How to Be an Antiracist

I picked up How to Be an Antiracist almost immediately after I finished Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. They are very different in approach. Stamped from the beginning is more academic, much longer, and more historical. How to be an Antiracist is much shorter, more personal and, in a helpful way, not academic.Despite it being shorter and less academic, I think this is a book I am going to need to read again, while I doubt I will re-read Stamped from the Beginning. How to be an Antiracist is making subtle changes to the recent Critical Race Theory informed definitions of racism. And while I think I mostly agree with Kendi’s critiques, I also think I need to both re-read this book to be sure I understand what he is doing, and read some others responding to him to make sure I am not missing some of the implications of his critiques.At the most basic, Kendi is rejecting the prejudice plus power definition of racism. At the same time, he is rejecting racist as a descriptor of a person. He wants racist to be the descriptor of the idea or action. “A racist idea is any idea that suggests one racial group is inferior or superior to another racial group in any way.” Similarly, “A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups.” In another place, “What is racism? Racism is a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities…Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing.”Kendi uses the metaphor of racism not as an identity (or tattoo), you either are or are not racist, but a sticky name tag that you put on and take off. He is unequivocal that anyone can express racist ideas or perform racist actions. And he is not at all rejecting the concept of racism as a systemic reality. He does not like the term systemic racism (because it is too vague). He wants to concentrate on ‘racist policies.’

A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups. An antiracist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups. By policy, I mean written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations, and guidelines that govern people. There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy. Every policy in every institution in every community in every nation is producing or sustaining either racial inequity or equity between racial groups.

There will, I think, be several White people that are opposed to the Critical Race Theory line of thinking about racism that wants to embrace a part of Kendi’s point. They will like that anyone can express racist ideas or actions. But will not understand Kendi’s more significant point that the movement to antiracism is rooted in the empowerment of Black and other minorities. Kendi’s position is not that Blacks can be racist against Whites, but that Blacks can be racist against other Black people. Kendi is not empowering the idea of ‘reverse racism’ but expanding racism to included Black people being racist against other Black people or other minorities.Throughout How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi talks about three approaches. In general, people are or have been, segregationists, assimilationists, or antiracists. Segregationists want to maintain separate racial hierarchies. Assimilationists wish to break down legal segregation, but also do not go far enough in breaking down the internal understanding of racial superiority. Assimilationists want acceptance and often are willing to have either partial approval or behavior-based acceptance of some, as opposed to all. In Kendi’s approach, segregationists and assimilationists are both forms of racism. It is only antiracists that are focused not just on legal segregation and discrimination, but also on internal feelings of superiority or inferiority that move society beyond racism.Antiracism, like feminism in its ideals, is not about reversing the patriarchy or racial hierarchy, but about equality. To be antiracist in Kendi’s ideal means to not only be opposed to racism and for racial equality, but also to be against division based on, “gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, skin color, nationality, and culture, among a series of other identifiers.” To be antiracist means that you are also an antisexist, against religious discrimination, against xenophobia, etc.Kendi is also not interested in suasion.

The original problem of racism has not been solved by suasion. Knowledge is only power if knowledge is put to the struggle for power. Changing minds is not a movement. Critiquing racism is not activism. Changing minds is not activism. An activist produces power and policy change, not mental change. If a person has no record of power or policy change, then that person is not an activist.

When I say this book is personal, I mean that. Kendi uses his own life primarily as an example of moving from racism to antiracism. He talks about how he, at one point, had adopted the racist ideas against other Black people that were common at the time and won a speech competition by reciting them. He talks about anger and hatred against White people for both the historical harm and the continued indifference to racism. He talks about his own internalized sexism and homophobia. In each of these areas and more, he came to realized that a sense of superiority or alienation, no matter how large or small, perpetuates differences and violates the antiracist ideal.The end of the book is the most personal. Kendi recounts how soon after they were married, his wife developed breast cancer. Together they walked through that cancer and instead of being newlyweds and she starting her medical career after 12 years of preparation to become a doctor, she became a cancer patient. And then not long after his wife was cancer-free, he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.Cancer becomes the metaphor for racism at the end. Racism has embedded itself in our society. It is spreading and distorting culture and if it is not rooted out, not just in the racial aspects, but the sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc., it will continue to metastasize and transform. According to an interview on NPR I heard last week, his cancer is in remission for now, but he has a very high likelihood of reoccurrence, and he is not fooling around because he is not sure how long he will be alive to oppose racism.

I’ve read 6 or 7 books on racism/anti-racism this year, and this one has been far and away my favorite and the most useful.It presents the issue in a more logical and even-handed manner than the others, in a way that is less exhausting and intimidating for a white person trying to do anti-racist work, and in a way that has energized me to get out and try to change policies rather than wasting my time trying to change the minds of devoted racists. I HIGHLY recommend it.This would make an excellent companion to Stamped from the Beginning (a rundown on the history, nature, magnitude on racism) and White Fragility (the most useful book I’ve read for things like everyday racism, repairs, racial abuse/microagressions, etc.).

Powerful book and essential reading for white people, especially those who consider themselves allies and want to learn how they can better support POC and be truly anti-racist. That said, while I wouldn’t call the writing pretentious, it definitely requires a solid grasp on modern literature. Putting it plainly, you need to have a high reading level compared to other similar books. Some of the concepts require a high level of extrapolation and critical thinking, and I had to reread several passages to ensure I understood what was being said.Again, still a GREAT book and I recommend it to everyone who wonders how large the difference between simply not being a racist and being anti-racist is, and wants to know how they can frame their thinking to help change the world and rid it of racism against POC for good.

Very well written book and arrived in nice condition. This book should be in schools. Highly recommend for everyone to read.

For some people it may be better to read “White Fragility” first before embarking on this book. But if you’re ready to accept that racism is pervasive and acts through us to make racist policy, then this book is ready for you. He makes a persuasive and moving case that the answer to pervasive racism is to be anti racist. To make antiracist policy changes so that we can root out racism from our society once and for all. A daunting task to be sure, but not an impossible one. And to survive as a nation, and perhaps even as a species, we have to take up this fight.

