First-Year
and Common
Reading Guide
How to Be an
Antiracist
by Ibram X. Kendi
One World
Hardcover | 978-0-525-50928-8 | 320 pages | $27.00
Also available in e-book format and as an audio download
ABOUT THE BOOK
Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the
conversation about racism—and, even more fundamentally, points us toward
liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. At it’s core,
racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value;
its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of
different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different
sexes, gender identities, and body types. Racism intersects with class
and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value
ourselves. In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening
circle of antiracist ideas—from the most basic concepts to visionary
“What emerges from these insights
possibilites—that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand
their posionous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and is the most courageous book to
in ourselves. date on the problem of race in the
Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science Western mind, a confessional of self-
with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential examination that may, in fact, be our
work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next
best chance to free ourselves from
step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.
our national nightmare.”
—The New York Times
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IBRAM X. KENDI is a New York Times bestselling author and the founding
director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University.
A professor of history and international relations and a frequent public
speaker, Kendi is a columnist at The Atlantic. He is the author of Stamped
from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which
won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and The Black Campus
Movement, which won the W. E. B. Du Bois Book Prize. Kendi lives in
Washington, DC.
First-Year and Common Reading Guide for Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What is the difference between being “not racist” and being “antiracist”? Have
you ever previously used the phrase “I’m not racist” before? How can this
phrase prevent us from examining our own ideas, thoughts, and actions? What
language can you use in place of saying, “I’m not racist”?
2. Why does Ibram X. Kendi assert that there is no such thing as a nonracist or
race-neutral policy? Why do we tend to pay more attention to individual acts of
racism rather than examining institutional racism and the policies that cause
racial inequities?
3. How have American policies contributed to the disproportionate punishment
and incarceration of people of color? How have policies shaped perceptions
about crime and violence? Were you surprised to learn about the connections
between unemployment rates and rates of crime and violence? Why or why not?
4. W. E. B. Du Bois writes about double-consciousness in The Souls of Black
Folk as a “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.”
How can this dueling consciousness nourish a sense of pride in Black
identity? How can this dueling consciousness also cultivate shame? How did
dueling consciousness impact Kendi’s parents and, in turn, influence his own
upbringing?
5. Why did Kendi change his middle name from Henry to Xolani? What did you learn
about the history of Prince Henry of Portugal? How did Prince Henry’s policies
lead to a legacy of racism? Who constructed categories of race, and how did this
hierarchy grant power to some and take power away from others?
6. When did Kendi first become aware of his racial identity? During a school tour
with his parents, why was the teacher surprised when Kendi questioned her
about the lack of Black teachers? When did you first become aware of your own
racial identity? Did you learn about your racial identity in schools or at home?
7. Many people argue that racism will go away if we stop focusing on race and
stop talking about race. After reading this book, how would you respond to
this argument? What happens when we ignore or minimize racist acts and
behaviors? What happens when we define and focus on racist acts and
behaviors?
8. What is biological racism? Why is it important to witness and acknowledge our
individual races rather than to ignore them? Why does Kendi call race a mirage?
9. Why does Kendi no longer use the term microagression, which Derald Wing
Sue defined as “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to
certain individuals because of their group membership” (pg. 46)? How does
Kendi define these acts? How can changes in the way we name and define
behavior lead to larger institutional change?
10. What is ethnic racism? How does ethnic racism divert attention away from
policies and towards group behavior? How were the jokes that Kendi made
about his childhood peer Kwame examples of ethnic racism?
11. What is bodily racism? Why do you think Kendi chooses to tell the story of
Smurf in the chapter about bodily racism? How did witnessing acts of violence
impact Kendi’s perceptions of Black people? What messages about the Black
body are taught in the United States? How do these messages show up in the
media, in policies, and in our perceptions about communities?
12. What is cultural racism? How does cultural racism impact the perception and
acceptance of Ebonics and other non-White languages? How does the creation
of cultural standards lead to rejection of cultural differences? How can you
practice seeing all cultures as equals?
