The events of last summer, including the shooting of George Floyd and the small #BLM protest I participated in, inspired me to do more reading about racism and more reading of books written by people of color.
I have finally finished the most daunting book from my self curated reading list, the 592 page Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi. When Kendi says definitive history, he isn’t joking. In Stamped, Kendi, a scholar and author who currently directs the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, explores racist theories and policies and how they have affected African Americans since the slave trade first gained popularity way back in the 1400s.
What I liked
Kendi covers historical information I either missed or forgot or was never given in school. He describes things I’d never heard of before, such as the Biblical justification of slavery known as “the curse of Ham” or the fact that Ronald Reagan launched his War on Drugs in the 1980s at a time when drug crime was actually quite low. He provides context around key events of American history, such as the Civil War, that gave me a better understanding of our country’s complicated relationship with racism.
Also, now I know who Angela Davis is.
Throughout the book, Kendi presents the responses of assimilationists, segregationalists, and antiracists to events in American political life, and how those responses affected policy and the lives of African Americans.
Although Kendi’s opinion clearly comes through in the book, this is not an opinion piece. Kendi includes no less than 45 pages of notes and references in the back of his book, and he obviously did the exhaustive research necessary to produce a “definitive history.”
What I didn’t like
Stamped from the Beginning is heavy, physically and intellectually. It requires a hearty commitment to read and digest all of the material it presents. Also, sometimes I found Kendi’s language confusing. He tends to use long sentences with complicated syntax, and on several occasions, I had to reread sections to understand what he was trying to say.
Recommendation
Everyone needs to explore and better understand the complicated history of racist ideas and policies that have affected America since its inception. I strongly encourage you to take a crack at Stamped from the Beginning. If 500 pages is too daunting, check out the YA remix of Stamped that Kendi wrote with the amazing and award winning kid lit author Jason Reynolds. It’s called Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. My friend Dana reviewed it last year and called it “an accessible, engaging narrative that I believe every American teen and adult should read.”
Have you read Stamped or its YA remix? What did you think? What other books about racism can you recommend?
Happy Black History Month, and thanks for getting nerdy with me!
The Word Nerd is reading…
- Just read: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- Currently reading: Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
- Currently listening to: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus and Rising Strong by Brene Brown.
I appreciate your review of this book, Julia. As much as I found the remix an uncomfortable but enlightening read, I can imagine that this original source is even more so.
I recently read Ta-nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me,” and “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, both of which I highly recommend (read them though, don’t listen). I’m much more of a fiction reader in general, and I’m discovering that varying my readings to include authors and characters of many different cultures, experiences, and backgrounds only serves to increase my knowledge and my reading enjoyment.
Aloha Julia, I’m so glad you’ve expanded your reading regarding racism. I grew up in the 60’s, lived in the South and saw first hand the tragedy of racism. While I would agree that racism still exists in pockets of the US, it’s NOTHING like it was back then. It’s vital to see the significant evolution of consciousness that has occurred and will continue to occur in the coming years.
You might expand your reading further to integrate the opinions and values of those Blacks that have risen above their circumstances and created abundant lives for themselves and their children. These stories don’t negate the horrible travesties inflicted upon the poor inner cities, but simply, or even profoundly, may enable anybody suffering from powerlessness, to rise above their circumstances. Everyone, black or white, has a story and they’re not all the same. Confirmation bias is a scourge on open minded thinking.
Regarding your Bible story of Ham. Old Testament, low consciousness values. While that has historical significance as to why a minority of people may still hold those limiting beliefs, the further unfoldment of natural/spiritual history as depicted in the New Testament and the coming of the Christ Consciousness, the teachings of Jesus, point us towards something much Higher thinking and Being. And the majority of followers of His teachings would agree that Love embraces ALL, regardless of skin color, gender, class, etc.. You won’t find these words anywhere in the world of Ham.
I support anyone who continues on the path of learning and is unafraid to butt up against their biases. Cast your reading net WIDE. May we all continue to learn and grow into the wise and infinite Beings we are.
Leslie Reilly
Aloha Leslie! (Hawaii is one of my favorite places in the world!) Nice to “meet” you and thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate your input. To clarify, Kendi does present “The Curse of Ham” in historical context; he included it in Stamped as one of the very early justifications of slavery. He also has some interesting things to say about “uplift suasion” – the argument that black people must change racist people’s minds by “rising above” their circumstances. Yes, we have made progress, but we cannot let that relative progress hinder us from the work we have yet to do. I promise I will read widely, and if you have any specific books to suggest, I’d love to hear about them.
Thanks again for joining the discussion! 🙂
Julia, I find myself in the same situation as you – I am reading to increase my knowledge about our country and racism. I am currently reading The Color of Law. I find I can only do a few short sections at a time. All I keep thinking while reading is “I had no idea”.
Thanks for this recommendation, Carol! A good friend of mine is reading The Color of Compromise and said the same thing – she can only handle a little bit at a time. We’ve gotta keep at it!