I just finished reading Kendi’s How To Be An Antiracist. I really liked the book. That includes the format of mixing personal narrative with propositional statements. And the overall content. Why did I like it?1) Kendi has a clear definition of antiracism that makes sense to me. He identifies antiracism as working to change racist policies. Racist policies in government. Racist policies in corporations. Racist policies anywhere. He sees racist ideas as following racist policies rather than leading racist policies. This doesn’t rule out learning as much as you can about racist ideas – Kendi’s major work Stamped From The Beginning was a thorough history of just that. But where do racist ideas come from? He finds that source in the self-interest of policy makers including both persons who directly make laws and persons with economic power to protect who influence them.2) Kendi acknowledges racist ideas and actions in the black community throughout the book. This includes his own disparaging of blacks in his prize-winning high school Martin Luther King Day speech; E. Franklin Frazier’s sociological writings which dominated sociological thought about race from the early 1930s through the mid 1960s; the misguided widespread support in the black community for the War On Drugs which eventually included the 26 out of 38 members of the Black Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives voting for the 1994 anti-crime legislation that led to mass incarceration; and many other examples. Kendi explicitly refutes the argument that black people can’t be racist because black people don’t have any power.3) Kendi affirms everyone’s basic humanity. This is where the question of assimilation gets a little sticky. Many advocates of assimilation see those whom they want to assimilate as inferior. This was very true of Oscar Romero’s1966 book, The Culture Of Poverty, and only slightly less true of the monumental 1944 Carnegie Foundation study by Gunnar Myrdal, An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s 1965 Johnson Administration report, The Negro Family: The Case For National Action, drew heavily from E. Franklin Frazier’s 1955 book, Black Bourgeoise, to make the case that fixing the Negro family should be a top governmental priority – all the government needed do for black America.4) Kendi points everyone in the same action direction: change racist policies! He doesn’t talk about “white supremacy culture” as in Critical Race Theory. He doesn’t say “white should fix it” as I understand Critical Race Theory to say. His message to blacks, to whites, to everyone is that we need to identify specific racist policies and then work hard and work together to get them changed.5) Kendi’s message contrasts directly with the penchant in many contemporary anti-racism training programs to look for racism only in the white psyche.The personal narratives included in the book make the entire message come alive. I can’t recommend it more highly.

Kendi, is on to something, and his ideas needs to be explored in a way that I can under stand after a lifetime of thinking I was naturalist and How does the individual stop racist policy.

I feel Like this should be required reading for ALL humans. So informative, packed full of helpful knowledge. The author captures such important topics for all humans to be informed of. I’ve read all of his books and they are so eye opening. I love his work and am so grateful that he educates the population.

This a very good book, well researched by a man who is obviously a scholar. Each chapter views different important aspects of racism and how to be an anti-racist. It took me a long time to read the book because there was so much to think about. Reading this book especially in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder cause me to realize just how difficult it is for African Americans to navigate life in the USA in 2020 dealing with racist police, a criminal justice that seems to be designed to put them in jail and the overall unfairness of life in general. I simply couldn’t function in such an environment.Dr. Kendi has thieved, survived a killer cancer (which is outlined in one chapter), producing this outstanding book. He give me hope that one day, hopefully soon we as a society will begin to address the endemic racism in our culture.

Bought this book for my college.

I just finished this excellent book by Ibram X. Kendi. It explores racism from all angles and really engages the reader not only with history but ways to reflect on and view one’s own racism and connection to it. It really opened my eyes and shows you how to work towards improving ourselves, our communities and ultimately our world. What was also quite telling is the author’s own journey to see his own racist views, how he came to them, how they were affecting his life and he chose to work on overcoming them.What was going on in his life while writing the book makes it all the more amazing that he was able to write it. This is not an easy read because it is asking you to examine your views and deep held beliefs. However I think this is a vital book for everyone to read if we have any hope of making our country a more equitable place for everyone.

I will start by saying that I am biased because I attune myself to be a human living in the social setting of America, with the label of Black, and love it. I have also waited for this book and hold “Stamped from the Beginning” in the highest regard.I loved the storytelling and the sharing of his experiences towards his current growth. I found Kendi’s autodidactism to be familiar and in correlation to so many Black people I know. My favorite chapter, for many reasons, is chapter 8 “Behavior.” Truthfully, there is consistent opportunity to learn and reflect on your own racist and antiracist practices, yes Black people can be racist too, according to Kendi, but he puts a caveat on it. The Book is just well done. My only critique would be for Kendi to expound on the “Black racist” due to the lack of knowledge that they have power. This is a large step in Black intellectual thought and I would have benefited from a deep more explanatory discourse on how he came to the notion that Black people obfuscate other Black people’s power, on a larger level than just citing a few examples of powerful political Black people. For us who don’t yield that kind of power, it’s difficult to see the functioning reality of labeling other Black people racists for their deeds towards people of color. I get it, I would have liked to understand how Kendi came to that summation.Overall, I love it.

I picked up How to Be an Antiracist almost immediately after I finished Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. They are very different in approach. Stamped from the beginning is more academic, much longer, and more historical. How to be an Antiracist is much shorter, more personal and, in a helpful way, not academic.Despite it being shorter and less academic, I think this is a book I am going to need to read again, while I doubt I will re-read Stamped from the Beginning. How to be an Antiracist is making subtle changes to the recent Critical Race Theory informed definitions of racism. And while I think I mostly agree with Kendi’s critiques, I also think I need to both re-read this book to be sure I understand what he is doing, and read some others responding to him to make sure I am not missing some of the implications of his critiques.At the most basic, Kendi is rejecting the prejudice plus power definition of racism. At the same time, he is rejecting racist as a descriptor of a person. He wants racist to be the descriptor of the idea or action. “A racist idea is any idea that suggests one racial group is inferior or superior to another racial group in any way.” Similarly, “A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups.” In another place, “What is racism? Racism is a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities…Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing.”Kendi uses the metaphor of racism not as an identity (or tattoo), you either are or are not racist, but a sticky name tag that you put on and take off. He is unequivocal that anyone can express racist ideas or perform racist actions. And he is not at all rejecting the concept of racism as a systemic reality. He does not like the term systemic racism (because it is too vague). He wants to concentrate on ‘racist policies.’

A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups. An antiracist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups. By policy, I mean written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations, and guidelines that govern people. There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy. Every policy in every institution in every community in every nation is producing or sustaining either racial inequity or equity between racial groups.

