How to Be an Antiracist

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. (source)

6 editions

eBook

English language

Published June 20, 2019 by One World.

ISBN:: 978-0-525-50929-5
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OCLC Number:: 1157971132

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Reviews

Jim Fulner reviewed How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Being "not racist" empowers racism.

4 stars

How to be an Antiracist was actually much better than I expected, and I expected it to be good. A lot to think about regarding the racist power comes from racist policies that leads to racist ideals, rather than the common belief that racist ideas lead to racist policies. It really got to me that the antiracists only judge individuals, never groups like races, while still clearly identifying racist policies that negatively affect certain groups of individuals. Kendi digs into his own struggles and finding that he himself has been an anti-Black racist and an anti-White racist screaming deeply into the void of "Black people can't be racist." Kendi is incredibly deliberate with his words, something I certainly understand and his reasonings for doing so, but by the end of the book it gets really old because people don't talk like that. In particular I found it patronizing at best using the word "latinx" to represent a gender-natural representative of people with Hispanic heritage. I don't know if non-Hispanics just that little knowledge of the Spanish language in that every noun have has a gender, a chair is female, a pencil is male, etc., or if anglophones think they know better than Hispanics do in trying to change that. So, with that I cannot give 5 stars, but the book is very good otherwise and I recommend it to everyone. Your right-wing friends might not be able to make it through, but they should.

Lucas Rizoli reviewed How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Less a “how to” than a “what is”

4 stars

The author presents a steady, clear, additive set of definitions and considerations of racism. These are braided with personal and historical stories that illustrate, place in context, and humanize the drier, sober definitions that mark each new set.

When I began, it seemed straightforward, but as it built, as more was folded in, as the author stepped through things I had wondered or left unresolved in my own understanding, I felt more engaged.

Perhaps some punches pulled on the chapter on class? Perhaps the suddenness of the parallels with cancer not as compelling to me as, surely, it must be for the author and many others?