How to Be an Antiracist

Dr. Kendi takes us on two parallel journeys. His own, through his own life and struggles, and that of our society which both end up in a place where antiracism and the policies that support it are in the forefront of his discourse. I loved this text. Like so many great texts it pulls together thoughts I already had and makes clearer the motivations behind them. We all are on a journey and I'm so happy I was able to get a peek into these.

I wanted to challenge my ideas of what tolerance really meant...and am I glad I did. Many beliefs I held, things I said, and feelings I experienced were unpacked & aggressively dismantled. If anything, this book has made me realize how long of a journey tolerance is, and how none of us are perfect. It's something I believe everyone should read as a bare minimum to tackling racism.

3+? 4-? not sure yet

I'm glad to have been able to read this so soon after publication. More importantly, I appreciate the opportunity to learn a better framework and more accurate language/thought process.

It's too soon for me to "rate" the book. I need to process. I may never actually quantify. The subject matter is critically important. The author is thoughtful and intelligent. Let's get to the work that needs to be done—on ourselves and our society.

UPDATE AFTER SECOND READING: I may have added some tags during the second reading. I'm glad to have reread it, both for discussion with friends next week and to deepen my understanding and refresh my resolve (not that it was wavering).

I just finished How to be an Antiracist[1] by Ibram X. Kendi. The book is a memoir of how Kendi grew up absorbing racist ideas and overcame them while growing up and starting the Antiracist Research and Policy Center[2]. It is also a practical philosophical tome that provides an ideology to demolish racism through policy. How to be an Antiracist supports many ideas that I will incorporate into my activism.

1) "Not Racist" supports the status quo. All ideas and policies (not people) are racist or antiracist meaning that they either support equality among races or they support inequality.

2) Moral suasion is the idea that outright rhetorical appeals will change hearts and minds to support policy change. Moral suasion does not work. Policies sculpt thought. We must use antiracist power to put antiracist policies into effect.

3) An antiracist activist is someone who has a history of antiracist policy victories. While online moral suasion helps to unite antiracists and serves as an outlet for frustration, it does not make one an activist.

Also, Kendi is putting out a kids book called Antiracist Baby. Preorder it for your babies[3].

[1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40265832-how-to-be-an-antiracist
[2]https://antiracismcenter.com/
[3]https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624774/antiracist-baby-by-ibram-x-kendi-illustrated-by-ashley-lukashevsky/