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=                      How_to_Be_an_Antiracist                       =
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                            Introduction
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'How to Be an Antiracist' is a 2019 nonfiction book by American author
and historian Ibram X. Kendi, which combines social commentary and
memoir. It was published by One World, an imprint of Random House. The
book discusses concepts of racism and Kendi's proposals for
anti-racist individual actions and systemic changes.


                             Background
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Kendi is the founder of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at
American University in Washington, D.C.
'How to Be an Antiracist' expands on ideas from Kendi's previous book,
'Stamped from the Beginning', which won the National Book Award in
2016.


                              Synopsis
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The book is organized into chapters that each examine a different
theme through a racial lens. These themes include "dueling
consciousness", "power", "biology", "ethnicity", "body", "culture",
"behavior", "color", "white", "black", "class", "space", "gender", and
"sexuality".
Kendi relates his evolving concept of racism through the events of his
own life over four decades, touching on observations and experiences
as a child, young adult, student, and professor, from classes he has
taught, via contemporary events such as the O. J. Simpson robbery case
and 2000 United States presidential election, and through historical
events such as the scientific proposals of polygenism in Europe in the
1600s and racial segregation in the United States.
Kendi further details the manifestations of racism, such as scientific
racism, colorism and their intersection with demographics including
gender, class and sexuality, arguing that racism is founded in both
patriarchy and capitalism.

Kendi argues that the opposite of 'racist' is 'anti-racist' rather
than simply 'non-racist', and that there is no middle ground in the
struggle against racism; one is either actively confronting racial
inequality or allowing it to exist through action or inaction.
He defines 'racism' as any policy that creates inequitable outcomes
between people of different skin colors; for instance, affirmative
action in college admissions is anti-racist in that is designed to
remedy past racial discrimination, while inaction on climate change is
racist because of the disproportionately severe impacts of climate
change in the predominantly non-white Global South.
Kendi defines a racist person as anyone who supports racist policies
"through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea", while
an anti-racist person is someone who supports anti-racist policies
"through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea".
He draws upon what he describes as his own lifelong racism to argue
that anyone, regardless of race, can be racist when they express
harmful stereotypes about entire groups.
Kendi relates how he once accepted certain stereotypes about black
people, such as that black youth devalue education, and how he once
wore colored contact lenses in order to not "look black". He calls
such internalized racism "the real black on black crime".
Kendi disagrees with the prejudice plus power model of racism, which
would not allow for Black racism.

Finally, Kendi suggests models for anti-racist individual actions and
systemic (i.e. policy) changes.
He uses the metaphor of racism as a cancer to argue for society-wide
"treatments" such as ending racist policies (as one might remove a
tumor), "exercising" anti-racist ideas, consuming "healthy food for
thought", and being vigilant toward a recurrence of racism "before it
can grow and threaten the body politic".
Rather than presenting a how-to guide, Kendi uses his own experience
as an example of shifting one's focus from the personal to the
systemic regarding racial issues.
He argues that "being antiracist requires persistent self-awareness,
constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination".


                               Sales
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'How to Be an Antiracist' was named one of 'Time's' "must-read" books
of 2019.
In June 2020, following protests in the wake of the murder of George
Floyd, sales of the book surged,
and it became a best seller on Amazon.com.
The book was listed eighth and fifth in 'Publishers Weekly's'
hardcover non-fiction list on May 30 and June 6, respectively.
It was listed third in 'USA Today's' best-selling books list of June
10.
The book reached #1 on 'The New York Times' Best Seller List in
Hardcover Nonfiction list for sales in the week ending June 6.
By March 24, 2021, it had spent 45 weeks on the list.


                         Critical reception
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The book received starred reviews in 'Publishers Weekly', 'Library
Journal', and 'Kirkus Reviews'.
'Publishers Weekly' described Kendi's prose as "thoughtful, sincere
and polished" and the book's ideas as "boldly articulated" and
"historically informed", stating that the book would "spark many
conversations".
'Kirkus Reviews' found it to be "not an easy read but an essential
one".
'Library Journal' said that "[Kendi's] stories serv[e] as a
springboard for potent explorations of race, gender, [and] colorism".
A review in 'Journal of Communication Inquiry' said the book "succeeds
at fitting into many genres including autobiography, memoir, and even
how-to guide" and that it was "commendable" how Kendi presents
cultural concepts through stories from his own life.
A review in the journal 'Urban Education' described the book as
"necessary for all echelons of education".

Black studies scholar Jeffrey C. Stewart called it the "most
courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind".
Professor of civil rights law Randall Kennedy said the book displays
candor, independence, and self-criticality, but that it has major
flaws, especially being internally contradictory and poorly reasoned.

Ericka Taylor of NPR described the book as "clear and compelling" and
"accessible", saying it "exemplifies a commitment to clarity".
A review in 'The Christian Science Monitor' called the book
"thought-provoking and insightful" and an "important and necessary
contribution" toward understanding racism in the United States.
Journalist Afua Hirsch writes that Kendi shows "honesty in linking his
personal struggles" to the book's subject, which Hirsch describes as
"brilliantly simple" and "dogmatic", but that the book's personal
anecdotes seem incomplete and the style resembles that of a textbook
too much.
It was the Book of the Day in a review for 'The Observer' in which
Colin Grant found that the book "encourages self-reflection" and
described the writing style as "calm" but "insightful".
Commentator Andrew Sullivan wrote that the book has the character of a
religious tract with overly simplistic distinctions between good and
evil that cannot be falsified, and is sparse on practical suggestions.

Behavior geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden argues that while "race is
not a valid biological category", Kendi is nonetheless incorrect for
stating in the book that "there are no genetic differences between
groups of people who identify as different races". Harden points to
this as an example of "moral commitments to racial equality" being "on
shaky ground if they depend on exact genetic sameness across human
populations".
Geneticist Joseph L. Graves Jr. calls this a straw man, writing in
'The Lancet' that Harden misses "a central point: human populations do
not differ substantially in the frequencies of genetic variants that
determine their complex behaviour, including intelligence and
personality."


                           External links
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* [https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist Official
website]


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