There will, I think, be several White people that are opposed to the Critical Race Theory line of thinking about racism that wants to embrace a part of Kendi’s point. They will like that anyone can express racist ideas or actions. But will not understand Kendi’s more significant point that the movement to antiracism is rooted in the empowerment of Black and other minorities. Kendi’s position is not that Blacks can be racist against Whites, but that Blacks can be racist against other Black people. Kendi is not empowering the idea of ‘reverse racism’ but expanding racism to included Black people being racist against other Black people or other minorities.Throughout How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi talks about three approaches. In general, people are or have been, segregationists, assimilationists, or antiracists. Segregationists want to maintain separate racial hierarchies. Assimilationists wish to break down legal segregation, but also do not go far enough in breaking down the internal understanding of racial superiority. Assimilationists want acceptance and often are willing to have either partial approval or behavior-based acceptance of some, as opposed to all. In Kendi’s approach, segregationists and assimilationists are both forms of racism. It is only antiracists that are focused not just on legal segregation and discrimination, but also on internal feelings of superiority or inferiority that move society beyond racism.Antiracism, like feminism in its ideals, is not about reversing the patriarchy or racial hierarchy, but about equality. To be antiracist in Kendi’s ideal means to not only be opposed to racism and for racial equality, but also to be against division based on, “gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, skin color, nationality, and culture, among a series of other identifiers.” To be antiracist means that you are also an antisexist, against religious discrimination, against xenophobia, etc.Kendi is also not interested in suasion.

The original problem of racism has not been solved by suasion. Knowledge is only power if knowledge is put to the struggle for power. Changing minds is not a movement. Critiquing racism is not activism. Changing minds is not activism. An activist produces power and policy change, not mental change. If a person has no record of power or policy change, then that person is not an activist.

When I say this book is personal, I mean that. Kendi uses his own life primarily as an example of moving from racism to antiracism. He talks about how he, at one point, had adopted the racist ideas against other Black people that were common at the time and won a speech competition by reciting them. He talks about anger and hatred against White people for both the historical harm and the continued indifference to racism. He talks about his own internalized sexism and homophobia. In each of these areas and more, he came to realized that a sense of superiority or alienation, no matter how large or small, perpetuates differences and violates the antiracist ideal.The end of the book is the most personal. Kendi recounts how soon after they were married, his wife developed breast cancer. Together they walked through that cancer and instead of being newlyweds and she starting her medical career after 12 years of preparation to become a doctor, she became a cancer patient. And then not long after his wife was cancer-free, he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.Cancer becomes the metaphor for racism at the end. Racism has embedded itself in our society. It is spreading and distorting culture and if it is not rooted out, not just in the racial aspects, but the sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc., it will continue to metastasize and transform. According to an interview on NPR I heard last week, his cancer is in remission for now, but he has a very high likelihood of reoccurrence, and he is not fooling around because he is not sure how long he will be alive to oppose racism.

This was a wonderful read. I appreciate Kendi’s approach to breaking complex ideas down by deconstructing language to core definitions – a great starting point. Kendi clearly and concisely ties his points together while remaining rooted in language, logic and reasoning. While he is clearly passionate and writes with a lived experience of racism, he never allows his reasoning to take a backseat to emotion. Read this book!

Just finished Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s bestseller “How To Be An Antiracist”.Well researched and well written. Thought provoking and some surprisingperspectives. I appreciated the author’s vulnerability and approach to sharing his personal narrative and growth in developing his understanding of racism and the necessity of antiracist action needed to eradicate racism from the system.To grow, one must admit with intellectual humility that there are things we need to learn and then take action to discover those lessons. There is terrific content to absorb in Dr. Kendi’s writing. It is filled with deep content and is a book that calls for plenty of reflection.I wrestled with the author’s concept of capitalism and racism as conjoined twins. It seemed that in limiting the debate on capitalism to the ills within Friedman’s perspective on maximizing shareholder value seems to suggest that only government can be the answer. I’ve witnessed too many family and small business successes raise individuals from poverty to throw capitalism out as part of a possible antiracist solution in a societal ecosystem of government, charitable organizations, business and education working together. I will admit I may be misinterpreting the author’s intent in emphasizing policy change, but I want to advocate for business being part of the solution.The sad part is there is still much work to be done. We all need to be part of the solution. Take the time to read and reflect on “How To Be An Antiracist” I highly recommend it.

I just finished reading Kendi’s How To Be An Antiracist. I really liked the book. That includes the format of mixing personal narrative with propositional statements. And the overall content. Why did I like it?1) Kendi has a clear definition of antiracism that makes sense to me. He identifies antiracism as working to change racist policies. Racist policies in government. Racist policies in corporations. Racist policies anywhere. He sees racist ideas as following racist policies rather than leading racist policies. This doesn’t rule out learning as much as you can about racist ideas – Kendi’s major work Stamped From The Beginning was a thorough history of just that. But where do racist ideas come from? He finds that source in the self-interest of policy makers including both persons who directly make laws and persons with economic power to protect who influence them.2) Kendi acknowledges racist ideas and actions in the black community throughout the book. This includes his own disparaging of blacks in his prize-winning high school Martin Luther King Day speech; E. Franklin Frazier’s sociological writings which dominated sociological thought about race from the early 1930s through the mid 1960s; the misguided widespread support in the black community for the War On Drugs which eventually included the 26 out of 38 members of the Black Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives voting for the 1994 anti-crime legislation that led to mass incarceration; and many other examples. Kendi explicitly refutes the argument that black people can’t be racist because black people don’t have any power.3) Kendi affirms everyone’s basic humanity. This is where the question of assimilation gets a little sticky. Many advocates of assimilation see those whom they want to assimilate as inferior. This was very true of Oscar Romero’s1966 book, The Culture Of Poverty, and only slightly less true of the monumental 1944 Carnegie Foundation study by Gunnar Myrdal, An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s 1965 Johnson Administration report, The Negro Family: The Case For National Action, drew heavily from E. Franklin Frazier’s 1955 book, Black Bourgeoise, to make the case that fixing the Negro family should be a top governmental priority – all the government needed do for black America.4) Kendi points everyone in the same action direction: change racist policies! He doesn’t talk about “white supremacy culture” as in Critical Race Theory. He doesn’t say “white should fix it” as I understand Critical Race Theory to say. His message to blacks, to whites, to everyone is that we need to identify specific racist policies and then work hard and work together to get them changed.5) Kendi’s message contrasts directly with the penchant in many contemporary anti-racism training programs to look for racism only in the white psyche.The personal narratives included in the book make the entire message come alive. I can’t recommend it more highly.

This is an offer of learning what to do about overwhelming racism and racist response to protest

This book has changed the way I view the world. It so clearly and unequivocally defines what racism is, how it has dictated so much of our society, and how to fight it. It goes into the many facets of life through which racism takes hold, such as class, gender, and sexuality. Many books by scholars can be challenging to read because of their fancy language and holier-than-thou voice – this was not the case here. Everything the author says is grounded in reality and humility, and is said in a way that is easy to understand. I would not be surprised if this book becomes required reading for high schoolers in the future. It actively changed how I will approach the world and gives a clear framework through which we can become antiracists.

