Ibram X. Kendi

Ibram Xolani Kendi (born August 13, 1982) is an American author and historian.

Quotes

• I define an antiracist as someone who is expressing an antiracist idea or supporting or an antiracist policy, policies that yield racial equity, while antiracist ideas talk about the equality of racial groups…
  • On how he defines “antiracist” in his book How to Be an Antiracist in “Ibram X. Kendi's Latest Book: 'How To Be An Antiracist'” in NPR (2019 Aug 13)

• I think most Americans, without recognizing it, say and believe both racist and antiracist ideas. What I'm seeking to do is get them to recognize those racist ideas, get them to essentially get rid of them and essentially strive to be antiracist, strive to see the racial groups as equals.
  • On his views of the American mentality regarding race in “Ibram X. Kendi's Latest Book: 'How To Be An Antiracist'” in NPR (2019 Aug 13)

• The working class in the United States has never been united; it’s always been divided along the lines of race…Racism and capitalism emerged at the same time, in 15th-century western Europe, and they’ve reinforced each other from the beginning.
  • On the American working class in “Ibram X Kendi on why not being racist is not enough” in The Guardian (2019 Aug 14)

• Part of the reason so many Americans are so defensive is because we’ve been led to believe that racist is a fixed category, that it’s a tattoo, it’s a label. Of course they’re going to say, “I’m not a racist, I’m not a bad person.” But racist is describing what you’re saying in the moment.
  • On why racist is a crucial descriptive term in “How to Be an Antiracist Author Ibram X. Kendi on What We Get Wrong About Racism” in Time Magazine (2019 Aug 8)

External links