A Black Feminist Apocalypse/Dystopian Survival Resource Compilation
With the awful realization that we are indeed in a fight for our very survival coming over me for the past few years, I’ve asked myself this question: what can I do right now, today? With my resources limited or tapped out, I’ve often felt helpless, especially when I’ve had to go to others for help so many times. But today, I realized one thing I can do.
I know that everyone is doing syllabi right now and the idea might seem trite or trivial, but this is what I can contribute. A Black Feminist Apocalypse/Dystopian Survival Resource Compilation. (Wow that’s a mouthful.) The reason I feel this is necessary because I keep thinking of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. She wasn’t trying to be prophetic, but she was. And the refrain I’ve been seeing since the November election: Black women tried to tell us. Well, yes we have.
So in this spirit, I am putting together some works that address the issues we face now in hopes of providing a good resource to help us get through these coming days and survive together. This is not an exhaustive list. I need some help putting together resources in many areas here, so I am making this a Google Doc. However, I am making it “view only” to moderate and prevent trolls and other assholes from putting bogus information or other derailing tactics here. If you have something to contribute, please @ me on Twitter @IndasCorner so I can include the links.
A few words and disclaimers: not all these references are Black women, but most of them center the marginalized in a useful way. If you are aware of where to get these sources as low or no-cost, please send that information. If you are able to buy or contribute to these sources for yourself and/or others, please do so. I am including many POC and WOC, particularly in QUILTBAG communities who are already underpaid and struggling, so please make contributions to them when you can. I am also trying to include links to sources other than Amazon or other big box stores to help.
Furthermore, if you have local resources and organizations for many of the blank areas such as urban farming and self-defense, please send them with links to these sources. National organizations are great, but there are many local orgs doing the work with little to no resources at their disposal. Also, if you know DIY sources, please send them along.
So in this spirit, let’s start the syllabus and keep it going as long as necessary.
Audio
@yeloson - Fist of the Southside (self-defense podcast)
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals - Oppression
Bibi Bourelly - Riot
Jamila Woods - Blk Girl Soldier
Labelle - Something in the Air/The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Lauryn Hill - Rebel/I Find It Hard to Say (2016)
Martial Mentor (self-defense podcast)
Nina Simone - Pirate Jenny
Sate - Feel
Seinabo Sey - I Owe You Nothing
Vita Elizabeth Cleveland - Hell Y’all Ain’t Talmbout
Blogs and Websites
Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project
Advocates for Urban Agriculture (Chicago, IL)
Alan Henry - Five Best VPN Service Providers
Alexandra Bradbury, Mark Brenner, Jane Slaughter - Organizers, Aim for the Bullseye
Appropedia: The Sustainability Wiki
Asian American Feminist Collective
Black Food Sovereignty Coalition
Black Lesbian Literary Collective
Black Women’s Defense League (still looks to be in early stages but here is a story about the org)
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Black Women's Studies (BWST) Booklist
Childfree (sources for hysterectomies for younger, childless folx)
Cynthia Hayes - Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Disaster Planning for Less Crazy Folk
Edge Collective: DIY Air Purification Designs
Growing Home (Englewood/Chicago, IL)
Handbook for a Post Roe America
How Do We Ensure Public Safety Without Police
How to Build a Rainwater Collection System
hugelkultur: the ultimate raised garden beds
An Illustrated Guide to Bugging Out (Or In)
Indigenous Anarchist Federation
Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda
The Lesbian Avengers Handbook: A Handy Guide for Homemade Revolution
Masha Green - Autocracy: Rules for Survival
Meshtastic - An open source, off-grid, decentralized, mesh network built to run on affordable, low-power devices
Natasha Bowens - The Color of Food
National Black Justice Coalition (and a handy PDF guide with key initiatives)
