Fairfax County Public Library offers no-wait e-Books and audiobooks on race in America, plus more curated collections and recommended free-to-stream films.

Demand — and therefore wait time — for materials on race and racism have increased significantly in recent weeks as readers seek out books to help them understand racial injustice and learn what they can do to dismantle it. This article highlights resources you can access right now and share with others.

Standing for Social and Racial Equity

The Fairfax County Public Library supports the statements from the American Library Association (ALA), the Public Library Association, and the Black Caucus of ALA in replacing violence and fear with inclusiveness and enlightenment; we support an end to racism towards all people of color.

Your library is committed to the County’s One Fairfax policy of social and racial equity. We provide materials, create community programs, and have spaces that are open and welcoming to all.

The following eBooks, eAudiobooks and films are available with no wait, either through Fairfax County Public Library or other reputable sources.

Read Now: Always Available e-Books and e-Audiobooks

• Always Available - Race in America: This catalog collection includes eBooks and eAudiobooks that are always available, including those in the OverDrive collection above as well as eAudiobooks on the RBdigital platform. FCPL offers more than 30,000 always-available eAudiobooks on RBdigital, including many more titles that are relevant to this topic.
• Stamped from the Beginning - The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi: The full, unabridged eAudiobook of this title is currently free to listen on Spotify.

For those new to our eBook and eAudiobook platforms, a guide is available.

Watch Now

Various distributors are temporarily providing free access to the following films and documentaries highlighting racial injustice in America. In some cases, the creation of a free account may be required to access this content.

Documentaries

• 13th on YouTube: a documentary exposing racial inequality within the criminal justice system
• 16 Shots on YouTube: a documentary examining the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and the cover-up that ensued.
• Amplify Black Voices Collection on Starz: Including A Huey P. Newton Story and Emanuel
• Racism in America Collection on PBS.org and the PBS App: Including The Talk: Race in America and The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

Films

• The Hate U Give (on Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, Microsoft, YouTube): Based on the Young Adult (YA) novel by Angie Thomas, this story offers an intimate portrait of race in America.
• Just Mercy (on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Microsoft, Redbox, Vudu, YouTube): Civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free an African American inmate wrongfully convicted of murdering a white woman.
• Selma (on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu, YouTube): This 2014 film chronicles the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches of the Civil Rights Movement.

Read and Watch Later

Those looking to keep their virtual “to-be-read” (TBR) shelves full can take a look at the following curated collections and place some holds, keeping in mind that not all titles will be available now. Black Voices features fiction and nonfiction for all ages by Black authors, illustrators and narrators.

For materials in print and on DVD, view the collections featured on the FCPL catalog home page. Topics include Black Lives Documentaries, Dismantling Systemic Racism, Civil Rights Reads for Kids, and Teen Titles on Race and Justice.