Peace & Riot Picks
Colonize This!
Authors: Daisy Hernández and Bushra Rehman
Picked by: Shilpi Chhotray, Co-Founder and President at Counterstream
“This is a must-read for anyone committed to building people power. Through raw, personal essays, it amplifies the voices of young women of color resisting oppression and reclaiming their narratives. At Counterstream Media, we see storytelling as essential to movement-building— and this book is a powerful guide for solidarity, self-determination, and collective liberation.”
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Author: Ramit Sethi
Picked by: Lance Blair, Sr. Benefits & Employee Engagement Manager at Liquid Death and Advisor at Counterstream Media
“My book recommendation aligning with building people power and cultivating autonomy is "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi. It’s practical, engaging, and helped me rethink my finances in a way that felt personal and achievable.
Instead of stressing over daily coffees, it focuses on reducing big expenses and designing your own "Rich Life" (whatever that means to YOU). Plus, I appreciated his realistic take on renting. The book helped me automate my finances; which I didn't realize would be such a game changer, but has allowed me to reclaim my power in our capitalistic society and stress a bit less (renewing possibility).”
Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice
Exhibition organized by: Hammer Museum guest co-curators Glenn Kaino and Mika Yoshitake
Picked by: Mindy Ramaker, Head of Creative at Counterstream Media
“Breathing is itself an act of resilience and survival. This is a vast and timely art exhibition that explores the intersection of environmental and social justice through photography, video, sculpture, and more. Artists from around the country respond to various threats in their communities—from the Flint Water Crisis, to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, to forced migration. They use their art to capture and imagine different futures, focusing on generational wisdom, interdependence, and resilience. One piece that stuck with me was Northern Cheyenne artist Bently Spang’s War Shirt #6 in which a warshirt is made of digital photographs and multichannel video screens showing video he filmed while walking the Tongue River.”
Currently on view at Moody Center for the Arts in Houston through May 10, 2025.
Healthy HumanS for Social Change
Podcast Host: Jess Mally
Picked by: Marianella Nuñez, Operations Assistant at Counterstream Media
“I recently came across the Healthy Humans for Social Change series of The Third Way Podcast on social media, and I found the episode with writer Nova Ried to be a refreshing and nuanced invitation to consider personal healing as the root of social change.”
PLANTCRAFT
Author: Amirio Freeman
Picked by: Kate Weiner, Peace & Riot Editor at Counterstream Media
“Curated by artist and audio storyteller Amirio Freeman, PLANTCRAFT is a slow newsletter about people and the plants they love. From an interview with archivist Oscar Salguero on finding possibility in fictional plants to a conversation with artist MaKshya Tolbert on shade, every “broadcast” brims with new perspectives on place-making in our era of emergency. PLANTCRAFT is the rare online space that invites deeper presence: I love reading the monthly missives when I have a little more time in my day to truly sit with the material.”
I Want to Talk to You
Artist: Nas
Picked by: Michael McKenzie, Executive Director at Counterstream
“The song confronts the President!”
Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists
Author: Edited by Leah Penniman
Picked by: Briana Blueitt, Social Media Manager at Counterstream
“‘Black Earth Wisdom’ reprises themes found in Penniman’s 2018 book, ‘Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Guide to Liberation on Land.’
This prescient collection of essays and interviews is a balm for climate anxiety. It helps ground our struggles in a much needed historical perspective. The poems, stories and lessons offer a spiritual lens through which to view the work ahead.”