Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

 We are perched on the possible edge of change. At no other point in our history have we been so ready to examine our beliefs and work to try and create a more perfect nation. Social change is in the air. Will it come to fruition or will it subside to lie in wait for the next group to grab its mantle? Time alone will tell. What we do know is that social change is hard. Even Hitler who was a master at social change was not able to convert the minds of all the Germans and he was willing to use the most brutal methodologies imaginable.

Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi crafted the young adult version of Kendi's book Stamped from the Beginning in a book entitled Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. This book was, at times, very disturbing to read. It made me want someone to wrestle some the ideas with. The authors characterize their book as not a history book. It is, however, a book examining history through a very different lens than I have. I can see how it would be a great book to share with students as they come to terms with who they are and what America is and should be. 

The only part that I really took exception to was the idea that racism had a date of beginning. In 1415 Gomes Eanes de Zurara published a book justifying slavery of blacks as missionary work. I would argue that racism has a far longer history than that.  3000 years earlier, Ancient Egyptians treated people of different origins as not worthy of the benefits of the Egyptian civilization. Ancient Chinese had a similar approach. The Ancient Greeks and Romans tried to conquer the world to spread their brilliance, religion and civilizations.  You were not worthy, if you were not from the right racial and cultural group.

As humans we are programed to think that people like us are good and those unlike us are suspicious. This was an early survival trait. Our society has, however, outlived that instinct and we need to do better. We can open our minds to the possibility that not only is there no inherent goodness in looking like us, there is residual impact of generational mistreatment to groups of people. We can acknowledge our past, but we must work to be better. Reading and discussing books like this one allow us to become better people.