With the 2018 midterm elections underway, five women representing Latinx, Muslim, and Black communities across America fight to get their initiatives heard by voters. And She Could Be Next documents these women on the campaign trail across their home states of Georgia, Texas, Michigan, California, and Illinois as they overcome obstacles and celebrate victories along the way.

Abrams, Stacey. Lead From the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change. New York: Picador, 2019.
Offers guidance for people who live outside of traditionally powerful social groups to pursue leadership and success by recognizing their own passion and pursuing it with the special perspective, tools, and strengths that come from being on the outside.

Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. 4th ed. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 2012.
Rooted in Gloria Anzaldúa’s experience as a Chicana, a lesbian, an activist, and a writer, the essays and poems in this volume profoundly challenged, and continue to challenge, how we think about identity. Borderlands/La Frontera remaps our understanding of what a “border” is, presenting it not as a simple divide between here and there, us and them, but as a psychic, social, and cultural terrain that we inhabit, and that inhabits all of us.

Black, Kate and June Diane Raphael. Represent: The Woman’s Guide to Running for Office & Changing the World. New York: Workman, 2019.
A comprehensive, lively, interactive woman's guide to running for office that comes with a sense of humor and of style. Practical, how-to text is combined with elements of a workbook/planner to inspire potential female candidates, whether they're running for office on the local, state, or national level (from school board to senator).

Brazile, Donna, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore with Veronica Chambers. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics.New York: Picador, 2019.
A look at American history through the eyes of four women who have lived and worked behind the scenes in American politics for over thirty years--Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore--a group of women who call themselves the Colored Girls. Like many people who have spent their careers in public service, they view their lives in four-year waves of campaigns and elections. The Colored Girls have worked on the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barack Obama, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. In between elections, they worked at the top of the corporate world, in unions, in churches, in their own businesses, and with people outside the Oval Office who have shaped our country's history, including Howard Dean, Reverend Herbert Daughtry, Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, and Terry McAuliffe. [This book] is a contemporary history of America told through the voices of women of color whose lives and contributions have heretofore been unknown. It's a portrait of four women who are always focused on the larger goal of, as they put it, "hurrying history" so that every American--regardless of race, gender, or religious background--can have a seat at the table. The Colored Girls. Their lives are part of our history. Their voices point to our future."

Brown, Nadia E. and Gershoon, Sarah Allen. Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
Minority women in the United States draw from their unique personal experiences, born of their identities, to impact American politics. Whether as political elites or as average citizens, minority women demonstrate that they have a unique voice that more often than not centers on their visions of justice, equality, and fairness.

Carruthers, Charlene. Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements. Beacon, 2019.
Drawing on Black intellectual and grassroots organizing traditions, including the Haitian Revolution, the US civil rights movement, and LGBTQ rights and feminist movements, Unapologetic challenges all of us engaged in the social justice struggle to make the movement for Black liberation more radical, more queer, and more feminist. This book provides a vision for how social justice movements can become sharper and more effective through principled struggle, healing justice, and leadership development.

Chisholm, Shirley. Unbought and Unbossed: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition. Take Root Media, 2010.
Unbought and Unbossed is Shirley Chisholm’s account of her remarkable rise from young girl in Brooklyn to America’s first African-American Congresswoman. She shares how she took on an entrenched system, gave a public voice to millions, and sets the stage for her trailblazing bid to be the first woman and first African-American President of the United States. By daring to be herself, Shirley Chisholm shows us how she forever changed the status quo.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review, 43, no. 6 (1991): 1241-1299.
“Although racism and sexism readily intersect in the lives of real people, they seldom do in feminist and antiracist practices. And so, when the practices expound identity as woman or person of color as an either/or proposition, they relegate the identity of women of color to a location that resists telling. My objective in this article is to advance the telling of that location by exploring the race and gender dimensions of violence against women of color. Contemporary feminist and antiracist discourses have failed to consider intersectional identities such as women of color. Focusing on two dimensions of male violence against women--battering and rape--I consider how the experiences of women of color are frequently the product of intersecting patterns of racism and sexism, and how these experiences tend not to be represented within the discourses of either feminism or antiracism. Because of their intersectional identity as both women and of color within discourses that are shaped to respond to one or the other, women of color are marginalized within both. I explore the various ways in which race and gender intersect in shaping structural, political, and representational aspects of violence against women of color. The chapter ends with a reflective comment.”

