Ever wondered how racism manifests in our educational system, and how it shapes individuals' lives? How did a young basketball-loving kid, feeling alienated from school, evolve into a profound thinker challenging racist norms within academia? What's the intersection of racism and capitalism, and how does it affect our society? Discover the gripping journey of a scholar who not only experienced racism but also scrutinized it from various angles, transforming his life and inspiring others to strive for an antiracist world.

How to Be an Antiracist

As a teenager, Ibram X. Kendi's parents attended the Urbana '70 conference, a transformative event that exposed them to the teachings of Black liberation theology. Their experiences and beliefs profoundly shaped Kendi's own understanding of racial justice. 

Kendi's parents were part of a generation that believed in the power of education and hard work to uplift the Black community and overcome systemic racism. However, they also subscribed to a dual consciousness - pride in their Black identity, but also a sense of shame and belief in the need for Black people to assimilate into mainstream, White-dominated society. 

Kendi challenges this dual consciousness by defining racism and anti-racism. He asserts that racism is a combination of racist policies and racist ideas that result in racial inequities. Anti-racism, on the other hand, is a collection of policies and ideas that promote racial equity. 

Kendi's parents were drawn to Floyd H. Flake’s Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church, a proponent of Black self-reliance, which they saw as a means of combating racism. However, Kendi points out that this perspective can lead to the blame being placed on individuals rather than systemic policies. 

Kendi's journey towards being an anti-racist began with his parents' beliefs and experiences, and his understanding was further shaped by the social and political landscape he grew up in. He proposes that to be an anti-racist requires a radical shift in how we perceive and understand racism, challenging both the assimilationist and segregationist ideas that pervade society. 

How Did Ibram X. Kendi's Parents Influence His Journey Towards Becoming an Anti-Racist?

On a warm April day in 1990, Kendi, a young boy then, and his parents pulled into the parking lot of Grace Lutheran School on Long Island, New York. The school day had long ended, and the quiet halls echoed their footsteps as a Black woman, the third-grade teacher, guided them through the corridors. His parents were uneasy, possibly dreading the daily commute from Queens to Long Island, but the boy’s mind was elsewhere—he was grappling with a new school, far from home, in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

Kendi's curious eyes fixated on the class photos lining the walls, where adult White faces mingled with young Black ones. They entered the third-grade classroom, where the teacher explained a science project about raising chicks, but his mind wandered. 

His father broke the silence, asking about the racial makeup of the student body. Majority Black, the teacher replied, which caught the boy’s attention. He boldly asked, “Are you the only Black teacher?” A puzzled look crossed her face as she confirmed. His mother quickly added, “He has been reading biographies of Black leaders,” explaining his awareness of racial issues.

Kendi had been devouring the Junior Black Americans of Achievement series, which ignited a racial consciousness within him. He realized the powerful construct of race and its pervasive influence, recognizing that it was a mere mirage but one with real consequences. He understood that society’s view of race shaped ideas, actions, and policies, even if the concept itself was an illusion.

Fast forward to his third-grade classroom, where Kendi witnessed subtle yet harmful actions—his White teacher consistently overlooked the hands of Black students and punished them unfairly. These microaggressions, a term coined by Chester Pierce in 1970, were constant verbal and nonverbal abuses. For the boy, these were not minor incidents but significant abuses that caused distress and anger.

One day, the teacher ignored a shy Black girl’s raised hand, opting instead to call on a White student. Kendi’s fury boiled over. During their weekly chapel service, he refused to leave, staring defiantly at the teacher. When the principal arrived, he passionately defended his stance, explaining the unfair treatment in simple terms like “fair” and “unfair.” His mother later reinforced the importance of standing up for what he believed, despite potential consequences.

Kendi’s parents eventually transferred him to a school with a more racially representative teaching staff, where he found a sense of validation. Through these experiences, he learned to navigate the complex landscape of race, understanding that while race might be a social construct, its impact was profoundly real. He carried this awareness forward, recognizing the importance of identifying and challenging racist policies to create a more equitable world.

Racial Mirage: A Boy's Awakening to Systemic Racism and the Power of Critical Perspective

When Kendi was a teenager, he was part of a culture of racism and cruelty, making fun of classmates for their ethnic backgrounds and physical appearances. They laughed at each other's pain, unaware of the harm they were causing. 

Kendi was part of this culture, even as he was also a victim of it. He was called "Bonk" because of his large head. He laughed along, even as he felt the sting of the words.

But Kendi also remembers the joy of community, the solidarity he felt with his Black classmates when they heard the "not guilty" verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial. They celebrated, even as their White teacher looked on, her face red and tearful. He didn’t care; he wanted O.J. to run free. He had been listening to what the Black adults around him had been lecturing about for months in 1995. They did not think O.J. was innocent of murder any more than they thought he was innocent of selling out his people. But they knew the criminal-justice system was guilty, too.