Dr. Kendi details excellent points into how to incorporate anti-racist thinking, as opposed to a non-racist perspective—which are two distinct concepts. He explains his personal journey with respect to race and anti-racist versus racist ideas, and elucidates that—like himself—any other person can incorporate both anti-racist and racist ideas at various points. The point is that one is conscious of their ill-founded notions on race and perform the hard work that it takes to become more anti-racist than one previously was. He also illuminates that certain figures, such as the well-known white abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, promoted assimilation, not authentic anti-racist policies. In addition, Kendi speaks of the belovéd W.E.B. Du Bois and that he did not fully promote anti-racist ideas until later in his life. (Consider Du Bois’s concept of “The Talented Tenth,” to be later overtaken by a more inclusive and empowering coalition, per his new anti-racist ideas.) Kendi offers a variant of personal phenomena and other illuminating perspectives. Be sure to consider his words when thinking about cultural phenomena, non-racist versus anti-racist thinking, alterations between racist and anti-racist thinking and how to do the hard work that is incorporating an anti-racist mentality, as well as how others’ perceptions of the privileged and underprivileged colors our thinking. Indeed, whether one is a BIPOC or of a white background, oftentimes people are swept in generalizations about entire groups. Kendi ensures that anti-racism is incorporated in all respects—for all persons involved.

This book is brilliant and amazing. It should be required reading for all humans. Totally foundational! I really appreciated Kendi’s vulnerability and weaving the story of his growing up throughout the book. It gave the book beauty on top of being so educational. Kendi is giving people who read the book new eyeglasses with which to see the racism problem. I never knew how powerful definitions could be until I read the book. Identifying common mistakes of allies (policies that inadvertently segregate or condescendingly recommend assimilation) is key. Once you think of racism as a policy problem of self interest, it is more solvable.

Dr. Kendi’s writing is fluid and engaging as he expertly teaches complex concepts through his personal journey to becoming anti-racist. In many ways, this was hard to read, it for all the right reasons. The difficulty came in absorbing what he teaches and honestly evaluating my own history and my own outlook so I can change myself and those parts of the world that I touch.I will be digesting and revisiting these concepts and outlooks for years to come, as I know I will have to remind myself what it means to be effectively anti-racist for the rest of my life.If I could set required reading for every American, this book would be it.

I know I can’t say I’m not racist. This read was exceptionally enlightening and provides a way for one to become anti-racist. For our country to move forward, this is a necessary read. We cannot deny the current status of racism. We cannot deny the harm it is putting on all those who are not White. We owe it to our Black, Asian, Latinx, Native and all who have ever been”Other” to really do the work and think within. Knowing is not doing, so do – learn, grow, dig deep inside yourself, dialogue, learn from others that have the knowledge and expertise,, know it is not their job to tell you how our what but listen for their guidance.

Five luminous stars! This is a bold book of reckoning. Kudos to Ibram Kendi for having the testicular fortitude to bring new ideas to the marketplace. Although antiracism isn’t necessarily a brand new idea, Kendi has placed his indelible stamp on it and will now be forever linked to it with this very important book. One of the things that impress, and is helpful in discussion and debate are clear definitions. As he did in his previous work, Stamped From The Beginning he is laborious about exactly defining the terms he uses. Readers will appreciate this as it helps to flush out clarity.And I would add, arms one against the attacks that are surely coming from all angles. I distinctly remember the debate around Afrocentricity and all the myriad ways that people defined it. The hijacking was possible because Molefi Asante possibly didn’t go deep enough in his definition of Afrocentricity, although that was later definitively corrected.Kendi is seeking to avoid this error writing, “defining our terms so that we could begin to describe the world and our place in it. Definitions anchor us in principles……Some of my most consequential steps toward being an antiracist have been the moments when I arrived at basic definitions….So let’s set some definitions. What is racism?” Kendi having spent time in Asante’s Africology Ph.D. program at Temple University might account for some of this diligence.We’ll come back to his definition, as that will surely become the cause of some attacks because he has dared to challenge long-held beliefs about racism, racists, and who can and cannot be considered racists. Whenever you are bold enough to offer new thoughts to the marketplace of ideas, you had better be ready for battle, and if this book is any indication Kendi is indeed ready. Alongside his guide to becoming antiracist, he offers his own personal journey which adds a personal flavor to the book and keeps it from sagging into academic boredom.So, for Black folk it’s true that many of us have a definition of racism, that excludes Blacks from being racist, well Kendi challenges that and forces us to possibly make an adjustment to our definition. That’s going to be a tough one for sure, but his arguments here are very cogent and considering his definition of racism, quite logical.When was the last time a book made you reconsider some defining principles? Wow! For non-Blacks, just saying well I’m ‘not racist‘ will no longer cut it. To wit, “What’s the problem with being ‘not racist’? It is a claim that signifies neutrality: ‘I am not a racist, but neither am I aggressively against racism.’ But there is no neutrality in the racism struggle. The opposite of “racist” isn’t “not racist.” It is “antiracist.” What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist or racial equality as an antiracist.”With chapters on Power, Biology, Class, Black, White, etc. Kendi has made a thorough attempt to spark a movement towards antiracism, that results in a world where people actively and consciously fight against racism. Is that a pipe dream? As detailed here in this text, if we accept the definitions then no, it is indeed achievable, but we must do the work and it starts with the man in the mirror. That was the first place I went after finishing this book and contemplating this new definition of racism,“So let’s set some definitions. What is racism? Racism is a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities. Okay, so what are racist policies and ideas?” Damn you, Kendi! What are racist policies and ideas, well you will have to get this book, READ and engage the ideas of antiracism and hopefully be on your way to becoming an Antiracist! Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Oneworld Publishing for an advanced DRC. Book will explode onto shelves Tues. August 13, 2019

The author brings up points I never would have considered, as a Caucasian older woman, raised liberally, but certainly not aware, by any means, of what people of color go through. Recent headlines have continued to shock me as to the extent of the deep seated biases, bigotry, and out and out hatred that is so rampant, yet subtle in many ways, in the US society. I’m horrified, deeply saddened, and doing all I can to become more aware.This book, along with a few others, is an excellent tool to give me a start. I highly recommend it.That I even have to read this to educate myself, because it still exists, and I literally wasn’t aware, astounds me. We’ve got some growing to do, US citizens. Step One, right here.

