Last week, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi published his new book “How To Raise An Antiracist.” His editor, Chris Jackson (Executive Vice President & Publisher of One World), wrote a thoughtful letter to readers about this new book and the impact of Dr. Kendi’s work.
Dear Reader,
Many people first encountered Ibram X. Kendi’s work in 2020, the year of so-called “racial reckoning,” but of course Ibram had been asking questions about America’s history of racism long before that, going all the way back to his childhood. Ibram’s work retains the spirit shared by children and scholars alike: a spirit of curiosity, with every question begetting another in the search for explanations.
The hope of racists—including people who want to use racism only as a way to retain their own power—is that writers like Ibram will go away and their ideas will be forgotten. But the questions our children have about our society will never stop. And the power of Ibram’s work lies in that same curiosity and the vital truths it reveals.
How to Raise an Antiracist is an essential guide for parents who want to raise their children with care, compassion, and a sense of justice—and who want to respond to their children with honest answers rooted in our history and our hopes, even if those in power do not.
I loved this book—as both a parent and a former child—for the same reasons I loved How to Be an Antiracist: it takes its readers seriously enough to challenge them but, like the best work of writers from James Baldwin to bell hooks, it is rooted in the infectious belief that with love and honesty, we can build a better world, for ourselves and our children.
—Chris Jackson
Executive Vice President & Publisher of One World
New Conversation Topic
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is available for in-conversation formats on various topics, including:
Teaching Children To Connect Across Differences
With current events, countless parents, teachers, and other caregivers are looking for resources to not just help their children respond to the news but to help their children become antiracists. In his conversations, Dr. Kendi combines vital scholarship with a compelling personal narrative of his own journey as a parent to offer advice that is grounded in research and relatable real-world experience.
Media
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi spoke to CBS correspondent Nancy Giles about confronting the dangers of racism and the parenting values behind his new book How to Raise an Antiracist.
Discussion Guide
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver of any kind, here are some questions to consider alongside How to Raise an Antiracist to spark your own discussions of antiracism and hone your personal approach to raising antiracist kids.