Kendi encountered the harsh reality of racism as a teenager, both as a perpetrator and a recipient. He was part of a society that made them feel superior or inferior based on their ethnic backgrounds. They made fun of Kwame, a popular, funny, good-looking, athletic, and cool Ghanaian classmate, using racist jokes. Kendi felt a sense of guilt and hypocrisy when he realized he was doing to Kwame what others were doing to him.

In high school, Kendi saw violence and racism up close. He saw a boy pull out a gun on a bus, pointing it at him, asking if he was scared. He saw a gang beat up a helpless Indian kid on another bus ride. He did nothing. He was scared, not just of the violence, but of his own potential for violence. He feared his own Black body.

They were seen as "super-predators," young Black men to be feared. But the real fear was in them, not in the people who labeled them. They lived in fear, not of each other, but of the racist policies and attitudes that plagued them. They were seen as dangerous, not because they were Black, but because they were poor, unemployed, and marginalized.

To be antiracist is to challenge these racist policies and attitudes. To be antiracist is to see that the problem is not in their bodies, but in the systems that oppress them. To be antiracist is to understand that there is no such thing as a dangerous racial group, only dangerous individuals and dangerous policies. To be antiracist is to fight for justice, for equity, and for the recognition of our shared humanity.

Can We Challenge the Racist Policies and Attitudes that Plague Us?

In his youth, Kendi was an avid basketball player, with a deep love for the sport. However, he had a troubled relationship with school, feeling alienated and targeted by his teachers and the educational system. His participation in basketball was the only thing that kept him from dropping out. Kendi's family moved from Queens, New York, to Manassas, Virginia, where he struggled to fit in at his predominantly white school.

In his senior year of college, while preparing for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), he realized that the test did not measure intellectual strength but rather the ability to take the test – a skill that could be improved with expensive preparatory courses, thus favoring wealthier students. Kendi argues that this system of standardized testing is one of the most effective racist policies ever devised, as it reinforces and legitimates the idea of racial hierarchies in intellect and achievement.

Kendi also talks about the concept of "behavioral racism," which involves making individuals responsible for the perceived behavior of racial groups and vice versa. He describes how he internalized racist ideas about Black youth behavior in the 1990s, which he later expressed in a speech for a Martin Luther King Jr. oratorical contest. He won the contest, but he now recognizes that his speech was infused with racist ideas.

Kendi urges people to reject both cultural and behavioral racism, and to see all cultures and behaviors as equal. He argues for viewing behavior as something that individuals do, not something that races do, and for separating the idea of culture from the idea of behavior. 

Kendi also challenges the notion of an "achievement gap" in education, suggesting instead that different environments lead to different kinds of achievement rather than different levels of achievement. He argues that the real issue is the "opportunity gap."

Confronting Cultural Racism

Kendi's roommate Clarence and Kendi were an odd pair—Clarence, a methodical academic titan from Birmingham, Alabama; Kendi, a northern academic minion with untethered ideas. Clarence's hazel eyes, a rarity among African Americans, fascinated Kendi and contrasted with Kendi’s “honey” contact lenses, a lighter shade worn to feel more attractive. 

But this cosmetic choice was a reflection of deeper issues. Kendi’s cornrows signified antiracist pride, while the lightened eyes capitulated to assimilation—a contradiction of Kendi’s dueling consciousness.

Kendi shared his opinion on colorism as he observed the social dynamics around them. Dark-skinned women faced derogatory comments, while light-skinned women were often preferred, even among friends. Kendi, too, grappled with this bias, dating a light-skinned woman initially but then pledging to date only dark-skinned women, inadvertently flipping but perpetuating the color hierarchy.

This personal struggle mirrored broader societal issues. The term "colorism," coined by Alice Walker, describes inequities between light and dark-skinned individuals, often masked by euphemisms. Studies show that lighter skin is unfairly linked to positive traits, influencing everything from GPA scores to legal sentencing.

Kendi’s quest for understanding colorism expanded into historical and theoretical realms. The Nation of Islam's teachings, particularly Elijah Muhammad's creation story, captured Kendi’s imagination, painting white people as devils born from a wicked scientist's experiments. This theory found resonance in Kendi’s experiences of systemic racism, from the stolen 2000 U.S. election to everyday racial slights.

But Kendi’s perspective evolved. Reading Malcolm X's transformation post-Mecca and Frances Cress Welsing's "color confrontation theory" challenged Kendi’s views. Welsing argued that white aggression stemmed from a profound sense of genetic inferiority. Yet, over time, Kendi realized that hating white people was as unproductive as the racism they perpetuated. The real enemy was racist power and policies, not individuals based on skin color.

