‘Stamped’ book addresses racism, its origins and its history

BY GABRIEL GOMES

SUMMER SCHOOL ZONE WRITER

The Oxford Dictionary describes it as “the inability or refusal to recognize the rights, needs, dignity or value of people of particular races or geographical origins.”

In other words, racism can be judging someone almost primarily based on their skin tone, or how someone looks, talks or acts. Racism can be treating people differently than others just because of their traits — even if they pose no threat at all. Those are all ways to describe racism, and they are correct.

But most importantly, racism is everywhere, and it unfortunately happens way more often than it should. But how did it get here? How did racism achieve this form? How did it mutate throughout decades of bias? Where did it start? And how can it change? These are all questions that have been answered in “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning,” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.

“Stamped” is a nonfiction book that discusses the roots of racism. Although it is not a history book — according to the author — “Stamped” does a good job of showing the key points in the past that helped construct racism, and how it got stamped into our history, with helpful and insightful information. It also discusses the catalysts and major events that helped racism expand, spread and grow. This book reveals the people who helped combat racism throughout their movements, including Fredrick Douglas, W.E.B. Du Bois and others, while also outlining the difference between racism, non-racism and anti-racism. This book is a remix of another successful work called “Stamped: From the Beginning” and is intended for a younger audience of 12 and up.

Overall, this book is extremely insightful and helps introduce a younger audience to the who, what, where and why of racism in an easy-to-read and informative way. “Stamped” is highly recommended to all. Racism and prejudice are serious and ongoing issues not only in the United States but also the entire world in all stages and phases of life. Discrimination needs to be addressed, and books such as these are key in making people learn about these issues, so that more people are inspired, more actions are taken, and racism and prejudice levels decrease.

One thing is for sure though: A better world and a brighter future start with change, and change can start with you.