How to Be an Antiracist Summary

Becoming an antiracist requires more than just rejecting racism; it demands active resistance and a commitment to challenging the ideas and policies that fuel inequality.

1. Understanding Racism as a Policy-Driven Phenomenon

Racism doesn't emerge from isolated events or biases; it's deeply linked to policies that sustain inequality between races. According to Ibram X. Kendi, racist policies precede and shape racist ideas. For instance, the creation of the concept of race was rooted in self-interest. In the fifteenth century, Portugal started enslaving Africans and then introduced the idea that Black people were inherently lazy or savage to justify their actions.

Acknowledging this connection helps reshape the narrative. Racism is not just about hateful ideas or attitudes; it is maintained by policy decisions that create unfair outcomes. Neutrality in policies is a myth because every policy either fosters equity or perpetuates inequity. Segregation, biased policing practices, and discriminatory housing laws are examples where policies caused real disparities.

Antiracism works against such policies, instead promoting fairness and equality. Positive discrimination like affirmative action, often misunderstood as "racist," actually aims to address inequities, ensuring that opportunities are distributed equitably for all racial groups.

Examples

• In 2014, 41% of African American families owned homes compared to over 70% of white families.
• The 1960s affirmative action policies provided opportunities to underrepresented racial groups.
• Portugal's 15th-century concept of a "Black race" justified enslaving Africans.

2. The Fallacy of Cultural Inferiority

The belief that some cultures are inherently inferior leads to what Kendi refers to as assimilationist thinking. This perspective holds that Black people, for example, must adopt the values or behaviors of white culture to succeed. Such a view not only reinforces hierarchies but also erodes personal and collective identities.

Kendi shares how assimilationist ideas were rooted in policies aimed at uplifting African Americans by "teaching" them better values. One example is Eleanor Holmes Norton's assertion that the "ghetto culture" needed reform for Black equality. This ignored systemic barriers like unemployment and poor housing, shifting blame to cultural behaviors rather than addressing structural causes.

On the other hand, antiracism recognizes equality among all cultural groups. The focus shifts from blaming cultural differences to addressing policy-driven inequities.

Examples

• Eleanor Holmes Norton's stance on "ghetto culture."
• Donald Trump's advocacy for physical walls and dangerous segregationist ideology.
• Antiracist campaigns addressing unemployment among African Americans in the 1980s.

3. Debunking Biological Racism

No racial group is biologically superior or inferior, yet ideas about genetic differences between races persist. Kendi details his own childhood experience of noticing supposed differences between white and Black students, a reflection of biological racism he later unlearned.

Many embrace stereotypes, such as assuming Black people are naturally athletic or musically gifted, without recognizing these beliefs are rooted in misconceptions. Scientific advancements have debunked these myths, showing that genetic differences between racial groups are insignificant.

Antiracism rejects the assumption that biological variations define races or justify unequal treatment. Embracing these truths can reshape how people perceive racial differences.

Examples

• The assumption that African Americans excel in physical activities due to their genes.
• Beliefs about Black people's natural capacities in jazz and improvisation.
• The scientific finding that humans share 99.9% of their genetic makeup.

4. The Impact of Colorism

Colorism, the preference for lighter skin, discriminates against darker-skinned individuals even within the same racial group. Historically, it has correlated lighter skin with privilege and darker skin with disadvantage, perpetuating inequality from media to job markets and criminal justice systems.

Kendi reflects on his own choice to wear light-colored contact lenses as an example of how societal beauty standards favor whiteness. This ideal reinforces the superiority of features and traits attributed to lighter-skinned individuals.

Antiracist work must address this internalized bias. By advocating for fairness within racial groups, society can confront prejudices that exacerbate discrimination.

Examples

• Studies show light-skinned African American candidates are favored in job applications.
• White voter preference for lighter-skinned Black politicians.
• Dark-skinned individuals receiving harsher sentences in the justice system.

