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A review by daumari
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
5.0
This is a crucial read, though I feel like it's the sort of book to be gifted or loaned to people who need it that otherwise wouldn't pick it up. Part autobiographical (as it helps to identify your own history of thought and trace what influenced your development, especially being raised in an inherently biased system), part framework to identify the ways racist policies influence our ideas, Kendi stresses that being "not-racist" is not enough, that the only opposition to racism is anti-racism. Otherwise, we tacitly endorse racist policies by supporting the status quo, typically because it's convenient for us.
Kendi also goes over how yes, people of color can be racist as well, because again, it's easy to fall into the idea of supporting your 'team' without noticing that policies disproportionately affect us not only along racial lines but also class and gender, and how assimilation codifies power into a specific group to the detriment of others. Really worthwhile read, especially to challenge and check your own viewpoint.
Kendi also goes over how yes, people of color can be racist as well, because again, it's easy to fall into the idea of supporting your 'team' without noticing that policies disproportionately affect us not only along racial lines but also class and gender, and how assimilation codifies power into a specific group to the detriment of others. Really worthwhile read, especially to challenge and check your own viewpoint.