Farmer, Ashley D.Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era. UNC Press, 2017.
In this comprehensive history, Ashley D. Farmer examines black women’s political, social, and cultural engagement with Black Power ideals and organizations. Complicating the assumption that sexism relegated black women to the margins of the movement, Farmer demonstrates how female activists fought for more inclusive understandings of Black Power and social justice by developing new ideas about black womanhood.

Glaude, Eddie S., Jr. Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul. New York: Crown, 2016, 2017.
Part manifesto, part history, part memoir, [Democracy in Black] argues that we live in a country founded on a “value gap”—with white lives valued more than others—that still distorts our politics today. Whether discussing why all Americans have racial habits that reinforce inequality, why black politics based on the civil-rights era have reached a dead end, or why only remaking democracy from the ground up can bring real change, Glaude crystallizes the untenable position of black America–and offers thoughts on a better way forward.

Harris, Tamara Winfrey. The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler, 2015.
When African women arrived on American shores, the three-headed hydra—servile Mammy, angry Sapphire, and lascivious Jezebel—followed close behind. In the ’60s, the Matriarch, the willfully unmarried baby machine leeching off the state, joined them. These stereotypes persist to this day through newspaper headlines, Sunday sermons, social media memes, cable punditry, government policies, and hit song lyrics. Emancipation may have happened more than 150 years ago, but America still won’t let a sister be free from this coven of caricatures. Tamara Winfrey Harris delves into marriage, motherhood, health, sexuality, beauty, and more, taking sharp aim at pervasive stereotypes about black women. She counters warped prejudices with the straight-up truth about being a black woman in America. “We have facets like diamonds,” she writes. “The trouble is the people who refuse to see us sparkling.”

López, Ian Haney. Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class. New York: Oxford U Press, 2014.
Describes how conservatives in government are using race-baiting to coax the middle class with promises of curbing crime, stopping undocumented immigration and even halting Islamic infiltration into voting for right-wing policies that ultimately hurt them and favor the rich.

Muñoz, Cecilia. More Than Ready: Be Strong and Be You, and Other Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise. New York: Seal, 2020.
Women of color are experiencing an unprecedented wave of 'firsts'--whether it's the first in a family to attend college, the first to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or the first to serve in Congress for a red state, women of color have reached new heights of influence. Cecilia Muñoz was a first, too, and she knows the difficulties of making her way without exemplars to follow. The first Latinx to direct national domestic policy issues, More than Enough draws lessons from the challenges she faced and the victories she achieved as a woman of color in the White House. She shares her experiences in the Obama administration as an offering of inspiration to others--Latinas and other women of color--who are no longer willing to be invisible, or left behind. She provides tactical techniques for getting ahead as a person of color in a white-dominated arena, such as: Keep your elbows sharp: Hold your ground when others seek to devalue your contribution: Defend kindness: Elevate empathy in the workplace and beyond Leverage failure: Turn losses into gains by embracing the benefits of the experience. Full of invaluable lessons about working through fear, overcoming racial injustices, and facing down detractors, Muñoz provides the thoughtful insight and tactical tools women of color need to reach unprecedented levels of power and success--without compromising who they are.