Thankful for this well-written book from the bottom of my heart! I especially enjoyed the personal touch by Dr. Kendi with all his personal anecdotes that weaved together the educational contents on antiracism beautifully.Being a Chinese immigrant who has only become an American citizen for two years, for most of my life I had been ignorant of the perpetuation of injustice against black and Hispanic people. My father had been mugged and injured on the head by a black person on his way home when I was a child but I have always had an implicit bias even before the incident. Not only did this book help me recognize the horrific reality of racial injustice in our country that is built upon bigotry, greed, and self-interest, it gave me new eyes to see the racism in myself that I have had toward every other people group that is different from me. Our seemingly harmless psychological tendencies can be harmful to society in a very tangible way.My journey to be an antiracist has only just begun, and I want to thank Dr. Kendi again for his inspiration and leadership.

Before I wrote my thoughts about this book, I felt went to the one and two stars comments. I am not surprised by people making the comments they made, because they are either blind to whole complete truth. First, I read Stamped from the Beginning, this is a must.I believe you truly have to read this book first in order to truly appreciate the content of this book. In doing my research, and reading several other authors I was left with many questions. This book would answer many of my questions.It’s somewhat reflective of people who made the negative comments are doing being just nor fair in what they are saying. It’s unfortunate people make blanket statement without much to back it up, with nothing more than an opinion.Finally this is very well written book, which captures and explain racism for how it affects everyone. Before a person make another negative comment they should read Malcom X biography, and then Stamped from the Beginning. You will then appreciate this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The book is full of factual information, historical data, and statistics that support Kendi’s ideas. He definitely tells it like it is. Through sharing his own journey and introspection, he encourages you to do the same. My guess is that there were some readers who didn’t like what they saw in themselves but that is how we grow. I highly recommend this book!

An informative, engaging, and practical guide for those of us who truly want to live in an antiracist way. The process will be imperfect as Dr. Kendi notes beautifully as he shares his own challenges, but the work (self examination first and foremost) to get to actual systemic antiracist policy changes must be done.

Doctor Kendi places great emphasis on policies which directly influence both racist and anti racist behavior. The narrative dissects concepts and definitions to clarify the message. An objective view opens all concepts to speculation, as to be expected from anyone paying attention. I appreciate that Dr. Kendi lived in a low income black neighborhood during his post graduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. It should also be mentioned that Dr. Kendi wrote this book while undergoing chemo therapy which alludes to his point that there can be no progress without pain..I agree. Dr. Kendi’ use of the English language is eloquent and just adds to how well written this work is. This book has helped me to make sense of the current polarized state of America.

Recent events of police brutality on black subjects got people to protest and me into educating myself on racism. I’m first generation Indian American and did not actively study racism. Dr. Kendi in this book had presents scholarly work. It took me a while to finish the book as I would stop and Google the name of an author mentioned to read about him/ her on wikipedia and also youtube. Dr. Kendi is so kind that he concludes racist policies are the result of politicians’ self-interest. I’ll be reading this book again to work on myself to get rid of my own biases. Highly recommend for everyone!

In telling the story of his own journey to be antiracist, Kendi reveals a path that is challenging, but possible to follow, This book provides a map of a difficult terrain to anyone willing to begin or continue a life long journey to be Human.

I love this (hard cover) book. It took me a while to get through but that may be because I read it all and didn’t dwell on the definitions introducing each chapter. No, the definitions aren’t what you would see in Webster’s, but come on, read the chapters!The editor did miss a couple of typos (misspelled bombarded, German Sherman?) but the content of the chapters is clear and educational. I was not aware, for example, that Black immigrants coming into the U.S. today often have the preconception that African Americans are lazy. Even they have been sucked into believing a lie.I’m an average 67 year old White guy who grew up in Midland and Houston Texas as a child. I saw the “Inside for Whites only” signs. I saw the garbage men pick up the heavy metal trash cans. Invariably, they were Black and extremely muscular. As a child, I thought the signs were mean. I also hoped that Black people wouldn’t get mad at “us” because they were so strong.Fortunately, I had great parents who did not reinforce racism. I grew up to know that the signs were mean. I have spent a lifetime being embarrassed to be white whenever White Supremacy reared it’s ugly head. I’m embarrassed by our current POTUS and his sycophants.This book also describes what it means to be an activist. Kendi is very honest with himself here. He admits to thinking he was an activist at times when he strictly was not. He admits to his own racism and his realization of such. Honest, educational, and candid. Thank you, Kendi.

This book was perfect for me. I’m a white woman in my 40s, raising a white daughter and navigating this world as a liberal in a very conservative part of the country. No one thinks they’re racist and I feel I have a lot of work to do. I want to do my part to make it better for everyone. This book was like all the background I needed to help guide me. One of my favorite takeaways is that an equitable world benefits everyone, not just those who are being treated unfairly today. I hope to bring others out of the dark by explaining that.

I just finished reading the Kindle version of Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How To Be An Antiracist, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.The first several chapters define and address the various types of racism and other bigotries. For me the book exploded (in the best way) with the chapter titled “Failure” by drawing together all the groundwork laid in the preceding chapters and clearly explaining how the evidence changed the author’s thinking. The two chapters that followed addressed personal responsibility and hope-against-hope.In those last three chapters I found myself highlighting passage after passage.

Although the book is written by a scholar and historian, Kendi’s work is incredibly engaging because he tells his own personal journey in a compelling way along with the lessons of history. The history of institutional racism was fascinating and horrifying all at once. The book opened my eyes and made me understand the world from a different vantage. This book along with White Fragility have changed my thinking. He also points out that differences between individual acts and how the economy and idealogy play into the history of racism. I highly recommend the book regardless of your starting viewpoint.

Extremely thought provoking, there were times where I found myself really irritated by Dr. Kendi and then minutes later feeling so lucky to soak up his philosophies of life. The organization and writing of the book is superb. I went into the book thinking it would be fairly surface level on how to be a better white person, maybe that’s why at times I was uncomfortable because I had to face some truths about my beliefs that maybe I didn’t want to deconstruct; but this book is so much more than being a good citizen or representative of your race, it really tries to open and reshape how you think about and view the world. That was overly welcome and made me pleasantly surprised as a reader.

One of the most eye-opening and important books I’ve ever read; one I feel will need to re-read and re-read in order to truly take it all in. Everyone needs to read this book.

This book was hard to read at times (mama going on little sleep) so I often had to reread paragraphs at a time. I have learned a great deal about racism in the US, though. I too used to think that racism would end with more education. Really, we need policy change in order to affect change. As a white woman, I found this book helped me call myself on my own biases and racist thoughts. It also helped me understand how I can take action to help ensure policy change. I think this book should be required reading in US History classes!

I enjoy reading this author.

