How to be an Antiracist

Features

About the Book:

Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism—and, even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. At its core, racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value; its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different sexes, gender identities, and body types. Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value ourselves. In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas—from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilities—that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves.

Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.

Why Brennan Lagasse Chose This Book:

This should be required reading for all humans. If folks are to unlearn the systemic racism white and BIPOC are intrenched in and reeducate themselves, the tools and knowledge to do so are critical. This text is an initial first step towards the deconstruction/unlearning process. In the words of the great Angela Davis, “In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.”

This title was also recommended by Whitney Foehl, Michelle Parker, and Jillian Raymond.