Moraga, Cherríe and Gloria Anzaldúa, eds. This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. 4th ed. New York: State University of New York Press, 1981.
Through personal essays, criticism, interviews, testimonials, poetry, and visual art, the collection explores, as coeditor Cherríe Moraga writes, "the complex confluence of identities--race, class, gender, and sexuality--systemic to women of color oppression and liberation." Reissued here, nearly thirty-five years after its inception, the fourth edition contains an extensive new introduction by Moraga, along with a previously unpublished statement by Gloria Anzaldúa.

Obama, Michelle. Becoming. New York: Crown, 2018.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.

Shakur, Assata. Assata: An Autobiography. Chicago: Chicago Review, Lawrence Hill, 1988.
This intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsome image of JoAnne Chesimard long projected by the media and the state. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hand of government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya Angelou.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Lagos: Narrative Landscape, 2018.
The story of two Nigerians making their way in the U.S. and the UK, raising universal questions of race and belonging, the overseas experience for the African diaspora, and the search for identity and a home.

Shange, Ntozake. Betsey Brown: A Novel. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010.
Praised as "exuberantly engaging" by the Los Angeles Times and a "beautiful, beautiful piece of writing" by the Houston Post, acclaimed artist Ntozake Shange brings to life the story of a young girl's awakening amidst her country's seismic growing pains. Set in St. Louis in 1957, the year of the Little Rock Nine, Shange's story reveals the prismatic effect of racism on an American child and her family. Seamlessly woven into this masterful portrait of an extended family is the story of Betsey's adolescence, the rush of first romance, and the sobering responsibilities of approaching adulthood.

Cooper, Ilene and Elizabeth Baddeley. A Woman in the House (and Senate): How Women Came to Washington and Changed the Nation. New York, NY: Abrams, 2020.
An inspiring history of all the women who have taken a seat in Congress! For the first 128 years of America's history, only men served in the Senate and House of Representatives. All that changed in January 1917 when Jeannette Rankin was sworn in as the first woman elected to Congress. From the women's suffrage movement to the 2018 election, Ilene Cooper highlights influential and diverse female leaders who opened doors for women in politics. Women featured include Nancy Pelosi (the first woman Speaker of the House), Margaret Chase Smith (the first woman elected to the Senate), Patsy Mink (the first woman of color to serve in the House), and newcomers like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. This updated book includes archival photographs and lively illustrations from Elizabeth Baddeley, as well as a chart of all the women who have served in Congress, appendices that define key terms and governmental procedures, and an index. In a great new reading format, this updated, revised edition is perfect for young feminists!

Ormond, LaShon. Shirley 4 President!. CreateSpace, 2018.
Shirley 4 President! was inspired by Shirley Anita Chisholm. Mrs. Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 30, 1924. She was a politician, an educator, and an activist. This story uses the inspiration of the Congresswoman's courage and determination to teach young people about the importance of believing in themselves and engaging in civic activity.

Paul, Caroline and Lauren Tamaki. You Are Mighty: A Guide to Changing the World. London: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2019.
You may be a kid, but you are mighty and now is the time to put your strength to use! This is a book to inspire you and show you how to be a change-maker. Being a good citizen means standing up for what's right and here's just the way to start. This fantastic guide to activism is the perfect book for those with a fierce sense of justice, a good sense of humour and a big heart. There are brilliant tips, tonnes of DIY activities and stories about the kids who paved the way before you, from famous activists such as Malala Yousafzai to the everyday kids whose actions have triggered huge ripple effects. So make a sign, write a letter, volunteer! You're never too young to change the world.

Rich, KaeLyn. Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership and Starting a Revolution. Philadelphia: Quirk, 2018.
An activism handbook for teen girls ready to fight for change, social justice, and equality. Take on the world and make some serious change with this handbook to everything activism, social justice, and resistance. With in-depth guides to everything from picking a cause, planning a protest, and raising money to running dispute-free meetings, promoting awareness on social media, and being an effective ally. Get this handbook to crush inequality, start a revolution, and resist!

Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 1997.
Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story—Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.

Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, 2018.
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

This resource was created, in part, with the generous support of the Open Society Foundation.