I would like to thank Ibram Kendi for this book. We need this kind of analysis to deconstruct the phenomenon of racism and to pursue more clarity on how to tag it and stamp it out – in the world and in ourselves. In interweaving autobiography and viewpoint, Kendi provides a rigorous and passionate perspective, underscored with personal humility and the courage to share his journey. If I could ask one thing from Kendi’s next works – and I will be reading them – it would be provision of sources from his research.

Kendi is incredibly methodical in his discussion of what racism is and how it functions. The book moves forward in a wonderfully organized manner, tying abstract concepts to personal history in always meaningful ways. The points he make can be really didactic but the anecdotes keep it lively and readable.Just finished reading some of the recent reviews of the book and it seems he should add a new chapter quoting from all of them to simply prove more vigorously all the points he’s making. People here are just full of racist concepts and ideas they’re using to attack this. Really enjoying the book so far.

This is definitely a must-read for everyone. Sadly, the people who need to read it the most won’t be reading it. It is somewhat a narrative as his personal anecdotes are sprinkled around a truly compelling framework for what racism is and isn’t. Racial discrimination is ok if it leads to anti-racist policies (aka affirmative action). With a biographical history in black liberation theology from his parents, the author leads you to a better understanding of racism and the need not to just be race neutral or color-blind which is in effect, racist, but to fight for policies that are anti-racist.

Ibram Xolani Kendi (born Ibram Henry Rogers) is director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University; he previously taught history and Africana Studies at several universities, and founded the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University.He wrote in the Introduction to this 2019 book, “I used to be racist most of the time. I am changing. I am no longer identifying with racists by claiming to be ‘not racist.’ I am no longer speaking through the mask of race neutrality. I am no longer manipulated by racist ideas to see racial groups as problems. I no longer believe a Black person cannot be racist… I no longer care about how the actions of other Black individuals reflect on me, since none of us are race representatives… And I’ve come to see that the movement from racist to antiracist is always ongoing… it means standing ready to fight at racism’s intersections with other bigotries. This book is ultimately about the basic struggle we’re all in, the struggle to be fully human and to see that others are fully human… and antiracist world… can become real if we focus on power instead of people, if we focus on changing policy instead of groups of people. It’s possible if we overcome our cynicism about the permanence of racism.” (Pg. 10-11)He explains, “What’s the problem with being ‘not racist’? It is a claim that signifies neutrality: ‘I am not a racist, but neither am I aggressively against racism.’ But there is no neutrality in the racism struggle. The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘anti-racist.’ What’s the difference? One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of ‘not racist.’ The claim of ‘not racist’ neutrality is a mask for racism.” (Pg. 9)He outlines, “let’s set some definitions. What is racism? Racism is a marriage of racial policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities… Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing… A racist policy is any measure that produced or sustains racial inequity between racial groups. An antiracist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups… Focusing on ‘racial discrimination’ takes our eyes off the central agents of racism: racist policy and racist policymakers, or what I call racist power.” (Pg. 18-19) He continues, “So what is a racist idea? A racist idea is any idea that suggests one racial group is inferior or superior to another racial group in any way. Racist ideas argue that the inferiorities and superiorities of racial groups explain racial inequities in society… An antiracist idea is any idea that suggests the racial groups are equals in all their apparent differences—that there is nothing right or wrong with any racial group. Antiracist ideas argue that racist policies are the cause of racial inequities.” (Pg. 20)He recalls a church program from his youth, of “Black people feeding Black people [which] embodied the gospel of Black self-reliance that the adults in my life were feeding me. Black self-reliance was a double-edged sword. On one side was an abhorrence of White supremacy and White paternalism… On the other, a love of Black rulers and saviors of Black paternalism. On one side was the antiracist belief that Black people were entirely capable of … relying on themselves. On the other, the assimilationist idea that Black people should focus on pulling themselves up … getting off crack, street corners, and government ‘handouts’…This dueling consciousness nourished Black pride by insisting that there was nothing wrong with Black people, but it also cultivated shame with its implication that there was something behaviorallly wrong with Black people… well, at least those other Black people. If the problem was in our own behavior, then Reagan revolutionaries were not keeping Black people down—we were keeping ourselves down.” (Pg. 30-31)He suggests, “But there is a way to get free. To be antiracist is to emancipate oneself from the dueling consciousness. To be antiracist is to conquer the assimilationist consciousness and the segregationist consciousness. The White body no longer presents itself as the American body; the Black body no longer strives to be the American body, knowing there is no such thing as the American body, only American bodies, racialized by power.” (Pg. 33-34)He argues, “But there is no such thing as racial ancestry. Ethnic ancestry does exist… People from the same ethnic groups that are native to certain geographic regions typically share the same genetic profile. Geneticists call them ‘populations.’ When geneticists compare these ethnic populations, they find there is more genetic diversity between populations within Africa that between Africa and the rest of the world. Ethnic groups in Western Africa are more genetically similar to ethnic groups in Western Europe than to ethnic groups in Eastern Africa. Race is a genetic mirage.” (Pg. 53)He states, “To be antiracist is to view national and transnational ethnic groups as equal in all their differences. To be antiracist is to challenge the racist policies that plague racialized ethnic groups across the world. To be antiracist is to view the inequities between all racialized ethnic groups as a problem of policy.” (Pg. 64) Later, he adds, “To be an antiracist is to focus on color lines as much as racial lines, knowing that color lines are equally harmful for Dark people. When the gains of a multicolored race disproportionately flow to Dark people, inequities between the races mirror inequities within the races. But because inequities between the races overshadow inequities within the races, Dark people often fail to see colorism as they regularly experience it. Therefore, Dark people rarely protest policies that benefit Light people…” (Pg. 110)He notes, “To be an antiracist is not to reverse the beauty standard. To be an antiracist is to eliminate any beauty standard based on skin and eye color, hair texture, facial and bodily features shared by groups. To be an antiracist is to diversify our standards of beauty like our standards of culture or intelligence, to see beauty equally in all skin colors, broad and thin noses, kinky and straight hair, light and dark eyes. To be an antiracist is to build and live in a beauty culture that accentuates instead of erases our natural beauty.” (Pg. 113-114)He points out, “Months before being assassinated, Malcolm X faced a fact many admirers… still refuse to face: Black people can be racist toward White people… Whenever someone classifies people of European descent as biologically, culturally or behaviorally inferior, whenever someone says there is something wrong with White people as a group, someone is articulating a racist idea. The only thing wrong with White people is when they embrace racist ideas and policies and then deny their ideas and policies are racist… There’s no such thing as White genes. We must separate the warlike, greedy, bigoted, and individualist cultures of modern empire and racial capitalism… from the cultures of White people. They are not one and the same…” (Pg. 128)He observes, “To color police racism as White on the pretext that only White people can be racist is to ignore the non-White officer’s history of profiling and killing ‘them ni-gers.’ It is to ignore that the police killer in 2012 of Brooklyn’s Shantel Davis was Black, that three of the six officers involved in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray were Black, that the police killer in 2016 of Charlotte’s Keith Lamont Scott was Black, and that one of the police killers in 2018 of Sacramento’s Stephon Clark was Black. How can the white officers involved in the deaths of Terence Crutcher, Sandra Bland, Walter L. Scott, Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald, and Decynthia Clements be racist but their Black counterparts be antiracist?” (Pg. 147-148)He recalls, “My parents were worried… when I moved into this Black neighborhood. I felt I needed to live around Black people in order to study and uplift Black people. Not just any Black people: poor Black people… I made urban poverty an entryway into the supposedly crime-riddled and impoverished house of authentic Blackness… I thought I was so real, so Black, in choosing this apartment in this neighborhood. In truth, I was being racist… I was fleeing to poor Blacks in racist assurance of the superiority conferred by their danger, their superior authenticity. I was the Black gentrifier… I believed culture filtered upward, that Black elites … needed to go to the ‘bottom’ to be civilized.” (Pg. 163-165)He notes, “To be antiracist is to reject not only the hierarchy of races but of race-genders. To be feminist is to reject not only the hierarchy of genders but of race-genders. To truly be antiracist is to be feminist.” (Pg. 189) Later, he adds, “I am a cisgendered Black heterosexual male… To be queer antiracist is to understand the privileges of my cisgender, of my masculinity, of my heterosexuality, of their intersections. To be queer antiracist is to serve as an ally to transgender people, to intersex people, to women, to the non-gender-conforming… and being led by their equalizing policy campaigns, by their power struggle for equal opportunity.” (Pg. 197)He summarizes “steps to be an antiracist. I stop using the ‘I’m not a racist’ … defense of denial. I admit the definition of racist (someone who is supporting racist policies or expressing racist ideas). I confess the racist policies I support and racist ideas I express… I acknowledge the definition of antiracist (someone who is supporting antiracist policies or expressing antiracist ideas). I struggle for antiracist power in my spaces… I struggle to remain at the antiracist intersections where racism is mixed with other bigotries… I struggle to think with antiracist ideas… Racist ideas fooled me nearly my whole life… I realized there is nothing wrong with any of the racial groups and everything wrong with individuals like me who think there is something wrong with any of the racial groups.” (Pg. 226-227)He concludes, “Race and racism are power constructs of the modern world… Racism is not even six hundred years old. It’s a cancer that we’ve caught early. But racism is one of the fastest-spreading and most fatal cancers humanity has ever known… There is nothing I see in our world today… giving me hope that one day antiracists will win the fight… What gives me hope is a simple truism. Once we lose hope, we are guaranteed to lose. But if we … fight to create an antiracist world, then we give humanity a chance to one day survive, a chance to live in communion, a chance to be forever free.” (Pg. 238)This book will be “must reading” for anyone concerned with issues affecting race, ethnicity, and social groups in modern culture.

