CAZENOVIA — The Anti-Racism Coalition of Cazenovia (ARC-C) recently announced the completion of its first community “book read” and the launch of another round of book discussions early this fall.
In February, ARC-C celebrated Black History Month with a series of “healthful and hopeful” adult and student conversations focused on the book “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, as well as a young adult version of the book co-written by Jason Reynolds.
Kendi’s original work, which won the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction, explores the history of how racist ideas were created, spread, and rooted in American society. The academic account focuses on the life stories of five American intellectuals — Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and activist Angela Davis.
In the 2020 remix of Kendi’s book, titled “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” Reynolds and Kendi shed light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas and encourage readers to identify and discredit racist thoughts in their daily lives in order to embrace empathy, respect, and healing. Reimagined for ages 12 and up, this version promises readers that it is “not a history book.” Instead, it is a book that mixes the past with the present in ways that are relatable and compelling for young people.
Kendi and Reynolds also teamed up to produce the 2021 book “Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You” for even younger audiences.
ARC-C steering committee members Louise Brown-Smith, Alan Smith, and Wendy Everard, who teaches English at Cazenovia High School (CHS), led a group of about a dozen adults in multiple discussions of “Stamped.” The adult group met for four weeks in February in Everard’s classroom, which was set up for simultaneous in-person and Zoom meetings. Participants had the option of reading the original version of the book, the young adult version, or both. Copies of the books were provided by the Cazenovia Public Library.
Karin Marris, who participated in one of the group conversations, said reading “Stamped” opened her mind to more and different ways to consider racism and bias in American culture. The discussion, she added, opened her mind even further.
“Everyone had a fresh and interesting take on the subject matter,” Marris said. “Being able to contemplate new ideas, or old ideas in a new light, is the key to understanding how to improve oneself and our society, I believe. Our discussion was important in that regard.”
According to Brown-Smith, reading and discussing the book changed some of adults’ beliefs and behaviors.
“One adult feels more comfortable speaking with Black people,” she said. “One held a discussion concerning racism in her high school classroom and plans to start an anti-racism group. Another has become committed to reading more and to attending community anti-racism programs.”
Over the course of about eight or nine weeks, CHS history/government teacher Kurt Wheeler facilitated student discussions of the young adult version of “Stamped.”
Wheeler said he was incredibly impressed with the rigor and thoughtfulness the students brought to the process.
“They took turns facilitating each session, and each of the student leaders had multiple thought-provoking ideas and questions ready every week,” he recalled. “Our biggest challenge was never having enough time to get to all the issues that were raised.”
Regarding his personal takeaways from the book, Wheeler noted that, as a historian, he was struck by how differently an event or topic can be perceived by someone with another set of experiences.
“Even on topics that I thought I could accurately anticipate the author’s point of view, there was always an interesting twist or lesson learned,” he said.
The student book group had about 10 participants, including CHS student Claire Braaten, who expressed her appreciation of Kendi and Reynolds’ ability to share important and impactful ideas with a simplicity that makes them accessible to everyone.
“They clearly emphasized how racism is all about power and that the first step to dismantling racism is learning the long, repetitive — and still being written — history,” Braaten said. “The book uncovered many key events to be the work of assimilationists. It brought awareness to how you can say a few truthful things yet still be telling a false story by leaving out essential pieces of information and drawing purposive conclusions. The book is meant to actively engage with. We talked about the necessities and harms of gradual progress; we discussed questions of how exactly progress should be measured, especially when self-serving intentions and intersectional issues like classism, education, or colorism come into play.”
Following the conclusion of the high school book group, Brown-Smith reached out to the students to learn their takeaways from the experience.
“I loved how engaged the students were in learning the history and understanding that belief systems were manipulated to perpetuate racism and white privilege,” she said. “They will be using all their learnings as they evaluate future news, community policies, and discussions with friends and family.”
Brown-Smith also commented that although the total number of participants may seem small, she views the book groups as a step in the direction of anti-racism.
“I think the kids took it all more academically and analytically, whereas the adults took it as a call to action,” she said. “Both seem so appropriate to me. It’s not enough to feel that racism is wrong, anti-racist actions are needed right now. The kids inherit the world we have created, but they will be builders of what comes next. They are smart and strong and committed. They brighten a future for us all.”
ARC-C is sponsoring another community book read this summer.
The selected book, Heather McGhee’s “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,” offers an exploration of inequality and the lesson that racism has a cost for everyone, not just for people of color. Additional information is available at penguinrandomhouse.com.
McGhee, an expert in economic and social policy, is the former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos. She has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and contributed regularly to news shows like NBC’s Meet the Press. She currently chairs the board of Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. She holds a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Copies of the book will be available at the Cazenovia Public Library.
Led by ARC-C steering committee member Dara Harper ([email protected]) and open to everyone, the summer book read will not be divided into adult and student groups.
Participants are encouraged to read the book on their own over the summer and then come together in the fall for an ARC-C sponsored discussion either in person or via Zoom (TBD)
Interested individuals should contact Brown-Smith at [email protected] or Everard at [email protected].
ARC-C is a multi-racial coalition founded by members of the Cazenovia community in May 2020. According to its website, the group’s mission is “to educate ourselves and the community at large, to engage in equitable policies and practices, to dismantle systems of power, advantage, and privilege, to build a racially just and equitable community, and to transform our society and ourselves.”
For more information on ARC-C, visit arc-c.org or facebook.com/arccazenovia.
