Introduction:
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America is an absolutely fascinating book that provides a desperately needed new perspective on American history. The book traces the parallel development of racist and antiracist ideas in America from the 17th century all the way to the early 21st century.
Like previous posts for this blog, rather than a direct review, I wanted to discuss some topics of Stamped from the Beginning for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that the book and the author have already received an enviable amount of laurels and accolades, anything I could say in a review would just be gratuitous at this point. The second reason is that I wanted to relate some of what I read in Stamped from the Beginning to what I wrote in my own book.
Before beginning the discussion it is important to explain the basic thesis of Stamped from the Beginning, at least as I understand it. In a nutshell, Kendi uses three categorizations to separate views on race: “Segregationist ideas have blamed Black people themselves for racial disparities. Antiracist ideas have pointed to racist policy. Assimilationist ideas have conveyed both: Black people and racist policy were to blame for racial disparities.” Kendi uses these terms throughout the book to help make meaningful distinctions, especially between what is antiracist and what is assimilationist thinking. Kendi also makes clear that racist ideas and practices have not remained static, they are ever changing, always deploying new bogus ideas and adapting their tactics to fit with the changing status quo. “For nearly six centuries, antiracist ideas have been pitted against two kinds of racist ideas: segregationist and assimilationist.” Another crucial point Kendi makes is that most Americans, myself included, bought into a false narrative on the production and consumption of racist ideas. I’ll quote the book again below:
“I was taught the popular folktale of racism: that ignorant and hateful people had produced racist ideas, and that these racist people had instituted racist policies. But when I learned the motives behind the production of many of America’s most influentially racist ideas, it became quite obvious that this folktale, though sensible, was not based on a firm footing of historical evidence…It has actually been the inverse relationship—racist policies led to racist ideas which led to ignorance and hate.”
Stamped from the Beginning also follows the lives and works of five historical figures to track the changes in racist and antiracist ideas over time. This is one of my favorite aspects of the book, and it highlights a subject that I refuse to stop talking about, the importance of complexity and nuance, especially when it comes to important historical figures. Worshiping some people as heroes and denigrating others as villains is simple and creates a narrative structure of history that people desperately desire, but it is wishful thinking. People are imperfect, and putting them on a pedestal will not make their imperfections go away. As Kendi demonstrates many times throughout Stamped from the Beginning, people can work all their lives against segregationist ideas while believing and propagating assimilationist ideas, which are still racist. Or someone can promote some antiracist ideas while holding on to elitist, or sexist, or homophobic beliefs, or any other combination you can think of, because people are endlessly complicated.
Discussion:
“What caused think tankers after the presidential election of Barak Obama in 2008 to produce the racist idea of a postracial society, when they knew all those studies had documented racial disparities?” That idea, one of a postracial society, is one that I wanted to discuss further. As Kendi makes clear, it’s a racist idea, one that tries to ignore the problem of racial disparities by pretending that we have moved beyond them. However, I think the concept of a postracial society is pernicious beyond the fact that it’s a racist concept. I think it’s a dangerously naive way of thinking.
This is just inference on my part, but with every big milestone for antiracism in American history, there is always a feeling among some people that this is the end of racism, or that racism is on its way out. However, as Stamped from the Beginning catalogs time and time again, racist self interest doesn’t go away, it changes tactics. Here is a quick example of these shifting tactics in US history: how do you enslave someone when slavery has been outlawed by a constitutional amendment? What if there is a loophole and you can enslave people who are imprisoned? Well, the solution is simple really, you pass a bunch of laws that sound neutral in their racial language, but in practice are used to arrest and enslave people of color. In addition, I think people who talk of a postracial society miss a simple yet important observation. There can be progress in one area of society and a lack of progress somewhere else. A good example of this would be the desegregation of the military in the Truman administration, an important step, but desegregating the military didn’t make racist policies disappear from American life.
For the sake of argument, let’s pretend for a moment that someday in America’s future, a postracial society is actually achieved. I still think America celebrating its own excellence for eliminating racism would be foolish, like an ancient Greek tragedy when fate punishes someone for their hubris. Behind the idea of a postracial America, it’s implied that this uncomfortable chapter of our shared history is closed forever, never to be reopened. It sounds great in theory, but it isn’t true. History is not a story book, it doesn’t have a clean narrative structure that sees everything turning out alright in the end. No uncomfortable chapter of humanity’s history is ever closed. The particulars will change, but humanity will always be capable of visiting violence and hate on one another. The way to avoid revisiting the uglier moments of our history is not with premature celebration, but with constant vigilance.
If you want to see an example of the premature celebration and the hubris I described above, then look no further than the resurgence of fascism in Western democracies in the early 21st century. Ever since the end of the Second World War, the US patted itself on the back for playing an instrumental role in the destruction of Nazi Germany. America seeing itself as the unblemished moral heroes in the Second World War is one of the reasons why WWII history remained a popular subject for so long. All the while far too many Americans forgot the lesson of Nazi Germany, unstable democracies are the perfect soil for fascism to take root in. Fascists can not only take advantage of existing instability, they can help foment that instability, and without a hint of shame gain adherents by promising to end the instability that they themselves are responsible for. It’s maddeningly two-faced, but that’s another mistake that Americans made, they expected fascists to respect democratic norms, when the whole point of fascism is to destroy democratic norms. Instead of resting on their laurels and celebrating the destruction of fascism during WWII, Americans should have been on guard to ensure that their democracy wouldn’t fall to fascism.
The way I see it, the vigilance needed against fascism is similar to the vigilance needed against racism. I don’t think it’s wrong to celebrate progress against racism, and I don’t think it’s wrong to be proud of progress. Celebration and pride, however, should never, ever, lead to complacency. The fight for human rights is a difficult and seemingly never-ending struggle, but it’s a just struggle, one well worth fighting.
Conclusion:
Stamped from the Beginning is the kind of book I wish I had read before I wrote my book. I’d like to think that I was mostly on the right track already when it came to antiracist ideas, but Kendi’s book is one that can change your perspective on American history, and force the reader to reexamine all the myths and lies Americans tell about their past. Even better, Kendi’s strategy on how to end racism I think is both novel and realistically practical. You can’t convince someone to stop being racist by appealing to their morality and you can’t educate racism away. The best way to help curb racist thought is by appealing to self-interest. Everyone in America would be better off if we lived in a society without racism, so everyone would benefit. It’s in every American’s self-interest to fight against racist policies.
I know I said I wouldn’t review Stamped From the Beginning, but I do have a concise review that I’m sure any author could appreciate. Stamped from the Beginning is a damn good book. Buy and read it.
As always, if you’re interested in buying the book I’ll post a couple of links below: