Activism: Inner peace achieved, Now What?
Here’s a well-rounded and extensive list of resources—books, documentaries, and organizations—that can help you understand, engage with, and drive real change across a variety of pressing global issues:
Books for Insight and Action
Classic & Foundational Reads
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander – A seminal work exposing how mass incarceration operates as a modern racial caste system in the U.S. (bulkbooks.com)
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi – Moves beyond individual bias to unpack structural racism and offers actionable paths forward. (bulkbooks.com)
- Evicted by Matthew Desmond – A deeply human portrait of housing inequality and poverty in North America. (bulkbooks.com)
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson – The classic environmental text that catalyzed the modern ecology movement. (bulkbooks.com)
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson – A stirring recount of legal advocacy for the wrongly condemned, highlighting systemic injustice. (bulkbooks.com)
Pushing Boundaries in Activism & Strategy
- Blueprint for Revolution by Srđa Popović – Creative nonviolent tactics (using rice pudding, Lego men!) for grassroots organizing. (yeswecan.blog)
- Re:Imagining Change by Doyle Canning & Patrick Reinsborough – Harnessing narrative and storytelling to shift cultural norms and fuel movements. (yeswecan.blog)
- Decolonizing Solidarity by Clare Land – A critical guide on being an ally to Indigenous struggles, grounded in humility and responsibility. (yeswecan.blog)
- The New Science of Social Change (2024) by Lisa Mueller – Merges social science with activism, offering evidence-backed strategies and protest dynamics. (BookAuthority)
Voice, Identity & Intersectionality
- No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg – A powerful call from the most influential voice in youth climate activism. (Shepherd)
- Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson – Illuminates the enduring, hidden hierarchies shaping societies. (Shepherd)
- Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez – Reveals how women remain invisible in a world "designed for men". (Reddit)
- Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg – Provides tools for empathy, conflict resolution, and peaceful connection. (Medium)
Uplifting Social Movements & Histories
- How We Get Free (ed. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor) – Documents the Combahee River Collective and the birth of intersectionality. (Teen Vogue)
- Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown – Proposes activism as pleasure, joy, and healing—not just toil. (Teen Vogue)
- All About Love by bell hooks – Centers love as a guiding ethic in social movements and communal restoration. (Teen Vogue)
- Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis – A bold critique of the prison-industrial complex and a call to abolition. (Teen Vogue)
- Into the Streets (by Them.us) – A youth-oriented visual history of protest and resistance in the U.S. (Them)
- A Collective Bargain by Jane McAlevey – Explores how deep organizing, not shallow mobilizing, builds worker power and democracy. (The New Yorker)
- Amplify by Adam Met (due June 2025) – Actionable strategies for climate advocacy through building community and connection. (People.com)
Documentaries That Spark Action
- Whose Streets? – Captures Ferguson’s uprising through community footage and unfiltered voices. (sundance.org - sundance.org)
- Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution – Chronicles how a 1960s camp fueled the disability rights movement. (sundance.org - sundance.org)
- Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower – Documents Hong Kong teen Joshua Wong’s defiance and leadership. (sundance.org - sundance.org)
- Hooligan Sparrow – Follows a fearless Chinese activist advocating for abused schoolgirls amid state reprisals. (sundance.org - sundance.org)
- The Infiltrators – Activists get detained intentionally to challenge and change immigration detention systems from within. (sundance.org - sundance.org)
- Knock Down the House – Follows the grassroots campaigns of four progressive women, including AOC. (Factual America Podcast, sundance.org - sundance.org)
- The Cove – Exposes the brutal dolphin hunts in Japan; an Oscar-winning environmental wake-up call. (Factual America Podcast)
- Additional powerful titles from Sundance include: “RISE,” “This Is Personal,” “Black 14,” “Welcome to Chechnya,” and Rise of Indigenous resilience. (sundance.org - sundance.org)
Organizations Making Real-World Change
Global & Cross-Cutting Action
- Ashoka – Champions social entrepreneurs globally to drive systemic change. Active in 90+ countries. (Wikipedia)
- ActionAid – Centred in the Global South, it focuses on poverty, injustice, and community-driven change. (Wikipedia)
- SumOfUs (now Ekō) – Runs global online campaigns targeting corporate malpractices across climate, labor, human rights. (Wikipedia)
- WIEGO – Supports informal workers—especially women—in gaining rights, representation, and economic equity. (Wikipedia)
Grassroots & Movement Organizations
- Green Belt Movement – Kenya-based environmental and women’s activism via tree planting and land rights. (Wikipedia)
Targeted Impact Groups
- Global Witness – Investigates corruption tied to natural resources and highlights environmental injustice. (Fast Company)
- Fundación Capital – Provides financial tools to lift the “unbanked” out of poverty. (Fast Company)
- B Lab – Certifies businesses meeting high social, environmental, and governance standards. (Fast Company)
- Medic Mobile – Delivers health tools via mobile tech to remote or under-resourced communities. (Fast Company)
- Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor – Builds sustainable, for-profit models for water and sanitation in slums. (Fast Company)
- Slum Dwellers International (SDI) – Network for urban poor empowerment on land rights and savings. (Fast Company)
Inclusion, Feminism & Legal Rights
- GirlDreamer – Empowers women of color by bridging community uplift and corporate inclusion. (workforimpact.com)
- Change Please – A social enterprise that trains and employs homeless individuals via its coffee business. (workforimpact.com)
- Each One – Matches refugees with employers through training and recruitment innovations. (workforimpact.com)
- Gen-Z for Change – Mobilizes youth-driven political advocacy via digital campaigns. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- Center for Reproductive Rights – Global legal advocacy for reproductive freedom and gender equity. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- Global Fund for Women – Grants and narrative disruption for grassroots feminist-led change worldwide. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- It Gets Better Project / The Trevor Project – Support LGBTQ+ youth through storytelling, mental health resources, and crisis support. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- Innocence Project – Legal advocacy for those wrongly convicted, striving for criminal justice reform. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- World Central Kitchen – Rushed humanitarian food responses post-crisis, while rebuilding local systems. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- Amazon Frontlines – Defends Indigenous Amazonian communities against environmental and cultural threats. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- TASH – Champions disability rights and inclusive communities globally. (transatlanticnotes.com)
- Mending Kids – Provides access to life-changing surgeries for children in need around the world. (transatlanticnotes.com)
Quick Reference Table
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Books | The New Jim Crow, Blueprint for Revolution, Invisible Women… |
| Documentaries | Crip Camp, Knock Down the House, Hooligan Sparrow… |
| International Orgs | Ashoka, ActionAid, SumOfUs, WIEGO |
| Rights & Inclusion | Green Belt Movement, Global Fund for Women, Innocence Project… |
How to Begin
- Choose a trigger: A film like Crip Camp or a book like Invisible Women can spark personal motivation.
- Deepen the journey: Read The New Science of Social Change to align your activism with evidence-based strategies.
- Plug into action: Explore internships or volunteer opportunities with organizations like WIEGO, ActionAid, or your local equivalents.
- Build your own narrative: Use insights from Re:Imagining Change and Blueprint for Revolution to craft your own movement with empathy and creativity.
And right at the intersection of conflict resolution, dialogue facilitation, and transformative communication. There are some fantastic books that can help you learn how to work with people who are rigid in their views, whether in personal life, activism, or community work.
Here’s a curated list grouped by focus:
🟢 On Dialogue & Deep Listening
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton & Sheila Heen → From the Harvard Negotiation Project; shows how to move past defensiveness and uncover what’s underneath people’s “stuckness.”
- Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg → A classic for cultivating empathy, understanding, and disarming rigidity in conversations.
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson et al. → Very practical frameworks for creating psychological safety while addressing tough issues.
- Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together by William Isaacs → A deep dive into dialogue as a practice to shift collective stuck thinking.
🔵 On Mediation & Negotiation
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher & William Ury → The foundational text on principled negotiation—focusing on interests, not rigid positions.
- Difficult Conversations in Negotiations (a follow-up resource by the same Harvard team) → Helps apply negotiation skills to interpersonal stuckness.
- The Mediation Process by Christopher Moore → A comprehensive guide to mediation, including strategies to unlock rigid perspectives.
- Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate by Roger Fisher & Daniel Shapiro → Focuses on emotional undercurrents that keep people stuck and how to address them.
🟣 On Shifting Mindsets & Worldviews
- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant → A practical, psychology-based guide to help people (and yourself) unlearn rigid beliefs.
- How Minds Change by David McRaney → Investigates how deeply entrenched beliefs actually shift, drawing on social psychology and real-world case studies.
- The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt → Explains why people get stuck in their moral/political worldviews and how to bridge divides.
- Changing Minds by Howard Gardner → Explores the science of persuasion and strategies for helping people reframe long-held beliefs.
🟡 On Facilitation & Group Dialogue
- The Little Book of Dialogue for Difficult Subjects by Lisa Schirch & David Campt → Focuses on creating community conversations in polarized settings.
- Facilitating Breakthrough: How to Remove Obstacles, Bridge Differences, and Move Forward Together by Adam Kahane → Written for mediators and group leaders working across divides.
- Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future by Margaret J. Wheatley → Encourages creating spaces where genuine dialogue can shift rigid perspectives.