Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

 

1.     The first chapter defines segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists. Were you familiar with these terms before you read Stamped? Did your understanding of these words change by the end?

·       Shows people can change over time

·       Really helped define the differences

·       Maybe assimilationist was a survival strategy

·       Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison – hiding yourself in public – Langston Hughes “We wear the mask”

·       Assimilationism makes you successful, it sets the standards of beauty, it takes on the negative of the dominant culture as well

·       Some people had the choice and ability to assimilate and others could never assimilationist

·       Segregationists wanted “go back to Africa” and “Let’s just live apart from society”

·       There has always been those who think you should be “nice” to create change and those who believe you need to “fight”

 

2.     What are examples of racism that you’ve encountered or experienced? Referencing the list of racist ideas in Chapter 6, explain why and how your personal experiences with racism are tied to racist ideas that are hundreds of years old.

·       Not everyone defines themselves or reveals themselves as segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists

·       Isn’t there room for segregationist (all female, HBC) institutions

 

3.     As seen with movies like Tarzan, Planet of the Apes, and Rocky, pop culture and media have played a large role in reinforcing racist ideas, whether their stories are overtly racist or are a bit sneakier in their propagation of racist ideas. What current movies, TV shows, and stories promote racist ideas, and how?

·       So powerful to learn all these connections

·       Carefully watch shows with children to dismantle stereotypes

·       Even shows with Black folks don’t even talk about race (or mention their own ethnic identity, except when maybe making a family phone call and speaking another language)

·       Rocky! Now makes sense – taking down the “Black man”

·       Tarzan – white guy in Africa

·       British television has more diversity in characters than U.S. T.V. but they do more with casting diversity (then talking about racism – just like in the real world)

·       Birth of a Nation (from The Klansman) to Planet of the Apes to Rocky to Cosby Show – how Black folks are seen or supposed to act

 

4.     Why is Angela Davis a champion of antiracist thought and practice? Discuss the ways in which Davis fought for antiracism at different points in her life.

·       Black power was run by men, no women, so Angela Davis joined communist party

·       Reagan had her fired from UCLA

 

5.     The authors note how Richard Nixon would demean Black people in his speeches without ever saying “Black” and “White” by using words like “urban” and “ghetto” (pages 191-192). What are other ways we invoke race without overtly mentioning race?

·       Then Reagan did War on Drugs which mean 5g of crack carried the same punishment as 500g of cocaine (5 years) and more police were in Black neighborhoods

 

6.     Abraham Lincoln, W.E.B. DuBois, and Booker T. Washington are remembered as defenders of Black liberation. How did these figures propel antiracist thought and enforce racist ideas? Can a person have racist, segregationist, and antiracist ideas all at once? How?

·       Booker T Washington, W.E. DuBois, and Frederick Douglass (assimilationist) all were not anti-racist

·       There were women’s liberation movements who were funding William Lloyd Garrison, who Kendi does not label him as anti-racist

·       Quakers were activists but they still kept segregated schools

 

7.     Jason Reynolds introduces the concept of DuBois’s double consciousness: “A two-ness. A self that is Black and a self that is American” (page 124). Why might people of color feel this way?

·       Everyone who has a strong ethnic community has some of that, but it’s the dominant society that needs to see itself has being “white” and “American”

 

8.     Though published as a book for young people, how do readers of all ages benefit from Stamped?

·       Jason Reynolds did a great job with American Boys, but it’s almost too glib – trying too hard to be cool (11 or 12 years old)

 

9.     After finishing Stamped, how do you feel about the history of racism? What habits and actions can you implement to promote antiracism?

·       “It’s not rocket science, it’s racism”

·       Voting rights act became most effective piece of anti-racist legislation ever passed