5. Racism Against White People Still Qualifies as Racism

Kendi explains how he once fell into an anti-white mindset, fueled by systemic injustices like voter suppression during the 2000 elections. While the anger was understandable, the belief that all white people were inherently inferior or oppressors was flawed.

Antiracism means rejecting all forms of racism, including anti-white sentiments. The key is distinguishing between individuals with power who perpetuate racist systems and ordinary individuals who may not wield such influence.

This balance is central to antiracism: advocating equality and justice without labeling groups as inherently oppressive or inferior.

Examples

• Kendi's anger after the 2000 U.S. election led him to seek justification for anti-white racism.
• The Nation of Islam's teachings about white people as "devils."
• Recognizing white people who use their privilege to support antiracism efforts.

6. Internalized Racism Within Black Communities

Internalized racism occurs when individuals within marginalized groups adopt prejudices against their own race. Kendi recalls moments where prominent Black figures looked down on lower-income African Americans, considering them responsible for perpetuating negative stereotypes.

This phenomenon not only divides communities but also reinforces systemic inequalities. For example, some African Americans echo harmful ideas, blaming others within their race for poverty and crime, rather than addressing policy-driven inequities.

Antiracism encourages self-awareness and the rejection of beliefs rooted in internalized oppression. It bridges divisions and redirects focus to systemic causes of inequality.

Examples

• A newspaper editor differentiated between himself and lower-income Black people using a racial slur.
• Chris Rock's 1996 comedy special criticized certain Black Americans in harmful terms.
• A Pew Research survey suggested that one-third of African Americans blamed systemic issues on their own communities.

7. Racism, Like Cancer, Demands Vigorous Treatment

Kendi likens racism to cancer: pervasive, destructive, and requiring aggressive treatment. Just as cancer spreads through the body, racism seeps into laws, policies, and everyday interactions, harming marginalized groups and society at large.

While some deny racism's existence, much like patients who avoid acknowledging their illness, Kendi emphasizes the importance of confronting reality. Acknowledging its spread is the first step to eradicating it.

Though the fight against racism is daunting, Kendi draws inspiration from his personal battle with cancer, urging individuals to remain hopeful and persistent.

Examples

• Racist policies perpetuate inequality in housing, education, and employment.
• Denial of racism mirrors a patient's refusal to accept a cancer diagnosis.
• Kendi's survival from stage-four cancer symbolizes resilience in fighting systemic injustices.

8. The Role of Policies in Shaping Societies

Racist ideas often serve to justify and sustain policies that create inequalities. For example, blaming victims of racism for their circumstances shifts the focus away from systemic injustices.

Antiracist efforts prioritize removing discriminatory policies and replacing them with ones promoting equity. This proactive approach dismantles systemic barriers instead of addressing symptoms.

Change begins with accountability; by targeting policies, societies can achieve tangible improvements for affected communities.

Examples

• "Personal responsibility" narratives blaming African Americans for poverty.
• Laws designed to segregate schools and neighborhoods.
• Success of affirmative action in improving college admissions diversity.

9. Antiracism as an Active Choice

To be an antiracist means actively challenging racism in personal, social, and institutional contexts. It involves unlearning biases, confronting assumptions, and advocating for policies that promote fairness.

Kendi stresses that antiracism is an action-oriented philosophy. It requires a commitment to fighting racial inequities wherever they arise, whether through visible injustice or subtle prejudice.

Choosing antiracism allows individuals to contribute to systemic change while fostering equality in their immediate environments.

Examples

• Advocating for fair hiring practices.
• Confronting biased language or ideas in social settings.
• Supporting education to raise awareness about systemic racism.

Takeaways

1. Actively educate yourself about racism's root causes and how it manifests in policies and daily life.
2. Challenge racist ideas when you encounter them, even if they are subtle or internalized.
3. Support initiatives and organizations that promote racial equity in your community.