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First-Year and Common Reading Guide for Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 13. Why do people tend to focus on defining individuals as racist rather than
(CONTINUED) focusing on policies that are oppressive? What steps can you take to
interrogate and examine racist policies rather than focusing your attention
on individual people or groups of people?
14. How did Kendi internalize his individual academic struggles as being
connected to his race? How do educational policies create disparities
between racial groups? Can you think of a time that you have attributed
someone’s behavior to their race? How can you practice separating racial
identity from behavior?
15. What is colorism? How is colorism, including preferences for particular skin
and eye colors, hair textures, and facial features, reflected in today’s beauty
standards? What steps can we take to build and support a culture that
celebrates natural beauty?
16. Did you learn anything from this text about the history of eugenics? How are
practices of colorism and biological racism today shaped by the historical
practice of eugenics? Why is it important to separate the history and behavior
of a racial group from the genes and culture of that same group?
17. Do people of color have power to eliminate racist policies and racial
inequities? Is it possible for people of color to be racist? How is engaging in
antiracist work different for White people than it is for people of color?
18. What is class racism? Why does Kendi describe capitalism and racism as
conjoined twins? How do racist policies connect and intertwine with capitalist
policies? Can you think of an example of a policy that is both racist and
capitalist?
19. What is space racism? Why are Black neighborhoods often stigmatized as
sites of violence but White neighborhoods are not? How does space racism
shape how we think about neighborhoods, communities, churches, and
businesses?
20. How is a space racialized? Have you ever entered a racialized space where you
were not a member of the dominant racial group? If yes, how did you feel in
the space? If not, why do you think you have not had this experience?
21. What is gendered racism? How does racism disproportionately impact women,
particularly Black women?
22. What is intersectionality? What does it mean to use an intersectional
approach when being antiracist? Why is it important to understand
intersections between privileges?
23. How did Kendi react when he learned that his friend Weckea was gay? How
are homophobia and racism intertwined? What does it mean to be a queer
antiracist?
24. What is the difference between a protest and a demonstration? Can you think
of an example of an effective protest in your community? How can protests
change or influence policies?
25. What does it mean to be courageous in the face of racism? How is this
different from being fearless? While reading the book, did you identify any
examples of Kendi acting courageous in the face of racism?
26. Choose one definition from the text that was less familiar to you. What did you
learn about this term? How can you apply this new understanding to your own
life? Why is it important to use accurate language to describe our values and
goals?
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First-Year and Common Reading Guide for Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 27. How can you commit to following some of the steps to eliminate racial inequity
(CONTINUED) that Kendi outlines on page 231? How can you hold yourself accountable while
practicing these steps? Who can support you in this work to actively be an
antiracist?
28. Why does Kendi compare the spread of racist ideas to the spread of cancer?
What can be done to stop the spread of racist ideas? Do you believe that
eliminating racism is possible? Why or why not?
29. Make a list of racial justice advocates, activists, and organizations that can
help you deepen your own learning about antiracist positions and policies.
Identify organizations in your community that support the creation or
changing of policies to eliminate racial disparities that you can join, support, or
research. How can you continue to examine your own beliefs from an antiracist
framework?
30. Racist policies lead to inequity and disparities in every sector including politics,
health care, criminal justice, education, and employment. Choose one of these
areas and closely examine your own views, beliefs, and voting patterns. Have
you previously justified racial inequality in this sector? Can you do more today
to learn about the policies that produce these disparities?
31. Why does Kendi recommend that we approach antiracist work with
vulnerability? Why is it difficult to acknowledge our own beliefs or perspectives
as being racist? How can recognizing and sharing our own beliefs create an
opportunity for self-reflection? How can you help others in their own reflection
and learning?
ABOUT THIS RACHAEL ZAFER is the author of discussion guides for many books, including Just
GUIDE’S WRITER Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Rachael has led hundreds of creative and educational
workshops in prisons and jails in Michigan, Illinois, New York, and Colorado. She was
the founding director of the NYU Prison Education Program and a co-founder of the
Prison Arts Initiative at the University of Denver. Rachael holds an Executive MPA from
New York University and a BA in English Language and Literature from the University
of Michigan.
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