Book Review: "How to Be an Antiracist"
"How to Be An Antiracist helped me to understand how the ethnic and racial divide in the educator workforce was a direct result of racist policies and practices".
Completing How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi during the COVID quarantine and the civil unrest taking place across America and other parts of the world gave me proper perspective during unstable and uncertain times. Dr. Kendi highlights how racist practices and policies lead to inequity and inequality for marginalized groups.
Dr. Kendi powerfully and precisely highlights how racist policies of years past were designed to uphold the tenets of white supremacy which has led to continued white advantage as related to systems and institutions of today. In doing so, Dr. Kendi tasks the reader with looking introspectively to determine if our beliefs lean towards racist or anti-racist. Dr. Kendi also challenges us to reflect on the notion that the only way to change racist policies is to develop and implement anti-racist policies.
Practically speaking, How to Be An Antiracist helped me to understand how the ethnic and racial divide in the educator workforce was a direct result of racist policies and practices. And while many districts across the country profess to want to diversify the educator workforce, the best chance of doing so will be to intentionally develop and implement anti-racist policies and practices that will help reverse that trend.
How to be an Antiracist completely changed the way I looked at how racism, as a construct and an ideology, has continued to impact systems and institutions. This book challenged some of my personal beliefs and ideologies and forced me to re-evaluate how to strategically and effectively dismantle structural and institutional racism. If you are serious about providing a fair and equitable work environment, How to Be An Antiracist is a must read.
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AASPA is offering this book for purchase in our Bookstore. Go to: https://www.aaspa.org/products/how-to-be-an-antiracist for more information.