Most people will tell you that racism is all about hatred and ignorance. In How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi's follow-up to his National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning, he explains that racism is ultimately structural. Racism directs attention away from harmful, inequitable policies and turns that attention on the people harmed by those policies. Kendi employs history, science, and ethics to describe different forms of racism; at the same time, he follows the events and experiences of his own life, adapting a memoir approach that personalizes his arguments. This is a very effective combination, fusing the external forces of racism with Kendi's own reception and responses to that racism—the result will be mind-expanding for many readers. Kendi's title encompasses his main thesis: simply not being racist isn't enough. We must actively choose to be "antiracist," working to undo racism and its component polices in order to build an equitable society. To read this book is to relate to the author as an individual and realize just how much we all have in common. As Kendi writes: race is a mirage, assigning an identity according to skin color, ignoring the individual.   

Discussion led by: Megan Schimpf, MD, MHSA, Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology & Urology, Ambulatory Care Clinical Chief, Medical School   

Part 1: 11/9  |  10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Part 2: 12/10  |  10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Please plan to attend both sessions!

Please join us for a lively 2-part book discussion to explore ways in which we can choose to be antiracist.  We encourage you to purchase books from local bookstores or utilize your local library. Most library systems also provide access to e-book versions of most of their titles at no charge. We strive to share this opportunity with faculty at the University of Michigan regardless of financial situation. If you require financial assistance to purchase this book, please reach out to UMMS-Faculty-Development@med.umich.edu and we will be happy to assist you.