47 pages • 1 hour read
Tiffany JewellThis Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work
Nonfiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 3, Chapters 10-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 3: “Choosing My Path: Taking Action and Responding to Racism”
Part 3, Chapter 10 Summary: “Disrupt!”
Part 3 looks at ways that readers can take action against racism. Chapter 10 begins with a call to speak up, “to speak the truth. Share it with others” (122). Jewell argues that silence is not a good option and shares moments in her life where she wishes she had spoken up. She returns to the story of her racist school teacher and lists what she wishes she had done differently, including leaving the classroom and speaking to administrators. Her list provides a blueprint for readers to act on if they witness similar acts of racism in their own schools. Jewell also thinks beyond the classroom, about what to do if one witnesses “police officers surrounding two young Black men” (126). She invokes the memory of Black people in America who have been murdered by police officers and encourages readers to come up with “a plan so [they will] know what [they] can do if this does come up in [their] life” (126).
The activity for this chapter is an in-depth exercise that asks readers to list all the things they could do if they see a Black person being detained by the police. It asks readers to think about the risks associated with each course of action and about how certain people can use their privilege in these situations.
Part 3, Chapter 11 Summary: “Take Action!”
Chapter 11 goes beyond encouraging readers to speak up and asks them to take action. Jewell argues that “if you do nothing, everything stays the same” (131). She goes on to list some of the ways that she has taken action against racism throughout her life, including organizing protests and educating people about power and privilege. She talks about how people can use their privilege and “proximity […] to the center of the dominant culture box to fracture the very foundation of our racist society” (135). In doing so, she hopes that readers will be able to work toward dismantling the system entirely.
This chapter has two suggested activities. The first asks readers to check in with themselves and reflect on what kinds of action they are willing and able to take on. The second activity introduces the idea of an anti-racism “toolbox” that readers can develop and carry with them to make it easier to take action.
Part 3, Chapter 12 Summary: “Interrupt!”
At this point in the book, readers should have “more information, new knowledge, and facts, as opposed to the whitewashed stories of history” (138). Here, Jewell asks readers to think about the real-life “superpowers” that they might have. She gives an example of one of her own superpowers: interrupting people. She means that if she is in a situation where someone says “something that’s worth interrupting” such as sharing “a stereotype or microaggression” (141), she will interrupt them and explain that they have said something racist. She acknowledges that interrupting people will sometimes make the person uncomfortable or even upset, but addressing racism is more important than helping people stay comfortable. Another of Jewell’s “superpowers” is dancing; she explains that it is important to express joy and take care of oneself. Dancing makes her happy and free, “and we all deserve to be free” (149).
Part 3, Chapter 13 Summary: “Solidarity”
Chapter 13 talks about the importance of solidarity when engaging in social justice and anti-racism work. Jewell uses the metaphor of a lake to explain this idea: some people are “on a speedboat […] moving fast […] with a clear path and purpose to get to the end goal of equity and justice” (154). Others are in a canoe, “paddling along at a steady pace and getting to where they need to go” (154), while some are swimming. The people swimming “are greatly affected by everything and everyone around them. They will fatigue if they keep swimming toward the goal without the help and support of others” (155). This metaphor highlights how the work of social justice cannot be done alone: People need to be able to rely on one another and work together in solidarity.
The activity asks readers to reflect on where in the lake they think they are, and if they think their position is sustainable. It encourages readers to think about how they might help people around them.
Part 3, Chapter 14 Summary: “Calling In And Calling Out”
This chapter looks at the difference between calling in and calling out. Jewell defines calling someone in as having a private conversation with a person about something they might have done that was hurtful, offensive, or racist. Calling someone in can be “a pretty effective way of working with someone to change their problematic behavior” (159), as it is a gentle technique that people are often more receptive to. However, it does require compassion, time, and energy on the part of the person doing the calling in. By contrast, calling someone out involves publicly addressing a person’s hurtful, offensive, or racist behavior in front of witnesses. The presence of other people may engender “greater accountability as there’s more than one person involved” (160), and it may require greater personal risk on the part of the person doing the calling out.
The activity for Chapter 14 guides readers through deciding between calling in and calling out and helps them consider the best path to follow, depending on the situation.
Part 3, Chapters 10-14 Analysis
While it is easy to leave Racism and Systemic Injustices in the realm of theory, Jewell insists that nothing will change if people do not take action. Racism actively hurts people, so people will need to take an active stance to dismantle it. Jewell readily acknowledges that in some cases, standing up against racism can be uncomfortable or even dangerous. Nonetheless, it is still important; if entrenched systems of power are not met with active resistance, those systems will stay in place.
Jewell points out how important it is for people to stand in solidarity with each other. Because of the nuances of Identity, Privilege, and Intersectionality, not everyone will experience anti-racist efforts the same way. Some people might need more support than others because of their position in society, their understanding of racism, their resources, and the steps they are willing to take to dismantle racist ideology. Working together is often more functional than trying to do everything alone. Everyone can benefit from mutual support. By focusing on everyone’s strengths and building each other up, everyone can get across the metaphorical lake that Jewell describes.
In this section, Jewell starts to give actionable advice on Allyship, Activism, and Social Change. Many of the pieces of advice she gives may be helpful for younger readers, including her ideas of what she could have done when she was younger and her teacher was racist in the classroom. Some other suggestions, like writing a poem about Eurocentric history textbooks, fundraising for important causes, and organizing protests, are helpful ideas that are accessible to many young people who want to get more involved in anti-racist work in their own communities.
Some of the advice that Jewell gives in this section may be dangerous, particularly for younger readers. In Chapter 10, Jewell lists ways that young people can stand up to police racism in a hypothetical situation where readers see “four police officers surrounding two young Black men” (126). To her credit, Jewell does note that “you must make sure YOU are safe and out of harm’s way. Talk to a trusted adult BEFORE taking any action” (126). However, she goes on to suggest that readers consider approaching the situation, recording what is happening, and asking the men being arrested if they can do anything to help.
Jewell explains that “some of your choices will require you to take risks” (129) and that “if you are a Black, Brown, or Indigenous Person of the Global Majority, you will need to decide how each outcome could end for you” (129). She is implying that for people of color, standing up to police might result in them experiencing police brutality. She goes on to note that for “white people, this [risk assessment] is not something you need to do because […] taking a risk with any of these choices will, most likely, not have you end up in jail or harmed” (129).
It is absolutely true that people of color are at particular and heightened risk of experiencing police brutality compared to white people. However, it is not true that all white people are automatically exempt from police brutality or from arrest solely on the basis of whiteness. Anyone who is planning to interrupt an arrest or record it should perform a risk assessment first and be aware that they may be putting themselves into a dangerous situation. This is especially true not only for people of color, but also any young people (the primary target audience of this book) and people who are marginalized in other ways, including women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ people.
This Book Is Anti-Racist is intended as an anti-racist activism guide for young readers. In many ways, it succeeds in that goal, especially when it focuses on how young people can challenge dominant narratives of racism, call people out when they say something offensive, and take part in anti-racist organizing and protests. By equating these options with more dangerous forms of activism like disrupting arrests, however, Jewell minimizes the risks associated with speaking out and directly challenging authority. Protest safety and risk awareness are crucial elements of any activist practice that are missing from this text, which could put some young readers in danger if they take Jewell’s advice and her assessment of danger at face value.