How to Be an AntiracistIbram X. KendiI agree with Kendi, that I used to be racist most of the time. I am changing. I am no longer identifying with racists by claiming to be “not racist.” And I’ve come to see that the movement from racist to antiracist is always ongoing—it means standing ready to fight at racism’s intersections with other bigotries.A racist idea is any idea that suggests one racial group is inferior or superior to another racial group in any way. Sadly, the implicit meaning of “race” to the vast majority of the world includes a racist hierarchy that puts one ethnic group above another. It certainly cannot mean that to an antiracist or someone struggling to become an antiracist.I agree with Kendi that “race” is fundamentally a power construct of blended difference that lives socially. Race creates new forms of power for the powerful. But it also contains many surplus and implicit meanings that the vast majority of mankind without power also believes as a tenuous hold on power that is fictional.This critique is basically about Chapter 4, about Xendi’s clinging to the word “Race”. I loved his first book because his ideas were growing and in transition, not yet congealed into an ideology, which may describe his ideas in this book. In “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America” Ibram X. Kendi was still growing and exploring his ideas, and I especially admired his ability to integrate and go beyond Ta_Nehisi Coates. I especially loved his description of Bill Clinton’s avowal that the human genome offered proof that we are all one race, what Kendi in this book calls a:BIOLOGICAL ANTIRACIST: One who is expressing the idea that the races are meaningfully the same in their biology and there are no genetic racial differences.But now he goes on to say that “Only racists shy away from the R-word—racism is steeped in denial.” And this is the opposite conclusion that I arrive at: We need to remove “Race” from our language as a key step in becoming antiracist. The word “Race” has become a pillar upholding way too many racist ideas. We need to cut that pillar down.He also says: “It is one of the ironies of antiracism that we must identify racially in order to identify the racial privileges and dangers of being in our bodies.” And I firmly do not believe that. We have many, way too many ways to identify racist ideas and institutions in our society. We don’t need to identify racially and we are all better off if we don’t hold on to racist ideas in any way. This is not assimilationist. It is a call for cultural diversity, but outside the shackles of racist racial concepts.“Biological racism rests on two ideas: that the races are meaningfully different in their biology and that these differences create a hierarchy of value.” Kendi at one point in his past accepted the first, while he rejected the biological racial hierarchy, but he came to see that this was a doubtful ploy by racists to sneak in their racist ideals.By elevating certain inherited abilities in abused minorities, such as improvisational decision making, that could explain why they predominate in certain fields such as jazz, rap, and basketball, and not in other fields, such as classical music, chess, and astronomy; by acknowledging certain almost irrelevant and certainly lower status ways that Blacks are superior, the racists justified a biological racist distinction that empowers other racist biological ideas that are even more abusive. By upholding a biological distinction between “races” racists could hold on to the fundamental racist idea of a biological sanction for racist hierarchies, and gave them power to subjugate. Racist power at once made biological racial distinction and biological racial hierarchy the components of biological racism.One of the “great truths” this hid was “that in genetic terms, all human beings, regardless of race, are more than 99.9 percent the same.”As Kendi justifiably points out, when geneticists compare different white populations to those in Africa, they find there is more genetic diversity between populations within Africa than between Africa and the rest of the world. Race is a genetic mirage.Yet, even with this scientific proof, segregationists like Nicholas Wade figure if humans are 99.9 percent genetically alike, then they must be 0.1 percent distinct. And this distinction must be racial. And that 0.1 percent of racial distinction has grown exponentially over the millennia. And it is their job to search heaven and earth for these exponentially distinct races. This argument is not just fallacious and makes no sense; it is increasingly so. Segregationists and non-racists will find it increasingly impossible to cling to.Anyway, they are not the real problem. The real problem are the millions of racists who believe their racist ideas, including “Race”, are just common sense. It is their implicit positions that have become untenable.Even Christian fundamentalist Ken Ham, the co-author of One Race One Blood, asked in an op-ed in 2017. “For one, point out the common ground of both evolutionists and creationists: the mapping of the human genome concluded that there is only one race, the human race.”Given all these sensible positions that Kendi emphasises and describes it came as a total shock to me that he next justified continuing to uphold and promulgate the word “Race”.He begins by asserting that: “Race is a mirage but one that humanity has organized itself around in very real ways.”This makes no sense to me as a justification, because humanity has also organized itself in very real ways around racist ideas, especially in America; and in no way does this justify us to hold on to them.He next challenges an economic interpretation of race by asserting that “imagining away the existence of races in a racist world is as conserving and harmful as imagining away classes in a capitalistic world—it allows the ruling races and classes to keep on ruling.”This seems self contradictory too. Doing away with classes is a very legitimate goal of modern politcal movements, with the expre3ss goal of taking power away from ruling classes, just as taking away the idea of races is an essential part of taking power away from ruling ethnic groups.His next justification is a bit more powerful. He says: “They fail to realize that if we stop using racial categories, then we will not be able to identify racial inequity.”This makes no sense to me. Surely we can identify racist ideas if we destroy the concept of race. If we rail against the concept of race, we begin to destroy racist ideas embedded within the concept of race, such as a hierarchy of inferiority and superiority.And too, we can still identify economic and social inequities. Especially if races don’t exist, the fictions that racisst create become even clearer fictions , and all our energies can be devoted to tearing them down.Kendi is just plain wrong when he says that if “we cannot identify racial inequity, then we will not be able to identify racist policies. If we cannot identify racist policies, then we cannot challenge racist policies.”That’s just silly. Racist policies, like legal insistence on money for bail and voting can still easily be seen. After all, there are still ethnic groups of blacks and Hispanix to analyze, and arguments become even more powerful when all colored groups are united with other lower economic groups. And there are still huge inequities, especially internationally when we compare the developed northern against the undevelop southern world.“Terminating racial categories is potentially the last, not the first, step in the antiracist struggle.”Terminating racial categories may be difficult but may be easier than terminating implicit racist ideas in common sense views, and in many institutions like the police.Replacing racist “racial” categories with anti-racist ethnic categories does not need to be the first step, and in fact it may be much too difficult in this world where “race” is embedded in all legal canons to be a first step; but for an antiracist it is an essential step in struggling against the racist ideas that dominate our world,

