How to Be an Antiracist

How to Be an Antiracist is a nonfiction book by Ibram X. Kendi, a writer and historian of African American History and the founder of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center. Published in 2019, this New York Times best seller proposes antiracist strategies individuals can employ to transform racist policies. This study guide refers to the Kindle edition of the book.

How to Be an Antiracist sets out to define antiracist work as a set of strategies one can undertake to undo the harms of racist policies. Author Ibram X. Kendi devotes each chapter to the exploration of individual terms pertaining to racism, which he defines as “a collection of racist policies that lead to racial inequity and are substantiated by racist ideas” (20). He uses personal anecdotes from his life to illustrate these concepts, including narratives from his family history, as well as his academic journey toward understanding racism.

As a Black man, Kendi grew up with parents brought up in the era of Black Power who instilled in him a strong sense of Black identity. Growing up, he faced racism from teachers and peers, which propelled him toward Black spaces such as Florida A&M University—a historically Black college—and Temple University for graduate school studies in Black History. During graduate school, he furthered his understanding of racism through the mentorship and support of his department’s faculty and peers. This pushed him to eventually publish writing on racism in the US. Kendi’s wife’s cancer as well as his own cancer diagnosis influenced his comparison of racism to “metastatic cancer” (234) which spreads and worsens without intervention.

Throughout How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi posits that antiracist strategies must not be limited to changing the hearts and minds of racists but focused on transforming racist policies. While much antiracist work focuses on upending racist ideas, Kendi’s insistence on creating antiracist policies calls for the transformation of racist structures and ideas at the same time.