, treatment at border crossings, barriers to success in schools, and many more. It shows how government and social processes of racializing are too seldom understood by mainstream society, and the implication of attendant policies are sorely neglected.
Implicit Racial Bias Across the Law by
Despite cultural progress in reducing overt acts of racism, stark racial disparities continue to define American life. This book is for anyone who wonders why race still matters and is interested in what emerging social science can contribute to the discussion. The book explores how scientific evidence on the human mind might help to explain why racial equality is so elusive. This new evidence reveals how human mental machinery can be skewed by lurking stereotypes, often bending to accommodate hidden biases reinforced by years of social learning. Through the lens of these powerful and pervasive implicit racial attitudes and stereotypes, Implicit Racial Bias across the Law examines both the continued subordination of historically disadvantaged groups and the legal system's complicity in the subordination.
The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader by
The second edition brings together new and classic Latino/a voices writing on questions of immigration, identity, history, law, and more In the last forty-five years, immigration reform has brought tens of millions of new immigrants from Latin American countries to the United States. Since critical race theory pioneers Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic compiled the first edition of The Latino/a Condition in 1998, the population has continued to grow exponentially, while scholarship on Latinos/as has grown just as quickly. The second edition of The Latino/a Condition brings together a wide range of new and classic Latino and Latina voices from the fields of law, sociology, history, media studies, and politics to address questions such as: *Who exactly is a Latino? Who is Hispanic? Who is Chicano? *How did Spanish-speaking people come to live in the United States? *Is the Latino family a source of strength or oppression? What about Catholicism? *Should the United States try to control Latino immigration, and is this even possible? *What are the most common media stereotypes of Latino people? *Are Latinos white? What role does law play in the racial construction of the group? Collecting a wealth of perspectives on these and other issues central to the Latino/a experience, Delgado and Stefancic offer a broad portrait of Latino/a life in the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Oxford Handbook of Race and Law in the United States by 
Race, Law, Resistance by
Race, Law, Resistance is an original and important contribution to current theoretical debates on race and law. The central claims are that racial oppression has profoundly influenced the development of legal doctrine and that the production of subjugated figures like the slave and the refugee has been fundamental to the development of legal categories such as contract and tort. Drawing on examples from the UK and US legal systems in particular, this book employs a wide range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives to explore resistance to racial dominance in modernity. In particular, it highlights the main tenets and distinctive scholarly forms of critical theories on race and law. Race, Law, Resistance will be of interest to academics and students following courses on critical race theory, law and postcolonialism, discrimination law, legal theory, legal systems, the law of obligations, comparative legal cultures, law and literature, and human rights.
Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Group Justice in the 21st Century by
Black Americans continue to lag behind on many measures of social and economic well-being. Conventional wisdom holds that these inequalities can only be eliminated by eradicating racism and providing well-funded social programs. In Race, Wrongs, and Remedies, Amy L. Wax applies concepts from the law of remedies to show that the conventional wisdom is mistaken. She argues that effectively addressing today's persistent racial disparities requires dispelling the confusion surrounding blacks' own role in achieving equality. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that discrimination against blacks has dramatically abated. The most important factors now impeding black progress are behavioral: low educational attainment, poor socialization and work habits, drug use, criminality, paternal abandonment, and non-marital childbearing. Although these maladaptive patterns are largely the outgrowth of past discrimination and oppression, they now largely resist correction by government programs or outside interventions. Wax asserts that the black community must solve these problems from within. Self-help, changed habits, and a new cultural outlook are, in fact, the only effective tactics for eliminating the present vestiges of our nation's racist past. Published in cooperation with the Hoover Institution
Race on Trial: Law & Justice in American History by
This book of twelve original essays will bring together two themes of American culture: law and race. The essays fall into four groups: cases that are essential to the history of race in America; cases that illustrate the treatment of race in American history; cases of great fame that became the trials of the century of their time; and cases that made important law. Some of the cases discussed include Amistad, Dred Scott, Plessy v. Ferguson, Scottsboro, Korematsu v. US, Brown v. Board, Loving v. Virginia, Regents v. Bakke, and OJ Simpson. All illustrate how race often determined the outcome of trials, and how trials that confront issues of racism provide a unique lens on American cultural history. Cases include African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Caucasians. Contributors include a mix of junior and senior scholars in law schools and history departments.
Racism Without Racists by
New edition forthcoming in time for fall 2017 Eduardo Bonilla-Silva's acclaimed Racism without Racists documents how, beneath our contemporary conversation about race, lies a full-blown arsenal of arguments, phrases, and stories that whites use to account for--and ultimately justify--racial inequalities. This provocative book explodes the belief that America is now a color-blind society. The fourth edition adds a chapter on what Bonilla-Silva calls -the new racism, - which provides the essential foundation to explore issues of race and ethnicity in more depth. This edition also updates Bonilla-Silva's assessment of race in America after President Barack Obama's re-election. Obama's presidency, Bonilla-Silva argues, does not represent a sea change in race relations, but rather embodies disturbing racial trends of the past. In this fourth edition, Racism without Racists will continue to challenge readers and stimulate discussion about the state of race in America today.
Under the Skin by
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR * "A stunning exposé of why Black people in our society 'live sicker and die quicker'--an eye-opening game changer."--Oprah Daily From an award-winning writer at the New York Times Magazine and a contributor to the 1619 Project comes a landmark book that tells the full story of racial health disparities in America, revealing the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of our nation. In 2018, Linda Villarosa's New York Times Magazine article on maternal and infant mortality among black mothers and babies in America caused an awakening. Hundreds of studies had previously established a link between racial discrimination and the health of Black Americans, with little progress toward solutions. But Villarosa's article exposing that a Black woman with a college education is as likely to die or nearly die in childbirth as a white woman with an eighth grade education made racial disparities in health care impossible to ignore. Now, in Under the Skin, Linda Villarosa lays bare the forces in the American health-care system and in American society that cause Black people to "live sicker and die quicker" compared to their white counterparts. Today's medical texts and instruments still carry fallacious slavery-era assumptions that Black bodies are fundamentally different from white bodies. Study after study of medical settings show worse treatment and outcomes for Black patients. Black people live in dirtier, more polluted communities due to environmental racism and neglect from all levels of government. And, most powerfully, Villarosa describes the new understanding that coping with the daily scourge of racism ages Black people prematurely. Anchored by unforgettable human stories and offering incontrovertible proof, Under the Skin is dramatic, tragic, and necessary reading.
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