How to Be an Antiracist (One World Essentials)

by Ibram X. Kendi

I think we are beginning to understand how being racist prevents us from seeing certain people as fully human. But I don’t think we understand how being racist prevents us from being fully human. What do I mean by fully human? I’m not talking in a biological or behavioral sense; we are all fully human in a biological and behavioral sense. I’m speaking in a social and political sense. To be fully human, socially, is for us to recognize a fundamental connection between ourself and every human being on earth. Which is to say we see every human being as a member of our extended family; we value the lives of all human groups equally, no matter their skin color. To be fully human, politically, is to think about human rights, about what all humans need to live fulfilling lives, and what powerful forces constrain humans—in this case the force of racism. To be fully human is to use our power to join with other humans to challenge the forces that prevent the full flowering of humanity.