Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
How was your week last week? Did you get a chance to connect with that teen or young adult in your life? How about taking them out for pizza (or their favorite food this week). Not only would it be a fun adventure, but it would set up time to touch base with them.
With our young adults still living at home with us, I get to see them on a daily basis. Most of the time, we are all doing our own things, but I still get the one-on-one moments with them and we have family dinners together on most nights. It creates something that is safe and familiar for them. This is our family. This is us.
This month’s subject is America
My blog subject this month is America. We celebrated the 4th of July which commemorates America gaining her independence from England by signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
When people originally came to America, it was supposed to be a gathering of many people with different backgrounds. A melting pot as it was referred to. We brought a lot of people together, but we chose and continue to choose to not treat everyone the same way. So, what has been happening lately? Protests, riots and deaths over people wanting to be heard and treated fairly.
Recently, more and more attention has been focused on people being treated differently. Many books have been written and many discussions have been had. One of the people who have been involved in this movement towards understanding and acceptance has been Ibram X. Kendi.
Who is Ibram X. Kendi?
According to Wikipedia, Ibram Xolani Kendi is an American author, professor, anti-racist activist, and historian of race and discriminatory policy in America. How did he get there?
- Born in New York City (Queens)
- Brought up in a middle-class family
- In college he studied African American Studies and Magazine Production
- While in college, he founded the Antiracist Research and Policy Center
What is an Antiracist?
Kendi got involved through his education in African American Studies and having experienced racism as a Black American. Through his education, he founded the Antiracist Research and Policy Center to not only reshape the discussion about racism but also to educate others on how to make changes in how other races are treated.
Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing. A racial policy is what keeps this racial inequity in place.
In his book, How To Be An Antiracist, Kendi says, “Definitions anchor principles… If we don’t do the basic work of defining the people, we want to be in a language that is stable and consistent, we cannot work towards stable, consistent goals.”” He breaks out three two of people.
- A Racist is one who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or in action or expressing a racist idea.
- An antiracist is a person who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea.
How does he affect the Antiracism movement in America?
Through his defining of a racist and antiracist, he has reenergized and reshaped the discussion about racism in America. He brought the term Antiracist into the spotlight during a very emotionally charged time, after the death of many Black Americans from police violence, including George Floyd.
He has also spoken out against the police brutality and racial inequity being shown against people of color in the judicial system. Just like Kim Johnson wrote about in This Is My America, the book review I wrote earlier this month.
What makes Ibram X. Kendi Inspirational?
Kendi’s ideas have reshaped the conversations that are being had about racism. He has made people more aware of the issue and start accepting that changes need to be made. Things are already starting to happen with police reform, where just some of the changes need to be made. Kendi’s work is helping us to learn more about the issue of racism and to get more actively involved in erasing it.
Sources to read and keep an open mind to
Kendi has written a couple of books and has a remixed version of his first book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You that is more geared towards teen readers.
- He co-wrote the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award winning Stamped From the Beginning .with Jason Alexander, having a teen reader in mind for this version.
- His follow up book to that is How to be an Antiracist which I mentioned above
Both of these books are available through his website, through Amazon, or support a local bookseller through Bookshop.org
The Way Series
The Way Series is a series of coming-of-age novels for teen and young adult audiences. The books focus on the challenges that teens face. Book one, The Hard Way, focuses on peer pressure and book two, Shawn’s Way, focuses on bullying. Check them out on the books tab of my website.
Have a great week!
