Episode Details

The fight over what can and can’t be taught in schools is shaping up to be one of the most controversial issues in a pivotal mid-term election year. White voters are being mobilized to ban books, censor honest discussions of US history and current day racism, and organize against a fake spectre of “critical race theory” being taught in schools. So what is to be done? In this episode, Laura and co-hosts Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita interview Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the most visible and vocal proponents of antiracist education. Dr. Kendi shot to prominence with his 2019 New York Times bestseller How to be an Antiracist, making a name for himself as one of the most renowned antiracist scholars in the country and winning a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2021. His latest picture book, the New York Times bestseller Antiracist Baby, has made headlines, even being held aloft by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. How does the reaction against antiracist education hurt us all?

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