Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Ibram X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds

This is NOT a history book. 

It says that right on the back cover. It IS a non fiction book about race and racism and how it has and still is a major part of ALL of our lives. It's not a complete history of racism, or events, it's a selection. 

From the inner cover blurb: 

"The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. Racist ideas are woven into the fabric of this country, and the first step to building an antiracist America is acknowledging America's racist past and present. This book takes you on that journey, showing how racist ideas started and were spread, and how they can be discredited. Through a gripping, fast-paced and energizing narrative, Stamped shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas- and on ways you can identify and stamp out racist thoughts, leading to a better future."

The ALA says that this book is on the challenged and banned list because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people.

We are using the discussion guide from Steamboatlibrary.org for Stamped to help us discuss the book. 

1. The first chapter defines segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists. Were you familiar with these terms before you read Stamped? Did your understanding of these words change by the end?

L: No, I wasn't familiar with these words before starting, and yes, now I know what they mean and I found it interesting to learn about. 

M: I was kind of familiar with the terms, we had talked about them in school, and we just had a big discussion about them in Girl Scouts last week. I feel like I have a much better understanding now. 

J: Yes, I already knew them- I learned about them in middle school growing up in a more diverse area than here. 

K: I learned more about these terms when I was doing an adult training for Girl Scouts this fall. Prior to that I was somewhat aware of them, but it wasn't a big part of my life. I enjoyed getting to teach you kids about them through this book. 

 2. What are examples of racism that you’ve encountered or experienced? Referencing the list of racist ideas in Chapter 6, explain why and how your personal experiences with racism are tied to racist ideas that are hundreds of years old.

 J: I had friends (work acquaintances) in AZ who owned houses near the border and would get angry about immigrants crossing the border and asking for water, or help. They would say it was because they were crossing illegally, but come on man, they're people. It's a desert!

M: I'm not sure

L: Well, when Makayla kept asking if each Asian figure skater was Nathan Chen... that was kind of racist. 

K: And how does that tie back to racist ideas from the start?

L: Well, because she was acting like they all looked the same just because they were Asian and she didn't know who he was but his name sounded Asian. 

 3. As seen with movies like Tarzan, Planet of the Apes, and Rocky, pop culture and media have played a large role in reinforcing racist ideas, whether their stories are overtly racist or are a bit sneakier in their propagation of racist ideas. What current movies, TV shows, and stories promote racist ideas, and how?

J: Transformers, Jungle Cruise

M: Disney's Princesses are 90% white girls

K: And when Disney does try to focus on a different culture- they still end up getting it wrong most of the time.

4. How do race, gender, and sexual orientation intersect and create different barriers for queer women of color?

K: Well, like we talked about, everyone has privileges. White men have the most inherent privilege because they basically set up all the systems to benefit them. As a white woman, I have a lot of privileges, but less than a man. A woman of color has less than I do, because they're not white. So how much privilege do you think a Black woman who is also queer might have?

M: Um, none?

K: Pretty much. So do you think that they have a lot of additional things they have to overcome than you do?

L: Yes 

5.  The authors note how Richard Nixon would demean Black people in his speeches without ever saying “Black” and “White” by using words like “urban” and “ghetto” (pages 191-192). What are other ways we invoke race without overtly mentioning race?

J: Inner city, "those" people

K: underprivileged

6. Abraham Lincoln, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker T. Washington are remembered as defenders of Black liberation. How did these figures propel antiracist thought and enforce racist ideas? Can a person have racist, segregationist, and antiracist ideas all at once? How?

J: Yes, Thomas Jefferson. Racist- slave owner, Antiracist- the Declaration of Independence

(Had a large argument not about this book, and had to end our discussion for the night because I was angry and frustrated with the kids) 

7.  Jason Reynolds introduces the concept of double consciousness: “A two-ness. A self that is Black and a self that is American” (page 124). Why might people of color feel this way?

All: Because America as a nation has been treating Black people like shit since literally the start! It's hard to want to be American when the whole American system is set up to screw you over!

8.  Du Bois and Booker T. Washington had distinct strategies and approaches to Black liberation. What does liberation mean to you? In what ways are some approaches to liberation in fact not always liberatory?

M: Liberation means freedom and empowerment. Assimilationism isn't very liberating because they probably can be their true selves if they're trying to fit in with white society.

K: They have to erase their Black self to assimilate.

9. Marcus Garvey spotlighted the issue of colorism, its origins, and the dangers of it. Is colorism equally as destructive as racism?

M & L: Yes, they're basically the same thing. 

10. Reynolds demonstrates how racist ideas in the fields of science and mathematics—from eugenics to the creation and purposes of IQ and standardized tests—have been created and used to oppress Black and Brown people. How do we decide what to believe about a scientific claim?

K: Well, I'll take this one. We can't just accept something as a scientific truth because one study found some result. We have to double check results. We have to make sure we have a representative sample of the population- inclusive of genders and races. And when we find things that have been wrong, or racist, or sexist, or whatever, we have to be willing to let go of those ideas completely. Science is never done, never decided- there's no one FINAL ANSWER- and when we act like it is, we are actually being unscientific. 

11. What surprised you in this book? 

L: I was surprised that they never talked about Hitler

M: I didn't know Tarzan was racist

J: I thought it was written by a woman.

K: I feel like I was surprised that Martin Luther King Jr started as an assimilationist. Looking at his story as told here, I can see that he was, but I don't think I knew that before. 

12. What angered you or made you sad? 

M & L: SO MUCH RACISM!

J: Lack of some important information in the book, like how the FBI followed MLK Jr and others, etc. I felt like there was some stuff that was left out that was important. 

13. What other emotions did you experience while reading?  

M & L: Frustration

J: Sadness about bullshit

14. After finishing Stamped, how do you feel about the history of racism? 

M: Enlightened and angry

L: Sad and angry, but also informed

J: Well, I DON'T feel guilty about being white, it's not something I can control. I do think racism is horrible, and shouldn't have ever happened, let alone still be such a problem. 

15. What habits and actions can you implement to promote antiracism?

M: Explode the Earth and start over.

L: Be nice to Black people?

K: Of course we should be nice to Black people, we should strive to be nice to everyone- but is that really going to promote antiracism? I think the most important thing that WE can do, as people who aren't really in positions of power, is to vote for the people who support structural change and vow to do the antiracist things that need to be done. And then we have to hold them to their promises. And for you and Makayla, you guys can focus n being good allies, standing up when you see things happening, and supporting your friends of color in any way they need you to. 

And finally, we all guessed why we thought the book was challenged and banned:

J: Parents are worried that their white kids are too fragile to read about racism.

L: Because there were some bad words

M: What Daddy said. 

And do you think it should be banned?

J: No

L: Definitely no!

M: Required reading

K: Well, I know that you guys didn't really READ it, because I read it to you, but the one thing that I struggled with when reading it was that it's written for a YA audience, and it's written as people talk, which isn't necessarily grammatically correct, and I didn't love that. But I'm not a YA. So while I wouldn't add it to the required reading list, I think there's no reason to ban it for sure.  

 

On to our next book- George!