Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is an American author who won the National Book Award for his nonfiction novel “Stamped from the Beginning.” He was the youngest author to win the award at just 34 years old.
Kendi is a historian and professor who engages in antiracist activism. Devoting his time to history and highlighting the issues of racism in the U.S., he has taken the world by storm. He was named one of the most influential people in the world in Time magazine in 2020, and he participated in a Zoom talk with CSUN students in 2022 in the Essential Talks Anti-Racist Learning Network Series, where he spoke about oppression within academia and how to be antiracist on campus.
Kendi was born in New York City and raised in Jamaica, Queens. When he was younger, he dreamed about playing basketball, which was discouraged because of its ties to Black stereotypes and the repercussions he could face because of them.
According to Kendi’s personal website, his parents were Christian activists who were greatly influenced by Black liberation theology and the 1970s Black Power Movement. His mother was involved in Black feminist activism, and his father’s political ideals were a clash of antiracism and assimilation.
Kendi graduated in 2004 from Florida A&M University with a double major of journalism and African American studies. In 2010, at 27 years old, he received a doctorate in African American studies from Temple University in Philadelphia. He founded Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research in 2020 and continues to serve as the director.
Kendi has written nine New York Times bestsellers, five of them topping the chart. He has published academic essays in books and journals, as well as op-eds in numerous periodicals, such as the New York Times. His books have been translated into multiple languages and sold around the world. Kendi launched multiple major media projects, including an action podcast called “Be Antiracist,” which was named the Best New Podcast of 2021 by Variety.
Kendi co-founded The Emancipator, a publication that endeavors to change the conversation of racial injustice and equity. He also has a production company called Maroon Visions, where he produces film and television projects. Its first project was a docuseries called “Skin in the Game,” which was released on ESPN+ in September 2023. It focuses on the convergence of race, society and sports.
In his book “How To Be an Antiracist,” Kendi connects with his developing notion of racism through five decades of lived experience. He touches base on his scrutiny and understanding as an adolescent, a student and a professor. Kendi embraces his mistakes, admitting he has his own racist conducts. Kendi believes that being antiracist is the only way to achieve equal opportunity and justice for everyone.
In 2019, Kendi created a children’s version, “How To Be a Young Antiracist,” to educate young readers and encourage them to be just and equal. Kendi co-wrote this book with novelist and activist Nic Stone. Together, they told brief tales with details that connect to their shared experiences. They also created a journal called “The Young Antiracist’s Workbook” for readers to document their experiences and emotions in their journey to become antiracist.
People internalize ideas and form opinions while they are young, when one’s morals are greatly influenced by their environments and the people they are surrounded by, Kendi explained in a Time 100 interview. He went on to say young people can be misled, which makes having access to informative sources important.
