United Way of Pennsylvania works to represent our communities fully. We recognize the historic racial inequity that Black communities continue to face and we pledge to support and do our part in dismantling such inequities. We have compiled these antiracist resources for our supporters to learn from, amplify, and educate with.
Junteenth Resources
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Teaching Tolerance: A Guide to Teaching Junteenth
- So You Want to Learn About Junteenth?
- Juneteenth: Our Additional Independence Day
- Why’d it Take so Long for Some of Us to Find Out About Juneteenth?
- This is Why Juneteenth Is Important for America (Video)
- Juneteenth for Mazie
- National Juneteenth Observance Foundation
- Juneteenth Texas : Essays in African-American Folklore
- The Emancipation Proclamation- Official Text
- Texas Order No. 3
Antiracist Resources
Articles
- Talking about Race: Being Antiracist
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
- What’s My Complicity? Talking White Fragility
- “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)
- Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
- The Combahee River Collective Statement
- “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
- Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
Videos
- Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)
- “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” | Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)
Books
- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
- Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander - The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
by Grace Lee Boggs - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
Films/TV to Watch
- 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
- American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
- Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
- Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
- Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
- Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
- I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
- Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent (for free 6/1)
- King In The Wilderness — HBO
- See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
- Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
- The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
- The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
- When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
Organizations to Follow
- Antiracism Center: Twitter
- Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Muslim Girl: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- SisterSong: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- United We Dream: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Other Antiracist Organizations
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
- Anti-Racism Project
- Jenna Arnold’s resources (books and people to follow)
- Rachel Ricketts’ anti-racism resources
- Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism
- Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide by Tatiana Mac
- Showing Up For Racial Justice’s educational toolkits
- “Why is this happening?” — an introduction to police brutality from 100 Year Hoodie
- Zinn Education Project’s teaching materials
Resources for Talking to Children
- PBS resources for younger children includes Let’s Talk: How to Talk to Kids about Race, Talking about Multi-Racial Families, How to Help Kids Navigate Difficult Times, 5 Engaging Questions to Discover Your Child’s Thinking, Daniel Tiger’s Life’s Little Lessons, Alike & Different; Sesame Street’s Resources for staying healthy and building resilience, and Worry and Anxiety; and NPR’s Talking Race with Young Children
- CNN’s How to talk to your children about protests and racism
- Raising Equity
- Common Sense Media’s Books with Characters of Color, Black History Movies that Tackle Racism, and Movies that Inspire Kids to Change the World
- The Brown Bookshelf
- Learning to Give’s Justice-Related Service-Learning Toolkit for different grade-levels
UWP is United Against Racism

At United Way of Pennsylvania, our vision is a Commonwealth where all individuals and families achieve their human potential through education, financial stability and healthy lives. Though we strive to accomplish this daily, we acknowledge that Black individuals’ and families’ path towards these basic building blocks of American prosperity is barricaded by racial inequity and injustice.
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Dominique Fells, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Eric Gardner and countless others weighs heavily on us. Our hearts and thoughts go out to their families and the Black community, but we understand that this is not enough. We must back our sentiments up with action.
United Way’s central goal is to advance the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. United Way’s unique advantage is our track record of working across sectors and driving toward systemic change through impact, collaboration, and results. We affirm that this goal cannot be fully-achieved without the lifting up of Black voices and the enactment of antiracist policies.
We at United Way of Pennsylvania are using one of our social equity projects, the ALICE® Report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), to assess the health of our communities and advocate the facts; Black communities face lower wages, higher unemployment, and disproportionately higher incarceration rates. To strive for racial equity, we must acknowledge these shortfalls and advocate for policies and programs that break down the disproportionate lack of access Black communities have to services and opportunities.
Advocating for racial equity in policies and programs starts with education. We have and will continue to gather educational resources that point to Black voices, Black organizations, and the Black community. We commit to making a conscientious choice to lift Black voices and race equity experts in our policy conversations and decisions moving forward. Our predominantly White staff will take the steps to educate ourselves, our organization, and our vision to move United Way of Pennsylvania forward and be antiracist.