We continue our Zoom book study of How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi on Thursday evening, June 17th at 7:00. Even if you have not read the book, you are invited to join in our discussion of Chapters 7 & 8. The queries we will be discussing from Kendi’s supplemental journal, Be Antiracist are as follows:
Chapter 7:
For most of my life (Kendi speaking) I expressed both culturally anti-racist and assimilationist ideas. I expressed Black cultural pride and I thought Black people should assimilate into White American culture. Describe your cultural perspective(s). Consider your segregationist, assimilationist, and/or anti-racist ideas.
- How would you define culture?
- What constitutes and American to you?
- Is American unicultural or multicultural? When you think of American culture, what religion, language, philosophy, art forms, food and clothing do you think about? What American group practices these cultural ways of being? Should we be calling this “American” culture?
Chapter 8:
If you are an immigrant, share a moment when you experienced xenophobia. If you are not an immigrant, share a moment when you participated in or witnessed xenophobia.
- What are the negative effects of ascribing specific behaviors to specific racial groups?
- Before you started in this study, what did you think were the racial behaviors of:
- Black people
- Asian people
- Indigenous people
- White people
- Middle Eastern people
- Latinx people
- What are the negative effects of all forms of bigotry? What are the negative effects of ascribing specific behaviors to specific gender groups? To transgender people? To those in specific classes? To those with specific sexual orientations? To those who are disabled?
- Describe a time when you did not treat an individual as an individual or when you chalked up someone’s behavior to someone’s race.