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Network of Abortion Funds
No Nukes: A beginner series on emergency preparedness
People’s Community Medics (Oakland, CA)
The Poisonous ABCs: From Aconitine to Zetekitoxin
Rachel Cernansky - No Garden? Here Are 66 Edible Plants You Can Grow At Home In Containers
Rafter Ferguson - Why We Can’t Separate Justice and Sustainability in the Food System
Remote Area Medical (Oakland, CA)
Sage: Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders
Sewing Cloth Menstrual Pads (Tumblr post)
SisterWeb - San Francisco Community Doula Network
@so_treu - Antiblackness Is a Theory (suspended but plans to revive)
Spiral Gardens Community Food Security Project
Tanya Fields - The BLK Projek
Transition Network International
Trigger Happy Firearm Training LLC (handgun classes)
Trish Popovich - 10 Female Urban Farmers Setting the Tone for Sustainable Cities
Urban Tilth
Vintage Patterns Wikia
Vision Change Win Community Safety Program
Will Allen - Growing Power
Fiction
Jennifer Marie Brissett - Elysium
Kai Ashante Wilson - A Taste of Honey
Nalo Hopkinson - Brown Girl in the Ring
Nalo Hopkinson - Midnight Robber
Nisi Shawl - Everfair
Octavia Butler - Parable of the Sower
Octavia Butler - Parable of the Talents
Film and Television
Ava Duvernay (dir.) - 13th
Jennifer Phang (dir.) - Advantageous
Lizzie Borden (dir.) - Born in Flames
Gillo Pontecorvo (dir.) - The Battle of Algiers
Luchina Fisher (dir.) - Danger Word
Non-Fiction
Adele Peters - These low-tech indoor gardens bring vegetables to your kitchen
Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, and Mai’a Williams (eds.) - Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines
Alyson Morgan - Roots of African American Herbalism: Herbal Use by Enslaved Africans
Angela Davis - Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement
Asian American Feminist Collective - Resources
Audre Lorde - The Cancer Journals
Audre Lorde - I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities
Bankuei - How to Navigate Self Defense Training
The Black Radical Tradition (pdf of various Black political thought, resistance)
Black Food Sovereignty Coalition
Black Rose Anarchist Foundation - Black Anarchism: A Reader (free pdf)
Brightside.me - 7 Self-Defense Techniques That Can Save Your Life
Britteney Black Rose Kapri - Black Queer Hoe
Brown Recluse Zine Distro - Take Care: A Zine About Self Defense by POC for POC in Reaction to the 2016 Presidential Election (zine)
Channing Kennedy - Junot Díaz on 'De-colonial Love', Revolution and More
Charlene Carruthers - Unapologetic: A Black, Queer Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements
Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (eds.) - The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activists Communities
Chris Crass - Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy
Cynthia Kaufman - Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change, 2nd Ed.
David Pham and Jason Curescu - Farms That Are Delivering During COVID
Devon Douglas-Bowers - Revolutions, Rebellions, and Resistance: An Anthology
Ella Shohat and Robert Sham - Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media
Grow Forage Cook Ferment - What to Forage in Spring: 20 Edible and Medicinal Plants and Fungi
Gwendolyn Benaway - Decolonial Love: A How-To Guide
How To Grow An Unlimited Supply Of Lemons Using Just 1 Seed
John Munro - A Tool for Our Times: Legacies of Black Radicalism and Communism (book review)
Justin Akers Chacón and Mike Davis - No One Is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (English language version)
Justin Akers Chacón and Mike Davis - No One Is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (Spanish language version)
Mai’a Williams - This Is How We Survive: Revolutionary Mothering, War, and Exile in the 21st Century
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement - Let Your Motto Be Resistance A Handbook on Organizing New Afrikan and Oppressed Communities for Self-Defense
Mariame Kaba and Billy Dee - Black/Inside: A History of Captivity & Confinement in the United States
Monica Trinidad (ed.) - A Support Zine for Marissa Alexander (zine)
Moya Bailey and Izetta Autumn Mobley - Work In The Intersections: A Black Feminist Disability Framework
Myopic Press - Grow Some Shit: A Gardening Zine
Myopic Press - Grow Some Shit: A Succulent/Cactus Zine
Nana Afua Yeboaa Brantuo - Black Feminist Perspectives on COVID-19: A Reading List
Naomi Moyer - Black Women & Self Defense: Thoughts on Personal Space & Reclaiming Our Streets (zine)
