“One of the net effects of racism is misery. And the inverse is creating conditions where people can enjoy their lives no matter their skin color.” ~ Ibram X. Kendi
The fight over what can and can’t be taught in schools is shaping up to be one of the most controversial issues in a pivotal mid-term election year. White voters are being mobilized to ban books, censor honest discussions of US history and current day racism, and organize against a fake spectre of “critical race theory” being taught in schools. So what is to be done?
In a recent episode of The Laura Flanders Show, Laura and co-hosts Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita interview Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the most visible and vocal proponents of antiracist education.
“What’s at stake is joy. I mean, at the end of the day, one of the net effects of racism aside from people literally losing their lives is misery.” ~ Ibram X. Kendi, Director, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi shot to prominence with his 2019 New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist, making a name for himself as one of the most renowned antiracist scholars in the country and winning a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2021.
His latest picture book, the New York Times bestseller Antiracist Baby, has made headlines, even being held aloft by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. How does the reaction against antiracist education hurt us all?