By 2003, Kendi began writing publicly about race, urging Black people to stop hating whites for their actions. This led to backlash and threats, but it also sparked critical self-reflection and a deeper understanding of the intertwined nature of racism and colorism.

Is Colorism and Antiracism Fueling a New Race War Within Our Own Communities?

In 2003, Kendi walked into Mizell Stewart's office, the editor of the Tallahassee Democrat.

Kendi remembers thinking Stewart looked like actor Christopher Duncan. They discussed Kendi's piece, and he was surprised at how well they could debate without getting upset. But then Stewart said something that struck Kendi: He spoke of being treated like "one of them niggers" when pulled over by police. Kendi was speechless, furious, but he held his tongue.

That conversation sparked a realization in Kendi about the complexity of racism, even among Black people. It reminded him of Chris Rock's 1996 HBO special, where Rock differentiated between "Black people" and "niggers," reinforcing a racial group identity that created an internal hierarchy. It was a painful echo of Kendi's own thoughts.

The belief that Black people can't be racist because they don't have power, the "powerless defense," was something Kendi once subscribed to. But after that meeting with Stewart, his views began to change. Kendi started to understand that Black people can be racist because they do have power, even if it's limited. He remembered the history of African Americans like Leo Africanus, who authored racist ideas in the 16th century, or Peter Prioleau, who undermined a planned slave revolt in 1822.

William Hannibal Thomas, in the 19th century, sought acceptance from White people by attacking Black people as inferior. His story, like many others, revealed the tragic betrayals by Black individuals against their own race. And in the 1960s, the diversifying police forces in America showed that Black officers could be as abusive as White ones, proving that racism isn't exclusive to any one race.

Kendi learned that racism and capitalism are conjoined twins, having grown together from the same unnatural causes. They are intertwined, and to fight one, we must fight the other. Antiracist policies alone can't fix the disparities caused by capitalism, just as anticapitalist policies can't fix racism.

Kendi's journey led him to North Philadelphia, where he wanted to immerse himself in what he thought was authentic Black culture. But over time, he realized that romanticizing poverty and suffering was another form of racism. Kendi began to see that neither poor Blacks nor elite Blacks should be seen as the truest representatives of the race.

Kendi's story is a testament to the ongoing struggle to understand racism, to confront it not just in society, but within ourselves. It's about recognizing the power we hold and using it to fight against the policies and ideas that continue to oppress. It's about striving for a world where being antiracist means fighting for equality, not just in words, but in actions.

Unmasking Racism: A Personal Journey into the Heart of Prejudice and Power

Kendi walked into Temple University's African American studies program, a realm governed by Black thought and culture, a space where Dr. Molefi Kete Asante challenged students to see beyond Eurocentric views and where Professor Ama Mazama's intellect and tranquility inspired a quest for truth over objectivity. This program stood in stark contrast to the rest of Temple, where under-resourced Black neighborhoods were stigmatized as dangerous, while white-collar crime in affluent White areas was normalized.

The university's landscape was a microcosm of the world outside, where spaces are racialized, resources inequitably distributed, and policies unjustly applied. Donald Trump's rhetoric about "shithole countries" in 2018 or the veiled attempts to segregate spaces under the guise of "separate but equal" were all part of the same narrative of space racism.

Kendi witnessed firsthand the power of place in the fishbowl—a glass classroom where a mix of Black students from various HBCUs debated and laughed, all the while challenging each other and the world's perceptions of their alma maters. But it was also where the internalization of space racism became evident, as a peer named Nashay dismissed her HBCU's excellence over a clerical error, reflecting how people are taught to view Black spaces critically and White spaces forgivingly.

This space at Temple was a battleground, not just of ideas, but of identities. And it was here Kendi met Kaila and Yaba, two brilliant Black women who embodied resistance and redefined what it meant to be simultaneously Black, feminist, and, in Kaila's case, proudly lesbian. Their wisdom and wit were as formidable as their scholarship, and they, along with the professors, led Kendi to confront ingrained racism, sexism, and homophobia.

The story of Black feminism and intersectionality is one of unearthing and understanding the layered oppressions that Black women have faced. It's a narrative that stretches from Maria Stewart's 1830s speeches to the Combahee River Collective's radical declaration in 1977. These women paved the way for thinkers like Kimberlé Crenshaw, who gave us the language of intersectionality, a tool to dissect and dismantle the interconnected nature of our discriminations.

This journey isn't just Kendi's own. It's a collective awakening to the fact that liberation is bound together, that the freedom of Black women signals the freedom of all. To be antiracist and feminist is to strive for equity among all races and genders, to understand the nuances of our intersectional identities, and to challenge the policies and ideas that keep us from realizing a truly just world.