No Selves to Defend: A Legacy of Criminalizing Women of Color for Self-Defense (zine)
No Selves to Defend: Poems About Criminalization and Violence Against Women (zine)
The Open University - Energy Resources: Solar Energy (There are lots of free ebooks available from The Open University right now)
The Open University - Global Water Resources
Resiliency Building Skills to Practice for Trauma Recovery
Routes to Avoid - Border Patrol Checkpoints
Rotman, Isabella - Not on My Watch
The Seasonal Homestead - How Much to Plant for a Year’s Supply of Food
Sunshine, Spencer - 40 Ways to Fight Fascists: Street-Legal Tactics for Community Activists
Survived and Punished: A Collaborative Toolkit
This robot will grow all the food you need in your backyard
Victoria Law and China Martens (eds.) - Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities
Yerbamala Collective - Our Vendetta: Witches vs Fascists
Young Womxn of Color for Reproductive Justice, A project of Advocates for Youth - Readings & Resources on Abolition & Reproductive Justice
Zig Zag - Colonization and Decolonization: A Manual for Indigenous Liberation in the 21st Century
Self-Care and Healing
BlackGirlSquee - Black Girls Need Self-Care! (episode’s main topic is self-care, includes sources)
Catrice M. Jackson - The Becky Code
Danielle Dorsey - 8 Mental Health and Self Care Resources for QTPOC
Dr. Kristin Neff - Self-Compassion Guided Meditations and Exercises
Emma Seppala - Loving-Kindness Meditation
Inda Lauryn - Inda’s Corner: Self Care, Take Care (podcast episode)
Indigezine Issue #2 - Healing
Naomi Moyer - Black Women & Self Care: Thoughts on Mental Health, Oppression, & Healing (zine)
Ntozake Shange - for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf
Omi - The Empath’s Toolkit: Blissful Living for Sensitive People
Parker J. Palmer - A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life (3 free Kindle copies available, short PDF summary here)
Sarah Blondin - Live Awake (podcast)
Se’mana Thompson (ed.) - Queer Indigenous Girl (zine, volumes 2 and 3 also available)
Tara Brach - Working With Difficulties: The Blessings of RAIN
Therapy for Black Girls - Therapist Directory
Third Woman Press Zine - Calling All Goddesses (zine)
Wild Woman Mystic article - A Love Letter to Black, Indigenous & People of Colour: On Freeing Ourselves From Racist Priestesses, Fake Gurus & White Supremacist Spiritual Teachers
Libraries
Abortion Funds Master Document
Dialectical Artists - Revolutionary Study Guide
Free Yo Mind: Radical Black Books and Other Critical Stuff
Web Series or Shorts
Bankuei - Elbows (self-defense instruction)
Bankuei - Elbows Demonstrated (self-defense instruction)
Bankuei - Escape a Forward Choke (self-defense instruction)
Bankuei - Flashlight Techniques (self-defense instruction)
Bankuei - Flow Hitting and Hammerfist Variations (self-defense instruction)
Bankuei - Hammerfist Attack & Defense (self-defense instruction)
Bankuei - Two Basic Strikes (self-defense instruction)
The Best Open Source Intelligence Tools in 2026
The BIPOC Community Garden- Connecting Food and People through Gardening
A Black-Owned Farm Fights Food Deserts In The Bronx
Black Panther-Inspired Urban Farming
City Bloom - Plot It Fresh Garden Program
Cutting Edge Systema - Systema Vlog Working Inside Movement Part 2: Where? (self-defense instruction)
Far North Bushcraft And Survival - Survivalist Videos
The Farm Next Door | Urban Farming in Atlanta
Gun Storage: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Gun Safes and Locks
Keep Growing Detroit (food sovereignty)
Lawrence Kenshin - Khongsittha Muay Thai (sparring demonstration)
rrkali - Mayari: Women’s Self Protection Program
Wanuri Kahiu (dir.) - Pumzi
Urban agriculture: Growing food in Chicago
Urban Agroecology: 6,000 lbs of Food on 1/10th Acre
Urban Farming in Detroit: Cultivating Community, Sustainability and Regeneration
First Aid
Gynecologists Who Will Perform a Tubal Sterilization
Herbal First Aid Aftercare for All Who Have Experienced Police Violence
National Harm Reduction Coalition
Riot Medicine
Safe Water Storage (Bluesky thread)
Need More Sources for (please indicate whether these are book, zine, film, etc. sources):
Urban Farming
Self-Defense
Sewing/Making Clothes, Fabrics
Water Sources
Centering Disabilities
First Aid
Homeschooling
Podcasts and web vids specifically about survival, decolonization, any of the above subjects such as self-defense, etc. that center marginalized people