How to Be an Antiracist

“Definitions anchor us in principles. This is not a light point: If we don’t do the basic work of defining the kind of people we want to be in language that is stable and consistent, we can’t work toward stable, consistent goals. Some of my most consequential steps toward being an antiracist have been the moments when I arrived at basic definitions.” 

Kendi expresses the importance of basic definitions of racism so everyone can feel antiracist work is accessible and something that can be accomplished. To emphasize the significance of accessible definitions, Kendi structured How to Be an Antiracist so that each chapter focuses on defining certain key terms/ideas pertaining to the experiences of racism. These terms also accompany personal and historical narratives to elaborate upon their basic definitions, connecting them to social context and personal experiences.

“‘Racist policy’ says exactly what the problem is and where the problem is. ‘Institutional racism’ and ‘structural racism’ and ‘systemic racism’ are redundant. Racism itself is institutional, structural, and systemic.” 

Throughout How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi maintains a sharp distinction between “racist policy” and other common terms that refer to racist systems such as “institutional racism,” “structural racism,” and “systemic racism.” He feels these terms are superfluous since the definition of racism already refers to harmful systems working against certain racial groups. He emphasizes racist policy as it refers to the laws perpetuating racism, while also suggesting something can be done to remove them and supplant them with antiracist policies.

“The most threatening racist movement is not the alt right’s unlikely drive for a White ethnostate but the regular American’s drive for a ‘race-neutral’ one. The construct of race neutrality actually feeds White nationalist victimhood by positing the notion that any policy protecting or advancing non-White Americans toward equity is ‘reverse discrimination.’” 

Kendi challenges the idea of race neutrality, which assumes a lack of racial difference and therefore overlooks the disproportionate treatment of people of different racial identities. While the idea seems benign on the surface—and many would