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A review by roxanne
We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, Nic Stone, Tonya Bolden
5.0
Wow, wow, wow. I finished this book last night and I'm still at a loss for words. This is a horror story of truth about America and the ongoing, systemic, often deadly racism that plagues its history. To say it's shocking is an understatement. It's so well researched and so well presented, written in a way that is easily readable by a younger audience but also appealing to adults. It's a raw statement of facts and the tells the political and legal history of racism, gerrymadering, and even gaslighting in America.
If I were an American, I'd be angry by the blatant manipulation of the truth that's been fed to Americans throughout their history. If I was a journalist in America, I'd be ashamed by how taken in by the code words and phrases politicians have used to mask racism that were further perpetuated by the media. My personal belief is that most people just want to get along, love their families, make a living, have a nice life, be nice to people and have people be nice to them. For my own sanity, I have to believe that 99.9% of us are not born to hate. And if I was a young white American, I'd be angry that my education about my country's history has been a blatant lie. And I'd be committed to deprogramming myself and ensuring America's children are not fed the same lies.
I'm not American. But I'm honestly fearful that I'm going to find that I've experienced similar manipulation done to me in my own country's history. I know I'm going to find it. I already know about the atrocities Canada inflicted upon our first nations peoples, similar in vein and tactic to America's treatment of their native sons and daughters. What else have we done to oppress and stamp down the potential of black Canadians? What laws are still in place to ensure white privilege? It makes me so ashamed and hurt to realize that we've been lied to and manipulated by people we've entrusted to care for the best interests of ALL citizens. It makes me feel like a fool, to have been influenced by code words and phrases floated used to make racism more palatable to the unsuspecting citizen who has no malice in their heart, only wanting to get along and take care of their families. It's innocence lost, innocence manipulated, innocence corrupted in the worst possible ways.
It's time to wake up to the truth, as awful and as shameful as it is. It's time to stop the lies and ensure our children are taught the truth of our history. My generation has failed by if given the truth, I have faith the younger generations CAN work towards healing and building a truly equal society. I fear I won't see it in my lifetime but I have hope for my children.
If I were an American, I'd be angry by the blatant manipulation of the truth that's been fed to Americans throughout their history. If I was a journalist in America, I'd be ashamed by how taken in by the code words and phrases politicians have used to mask racism that were further perpetuated by the media. My personal belief is that most people just want to get along, love their families, make a living, have a nice life, be nice to people and have people be nice to them. For my own sanity, I have to believe that 99.9% of us are not born to hate. And if I was a young white American, I'd be angry that my education about my country's history has been a blatant lie. And I'd be committed to deprogramming myself and ensuring America's children are not fed the same lies.
I'm not American. But I'm honestly fearful that I'm going to find that I've experienced similar manipulation done to me in my own country's history. I know I'm going to find it. I already know about the atrocities Canada inflicted upon our first nations peoples, similar in vein and tactic to America's treatment of their native sons and daughters. What else have we done to oppress and stamp down the potential of black Canadians? What laws are still in place to ensure white privilege? It makes me so ashamed and hurt to realize that we've been lied to and manipulated by people we've entrusted to care for the best interests of ALL citizens. It makes me feel like a fool, to have been influenced by code words and phrases floated used to make racism more palatable to the unsuspecting citizen who has no malice in their heart, only wanting to get along and take care of their families. It's innocence lost, innocence manipulated, innocence corrupted in the worst possible ways.
It's time to wake up to the truth, as awful and as shameful as it is. It's time to stop the lies and ensure our children are taught the truth of our history. My generation has failed by if given the truth, I have faith the younger generations CAN work towards healing and building a truly equal society. I fear I won't see it in my lifetime but I have hope for my children.