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The fight over what can and can’t be taught in schools is shaping up to be one of the most controversial issues in a pivotal mid-term election year. White voters are being mobilized to ban books, censor honest discussions of US history and current day racism, and organize against a fake spectre of “critical race theory” being taught in schools. So what is to be done? In this episode, Laura and co-hosts Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita interview Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the most visible and vocal proponents of anti-racist education. Dr. Kendi shot to prominence with his 2019 New York Times bestseller How to be an Antiracist, making a name for himself as one of the most renowned antiracist scholars in the country and winning a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2021. His latest picture book, the New York Times bestseller Antiracist Baby, has made headlines, even being held aloft by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. How does the reaction against antiracist education hurt us all?
“What’s at stake is joy. I mean, at the end of the day, one of the net effects of racism aside from people literally losing their lives is misery.” – Ibram X. Kendi, Director, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
Guest
- Ibram X. Kendi, Director, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
Portions of this interview with Ibram X Kendi are featured in our episode “Ibram X. Kendi: How to Make America Antiracist?“
