How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, read by the author

06/15/20 • 7 min

“For Kendi, the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, there are no non-racists; there are only racists — people who allow racist ideas to proliferate without opposition — and antiracists, those who expose and eradicate such ideas wherever they encounter them... What emerges from these insights is the most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind, a confessional of self-examination that may, in fact, be our best chance to free ourselves from our national nightmare.” – Jeffrey C. Stewart, The New York Times

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45435835-how-to-be-an-antiracist

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45435835-how-to-be-an-antiracist

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

Previous Episode

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Dr. Robin DiAngelo is an antiracist educator and University of Washington professor. She defines white fragility as the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially. White fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviours including argumentation and silence. These behaviours, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. The key insight DiAngelo illustrates magnificently throughout this book is that racism is a systemic problem, rather than individual acts of cruelty. Audiobook narrated by Amy Landon.

Watch DiAngelo’s powerful, illuminating and engaging presentation about her book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ey4jgoxeU

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40894695-white-fragility

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

Next Episode

The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole, read by the author

Do you believe that racism isn’t a problem in Canada, or that it’s a relatively benign issue compared to racism in the United States, or other countries? If so, Desmond Cole may change your mind. Cole’s stories about his personal experience of anti-Black racism made me uncomfortable at times, but that's a good thing. I felt compelled to reflect much more critically on my previous assumptions about where I live, Toronto, and its supposed multi-cultural, post-racial ideals. I highly recommend you buy Cole’s book or audiobook, and support Cole’s ongoing activism, and his influence on the public conversation about racism in Canada.

Report: An Online Environmental Scan of Right-wing Extremism in Canada: https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/canada-online/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50640342-the-skin-we-re-in

Audio production by Graham Stephenson

Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).