Author to Discuss Antiracism Book in Local Library Collaboration
The New York Times-bestselling author of How to be an Antiracist will discuss his book live online thanks to support from local libraries and other organizations.
Author, history professor, and 2019 Guggenheim Fellow Ibram X. Kendi will talk about his book with Dr. Charlene M. Dukes, president of Prince George’s County Community College live Monday, July 20 at 7pm.
Praised as “The most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind” (New York Times), Kendi’s work has provided a new counterpoint in the national conversation about race in America. Kendi is also the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research and a columnist at The Atlantic, as well as a correspondent with CBS News.
He is the author of five books including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction; How to Be an Antiracist; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored with Prince George’s County native Jason Reynolds; and Antiracist Baby, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky.
How to Be an Antiracist invites readers to explore new ways of thinking about themselves and those around them. He asks readers to picture what an antiracist society would look like, and how they can play a role in building that society.
Kendi sits down with Dr. Dukes, the first African-American woman to serve as president of the college with 30 years of progressive leadership experience and administrative responsibility in higher education. The event is a partnership between 11 Maryland library systems and a handful of other organizations.
The timing of an offer to collaborate was perfect for Calvert County Library. “Many customers and library partners in our community have expressed a need for antiracism resources and events,” says Robyn Truslow, public relations coordinator for Calvert Library. “Prince George’s County Memorial Library System invited us to be a co-presenter for a well-known and timely author presentation in exchange for our help in publicizing it.”
The event will be streamed live on Crowdcast, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter/Periscope, and will air on PGCC TV at a later date. To register, visit https://calvertlibrary.info/ or www.KendiPGC.eventbrite.com.
“The library hopes to inspire and inform,” Truslow says. “This event promises to do both.”