RedShelf was founded on a belief that education can transform the world—and, in recent weeks, the need for individual and societal transformation through knowledge and insight has been palpable. 

 

The senseless killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, and countless others, have brought needed attention to the systemic racism that continues to plague our country. These deaths are awakening the global population to the realization that we must not only speak out, but that we must educate ourselves in order to achieve the deeper, more nuanced understanding and self-awareness required to combat racism both within and around us.

 

In that spirit, we at RedShelf are supporting and encouraging journeys of learning and self-reflection through reading, having difficult conversations, and seeking outside training and consultation. In addition, RedShelf team members and leadership will be donating to organizations that focus on combating racism through education. 

To raise additional funds for those organizations, while also encouraging others to educate themselves about racism, we will be promoting and selling a collection of racial equity and anti-racism related titles (curated based on recommendations from a variety of nonprofit organizations as well as the New York Times, NPR, and others) on redshelf.com. For the remainder of 2020, RedShelf will be donating 100% of our portion of the proceeds from the reading list to Black Lives Matter Chicago  and Chicago Freedom School.