Textbook Remix

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi
Little Brown, March 10, 2020

Jason Reynolds, currently the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, "remixes" Dr. Kendi's Stamped From the Beginning and explains the history of racism in America to his young adult audience. Labeling it "a book that contains history" rather than a history book, Reynolds explores how racist theories and ideologies have turned into law, influenced society, and are part of America’s white supremacy culture. He exposes racist narratives infiltrating systems that to this day contribute to inequities and injustices that negatively impact Black people and people of color. He uses Kendi's descriptors of segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists to inform readers about important historical figures. Published months before the social justice demonstrations this summer, Stamped can be a "textbook" for children and even adults to understand racism’s past, recognize how it still exists today, and be galvanized to take action for tomorrow. While the text would complement what students come across in a history or social studies curriculum, teachers might also use it for small book clubs and to support DEIJ initiatives in their schools. Reynolds’s creativity will pull students in and then push them to pursue antiracist activism in their communities.