Are We Ready to Dismantle Space Racism and Intersectional Inequities in Our Society?

In this complex world of race and sexuality, there's a phenomenon called 'queer racism'. It's a buffet of policies that creates inequities between 'race-sexualities', groups that are the intersection of race and sexuality. And there's an antidote too - 'queer antiracism', policies that promote equity amidst this diversity.

Take Weckea, Kendi's best friend at Temple. They were both brown-skinned and hailed from proud Historically Black Colleges and Universities. An intellectual powerhouse, Weckea was this intriguing blend of laid-back and daring. But, there was something more to him. Weckea was gay, and this disclosure initiated Kendi's journey towards understanding and advocating for queer antiracism.

Kendi also had Monica, a butch Black lesbian from Texas. She was like any of Kendi's friends, helping Kendi realize that gender is an authentic performance - it isn't tied to biology. She was being who she was, defying society's gender conventions.

Then there were Kendi's inspirational role models of Black feminism and queer antiracism, Yaba and Kaila. They fearlessly challenged patriarchal ideas, homophobic notions, and the intersecting racist ideas. They forced Kendi to confront personal prejudices, pushing towards becoming a gender antiracist and a queer antiracist, a defender of all Black people.

Kendi also realized that activism must lead to policy change. Changing minds alone isn't enough. Protests must create an environment where changing racist policy becomes in power's self-interest. Seizing power is much harder than protesting power, but all the tools for success are available. 

Journey to Queer Antiracism: Confronting Homophobia and Racism Together

In 2010, on an evening during Black History Month, Kendi found himself at a lecture by scholar Boyce Watkins, discussing racism as a disease. Kendi challenged this concept, not believing it to be profound or revolutionary enough. He proposed a different perspective: racism as an essential organ of America. 

This idea was shaped by his experiences as a Black man in academia and his friendship with Caridad, a Puerto Rican feminist and antiracist advocate. Caridad’s passion for antiracism was infectious, inspiring him to question his own deeply-ingrained biases.

Kendi's life was marked by personal struggles and professional achievements. He earned his doctoral degree at Temple’s commencement, despite once being a teen who hated school. He also witnessed the devastation of cancer, losing his friend Caridad's husband to the disease.

In the midst of these experiences, he began to see a parallel between racism and cancer. Both, he argued, are diseases that can spread and metastasize if not properly addressed. He believed that racism, like cancer, could be terminal but also curable. He compared the denial of racism to the denial of a cancer diagnosis, both of which can be suicidal.

Kendi's perspective on racism was shaped by his academic research and personal experiences. He saw racism as a system poisoning Black people for the benefit of White people. He argued that all forms of racism are overt and can be seen in racist policies leading to racial inequity. He urges to focus on changing policy rather than minds.

However, Kendi's views were tested when he found himself faced with a personal health crisis. Diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, he drew parallels between his fight against cancer and the fight against racism. He saw the treatment for both as similar: removing the harmful elements, ensuring no traces are left, encouraging healthy habits, and closely monitoring for recurrence.

Despite the challenges, Kendi remained hopeful. He believed that as long as people continued to fight for an antiracist world, there was a chance for humanity to survive and thrive.

Can Racism Be Treated Like a Disease? A Young Scholar's Journey into the Depths of Racial Inequities

Ibram X. Kendi's life journey is a testament to his deep understanding of, and struggle against, systemic racism. Influenced by his parents' experiences and beliefs, Kendi's understanding of racial justice was shaped by their dual consciousness - pride in their Black identity and a sense of shame and belief in the need for Black people to assimilate into mainstream white-dominated society. 

Kendi challenges this dual consciousness by defining racism as a combination of racist policies and ideas that result in racial inequities. He asserts that to be anti-racist, one must recognize the reality of biological equality and the meaningless nature of skin color. His journey was influenced by his personal experiences of racism and his growing awareness of its systemic nature. 

He advocates for the rejection of cultural and behavioral racism, viewing behavior as something that individuals do, not races. Kendi's experiences shed light on the complex intertwining of racism, colorism, and the internalization of racist ideas within the Black community.

Kendi's journey also led him to confront ingrained sexism and homophobia, further illuminating the intersectionality of oppression. He argues that liberation is bound together, and the freedom of black women signals the freedom of all. 

Kendi's understanding of racism expanded to include 'queer racism', policies that create inequities between 'race-sexualities'. He advocates for 'queer antiracism', policies that promote equity amidst this diversity.

Kendi also learned that activism must result in policy change and that changing minds alone isn't enough. His personal struggle with cancer led him to draw parallels between racism and cancer, arguing that both are diseases that can spread and metastasize if not properly addressed. Despite the challenges, Kendi remains hopeful, believing in the possibility of an antiracist world where humanity can survive and thrive.

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