This helped start a conversation about race in our household. My wife really liked most of the book and disagreed on some minor points. I think it’s a good effort to help get people engaged on the topic. Realistically, the people who most need to read books like this don’t. So, I take this book as a reminder that we can’t take our eye off this subject. We have to be vigilant in protecting the rights of our fellow Americans, even those we believe we may have disagreement with.

Deep and very detailed. I am in the middle of reading this. I bought it to understand more about being antiracist. I believe that I am, and I want to continue to unlearn the racial lessons we all have grown up to believe. I am hoping this book will help me grow as a woman who grew up as a Caucasian woman. I am also a mother of several multi cultural children.

A bold voice to help articulate the black perspective of ‘systemic racism’ in America. A rare and valuable read on American Social Reform; while equally so, presenting itself as anything but an easy read. Its thorough topical narrative will cause the sincere and honest reader to venture down paths of personal introspection, as well as past American history, together with modern American social culture. Now then; despite the above sincerely objective review; as a lifelong trained Christian in scriptural doctrine, a more complete reading assignment in finding solutions to help mitigate the American scourge of ‘systemic racism’, might prove to be a focused and disciplined goal of reading and studying the 4 canonized scriptural volumes of: ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ – known as: 1) Holy Bible, 2) Book of Mormon, 3) Doctrine and Covenants, and 4) Pearl of Great Price. My suggestion for all sincerely interested parties to read further according to the book list above, is based on the distinction of two things; natural human knowledge based on human experience and learning, can only go so far, and can not compete with the divinely inspired knowledge that humanity’s Creator offers to His Creation (humanity) within the 4 aforementioned volumes of Holy Writ; which four volumes not only collectively offer a more comprehensive overview of the problem of ‘systemic racism’, but also offers more effective and enduring solutions as well.

At the beginning of 2020, I wrote down the names of 12 books I was challenging myself to read this year. Little did I know that this, one of those 12 books, would be so crucially needed to challenge my mind and help me navigate the tense world I would find myself in.Like many Americans, I was horrified when George Floyd was brutally murdered by a police officer for the crime of using an allegedly forged $20 dollar bill. As a former crimonolgy major, I was discouraged and enraged though dissapointingly not surprised that only the video seemed to compel law enforcemnt into taking action against this heinous murder. What came next, the loud cry for justice and the screams to end racism, was shocking but also something I had been waiting for years to happen. Finally, a cause I’ve been advocating for my whole life was taking center stage.This book challenged me. It made me ask myself, why did I wait for this cause to take center stage before I did more than talk about it? Why did it take such attention for me to realize that I was not doing nearly enough, although my heart was in the right place?This is not an easy book. It challenges you to look at capitalism and racism dead on. It pushes you to think differently, amd introduces you to the lifelong fight that you are joining. This book is just the start. And I hope others begin with me, following the lead of the anti-racists before us to strive for an equitable society.

If I could sit with the author and converse I would ask: Mr. Kendi, in your book in Chapter 16 aptly entitled ” Failure” you discuss the use of the terms demonstration and protest. You posit that”A protest is organizing people for a prolonged campaign that forces racist power to change a policy. A demonstration is mobilizing people momentarily to publicize a problem.” You go on to state that “power typically ignores demonstrations. The most effective demonstrations (like the most effective educational efforts) help people find the antiracist power within.” and that “The most effective protests create an environment whereby changing the racist policy becomes in power’s self-interest…” How would you classify the majority of the actions being taken by today; are they protest or demonstrations? Why do you describe them in this way?While much of this book is a nice lesson in history and personal growth development, it gave me the reader many things to think about in my own journey in the area of racism and antiracism.

I know there has been a lot of discussion about this book – much of it positive and much of it negative. I must side with the positive.I think there are some very important ideas in this book that should be read by everyone who cares about and thinks about equality, equity, and racism. Those who think answers lie in leaving things alone or in cancelling everything and everyone who you disagree with doesn’t understand that these issues are centuries old and terribly complex and will require and lot of work and time to turn around.