Juneteenth is the holiday commemorating the day enslaved people in Texas were finally told that they were freed. It has been recognized and celebrated in Black homes, schools, families, and communities for over 150 years. But it wasn’t until last year that Juneteenth was finally recognized as a national holiday.
Join us on Thursday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Zoom as we celebrate this important and joyous holiday of freedom—and learn how to talk to the young people in our lives about its history and significance. Ibram X. Kendi, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, will be joined by Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Austin Channing Brown to discuss Juneteenth; the ways it is celebrated across the country; how the holiday can serve as the perfect jumping-off point to talk to kids from toddlers to teens about our country’s complicated, often-ugly history; and how they can shape an antiracist future.
The event will also feature a special conversation between Dr. Kendi and illustrator Cbabi Bayoc about their new children’s book Goodnight Racism, a modern bedtime classic that gives children the language to dream of a better world. They’ll discuss how children’s books like Goodnight Racism can be an effective way to access and engage with complex issues; and why it’s so crucial to acknowledge holidays like Juneteenth.
When you register you will have an opportunity to send a question for Dr. Kendi in advance—whether it’s one you have as a parent or caregiver, or one your child has asked that you’d like help approaching—and he may answer your question live during the event.
Every ticket will include a copy of Dr. Kendi’s forthcoming book, How to Raise an Antiracist, which has been called “the quintessential parenting book for these times” by Publishers Weekly. In it, Dr. Kendi combines a century of scientific research with a vulnerable and compelling personal narrative of his own journey as a parent and as a child in school. The chapters follow the stages of child development from pregnancy to toddler to schoolkid to teenager. It is never too early or late to start raising young people to be antiracist. Buy your ticket soon to get a special copy of How to Raise an Antiracist with a signed bookplate from Dr. Kendi!
Following the event, each ticket holder will also receive an email with supplementary materials to help facilitate these conversations. Contents will include:
- A one-sheet of conversation starters for parents to use on Juneteenth (and beyond!) to talk about racism and antiracism with their children
- A copy of the official How to Raise an Antiracist Discussion Guide, featuring questions to reflect on solo or use with a group following your reading
- And more!
We look forward to gathering with you—parents, caregivers, and educators; grammies and pop-pops; aunties and uncles; and anyone who has the gift of a young one in their lives—to celebrate Juneteenth and reflect on how we can all raise kids to be antiracist.
A Note on Book Orders: Book orders will be fulfilled by our independent, Black-owned bookstore partners, and your copy of How to Raise an Antiracist will ship on or after June 13. Please be sensitive to the workload of our independent bookstore partner. It may take a couple weeks to receive your book, but your support of this bookstore is so important and will not go unnoticed.
To gain access to the event, select any of the independent, Black-owned bookstores listed below and click “Get Tickets”. (You can choose your closest store, one in a city you love, or one you dream of visiting!) The ticket price includes a hardcover copy of How to Raise an Antiracist, as well as shipping and handling.
Bookstore Partners
How to Raise an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi
“Kendi’s latest . . . combines his personal experience as a parent with his scholarly expertise in showing how racism affects every step of a child’s life. . . . Like all his books, this one is accessible to everyone regardless of race or class.”—Los Angeles Times (Book Club Pick)
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar
The tragedies and reckonings around racism that are rocking the country have created a specific crisis for parents, educators, and other caregivers: How do we talk to our children about racism? How do we teach children to be antiracist? How are kids at different ages experiencing race? How are racist structures impacting children? How can we inspire our children to avoid our mistakes, to be better, to make the world better?
These are the questions Ibram X. Kendi found himself avoiding as he anticipated the birth of his first child. Like most parents or parents-to-be, he felt the reflex to not talk to his child about racism, which he feared would stain her innocence and steal away her joy. But research and experience changed his mind, and he realized that raising his child to be antiracist would actually protect his child, and preserve her innocence and joy. He realized that teaching students about the reality of racism and the myth of race provides a protective education in our diverse and unequal world. He realized that building antiracist societies safeguards all children from the harms of racism.
Following the accessible genre of his internationally bestselling How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi combines a century of scientific research with a vulnerable and compelling personal narrative of his own journey as a parent and as a child in school. The chapters follow the stages of child development from pregnancy to toddler to schoolkid to teenager. It is never too early or late to start raising young people to be antiracist.
