Ibram X. Kendi is one of the most influential and important voices in American society right now. Every time his name comes up – on a book, in a podcast, as an interviewee in a YouTube video – he doesn’t disappoint. He’s intelligent, knowledgeable and has that rare ability to say exactly what he means in as few words as possible.
This book is somewhat of a follow up to his previous book (also a favourite of mine), How to Be an Antiracist. In this book he tackles another important topic – how to raise your kids to be antiracist. I was instantly interested, because I’m a parent of a white kid in a very white area, but this issue is so important and, basically, I don’t want to fuck it up. As with the previous book, Kendi approaches this with a mixture of personal anecdotes, research and exposition. And it works very well.
He explores a lot of ground, but the strongest message I took from this read was that raising children to be antiracist is vital for all children, and it requires more than just not being overtly racist. It takes some conscious effort to make choices about how to discuss race, how to ensure that children are exposed to positive diversity, and the importance of examining stereotypes and addressing them head-on.
This isn’t a how-to manual as much as it’s a manifesto. Kendi challenges how our education systems are currently set up, the ways in which stereotypes begin playing out and self-perpetuating from a young age, and the effects this has. He talks about the importance of having Black teachers in classrooms, of having multi-racial toys and books in all childhood environments, and also the importance of parents creating diversity as best they can in their children’s lives and discussing racism directly. (One of his powerful points is that we don’t shy away from telling children why they must look both ways before crossing a road, but then refuse to directly discuss racism, even though the effects of racism can be just as harmful.) He also does a great job of discussing why all children need to be part of these discussions – not just so they will grow up to be antiracists and allies, but also so they don’t then become victims of racist organizations that target disenfranchised and vulnerable young white kids.
I thought this book was an excellent discussion of all aspects of how racism affects kids, how it can be perpetuated passively, and the importance of engaging with the topic mindfully for all children. It’s full if important information, great personal accounts and succinct and pointed discussion of the topics being addressed. I think it’s a great book for everyone who has children in their lives – but particularly for teachers and parents of young kids. There will be something to learn here for almost anyone, regardless of your familiarity with the subject matter. Kendi is such a brilliant writer and thinker, and I’m so glad he decided to put his significant intellect to work on this vital topic. A must-read.
The book that every parent, caregiver, and teacher needs to raise the next generation of antiracist thinkers, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist
The tragedies and reckonings around racism that have rocked the country have created a specific crisis for parents and other caregivers: How do we talk to our children about it? How do we raise our children to avoid repeating our racist history and the ongoing errors of the present? While we do the work of dismantling racist behaviors in ourselves and the world around us, how do we raise our children to be antiracists?
After he wrote the National Book Award–winning Stamped from the Beginning, readers asked Ibram Kendi, “How can I be antiracist?” After he wrote the bestsellers How to Be an Antiracist and Antiracist Baby, readers began asking a different question: “How do I raise an antiracist child?” This is a question Dr. Kendi had been asking himself ever since he became a teacher—but the question became more personal and urgent when he found out his partner, Sadiqa, was pregnant. Like many parents, he didn’t know how answer the question—and wasn’t sure he wanted to. He didn’t want to educate his child on antiracism; he wanted to shield her from the toxicity of racism altogether.
But research and experience changed his mind: He realized that antiracism has to be taught and modeled as early as possible—not just to armor them against the racism that is still indoctrinated and normalized in our children’s world, but to remind parents and caregivers to build a more just future for us all.
Following the model of his bestselling How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi combines vital scholarship with a compelling personal narrative of his own journey as a parent to create a work whose advice is grounded in research and relatable real-world experience. The chapters follow the stages of child development and don’t just help parents to raise antiracists, but also to create an antiracist world for them to grow and thrive in. – Goodreads
Book Title:Â How to Raise an Antiracist
Author:Â Ibram X. Kendi
Series:Â No
Edition:Â Hardback/Audiobook
Published By:Â One World
Released:Â June 14, 2022
Genre: Non-Fiction, Racism, Parenting, Memoir
Pages:Â 288
Date Read:Â July 20-30, 2022
Rating: 9/10
Average Goodreads Rating:Â 4.45/5 (482 ratings)