4 Memoirs Everyone Working in Anti-Racism and Decolonization Needs to Read

By: Noor Abdulbaki

The most important way to support anti-racism and decolonization work is to lean into continuous learning. To access continuous learning, we need to access books, podcasts, events, trainings, music, comics and movies. I recommend accessing stories from people who have different life experiences than you. There is so much to learn from people and communities that represent intersections of identity that have been systematically silenced by the dominant culture. For so long, the existence of marginalized communities has been systematically silenced, and history has been re-written by the dominant culture. But literature has the power to change that. Through sharing our stories, we can teach empathy and record our existence in history. I have 4 books that I would recommend checking out.

No Friends but the Mountain by Behrouz Boochani is a memoir written by a Kurdish journalist while he was illegally detained on Manus Island. This book taught me about the Kurdish struggle, identity, incarceration and exile of refugees in the detention system. Over 3,000 refugees were forced into illegal imprisonment with inhuman conditions and these detention centres are still operating today.

If you are interested in learning about the experiences of LGBTQ2S+ Muslims I would recommend reading Intolerable and We Have Always Been Here. Intolerable: A Memoir of Extremes by Kamal Al-Solaylee is about an Arab family caught in war and turmoil due to the aftermath of colonialism in the Middle East. Al-Solaylee invites the reader into his life as a gay and Muslim man fleeing to Canada. In We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir Samra Habib speaks on her experience as queer Pakistani Muslim woman coming into her identity with pride and self-acceptance. LGBTQ2S+ Muslims are systematically persecuted, and its history is constantly erased by a heteronormative and cisgender society.

Lastly, I would recommend reading I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya, a trans artist who invites the reader to bear witness the harm caused by misogyny, homophobia and transphobia. I’m Afraid of Men is a memoir of survival in a cisnormative society. This memoir taught me about the traumatic experiences that trans women of colour uniquely face and how I can support trans liberation.