Breadcrumbs of Books By The Campfire: My Reflections
By Guest Contributor Kris Wood
“Follow the breadcrumbs,” says an important person in my life who regularly hears it from an important person in her life. So, that’s what I have been doing.
What started as a parent’s search for universal truths to impress upon my teenage son, evolved into an unquenchable thirst for education about the black experience and the racial injustice that is prevalent in our society today as much as it was in the past. That’s where reading and the world of books have informed my thinking.
The first book on my journey was Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me”. This father’s message to his black teenage son not only offered me some wisdom I’d been seeking but also illuminated a perspective and life experience that was absolutely unique to me, namely, the overwhelming burden of not only being black but being a black man in the United States. The necessity of a father explaining some of our country’s prejudices and worst attributes in order to educate his son on how to stay as safe as possible while navigating our largely white-led nation and institutions were heart-wrenching.
So why was I profoundly impacted by this narrative? Maybe it’s because I, too, am the parent of a teenage son and I could feel the fear/emotions behind Mr. Coates’ words and the importance of his message. Or could it have been tied to my recent experience in hearing from a black colleague who was thrust into a racially charged confrontation? Maybe it’s because I am grateful to be an American and know that we can do better to make this nation a fair and safer place for everyone, particularly for people of color. Lots to reflect on, for sure.
From there, I was moved to pursue a deep dive into America’s history. I am discovering how social, moral, and economic factors/people influence how this nation of ours shows up for its own people and for our larger global community. Intertwining information from these many different areas are books that bring a cohesive perspective and focus to how our present-day beliefs and policies were shaped and how they continue to be perpetuated in an inequitable manner.
“Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho which I reviewed and shared in an earlier “Great Books, Great Minds” feature piece was the next step in my journey. Then there was “The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation”. The desire to read this book was ignited by Michael Scott’s interview with the author, Anna Malaika Tubbs.
Once again, the search for parental experience and insights was promising, but this time, the driving force was to learn about the amazing women who gave birth and raised these influential men. I had initially intended to do a book review but quickly realized that my role was to simply “be still and learn”, no matter how hard.
The treatment and disdain these women endured shook the ground beneath my feet. Is this really how my country has seen and threatened our fellow Americans simply because of the color of their skin?? I was/am horrified and galvanized in discovering this part of our history.
On the other hand, I am incredibly grateful Ms. Tubbs dived into the heritage and ancestors to provide white readers the opportunity to learn about the truth of where we’ve been in regard to race, lighting a path of redemption.
What I learned from this read is that we have the ability to be the people our founding fathers aspired to, then and now. The stories of Black Lives lived within even just the last 100 years are important to the humanity of us all. As Kimberle Crenshaw, one of the founders of Critical Race Theory 25 years ago, states, “You cannot fix a problem you cannot name. You cannot address a history that you are unwilling to learn”.
The next breadcrumb, “How to be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi, was a monumental one in helping me understand the fundamentals of the problems our nation is facing. After finishing the first chapter, I texted my friend Michael, who I mentioned above, sharing that I felt this book was one of the most important works of our time!
The first incredible chapter provided the most valuable tool I didn’t know I needed…Definitions! For anyone trying to understand and identify all the different terms being used to describe black discrimination, this chapter, at the very least, is a must-read. I learned so much…the difference between “racist”, “not a racist” and “anti-racist” to start. I discovered that we are all racist at times, including Black people and other people of color.
“What we say about race, what we do about race, in each moment, determines what-not who-we are…It requires understanding and snubbing racism based on biology, ethnicity, body, culture, behavior, color, space, and class.” ~ Ibram X. Kendi
Just as important as understanding the terminology being used to defend or rail against racism, was learning that racist policies are the foundation of all inequity within our culture. They date back over 100 years and are still in effect in various ways today, subjugating those who are not in power. In the US, there is a handful (white men) who truly have it and wield it unflinchingly to keep people of color un-empowered, particularly as the demographics of our country change.
My most recent breadcrumb turned out to be the accumulation of the former books. “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together” by Heather McGhee speaks specifically about the racial policies that not only impact Black people but how they are detrimental to white people as well. Ms. McGhee is an expert in economic and social policy and the former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos. She has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and contributed regularly to news shows including NBC's Meet the Press. Her perspective holds serious weight and importance.
She shares that part of the strategy of “keeping things as they are and have always been,” which works against over 90% of our population, is to confuse people with complexity, terminology, perspectives, and most importantly, with the belief that in order for the marginalized populations of our country to be given equal footing in all aspects of life, that the rest of the population will have to give something up. This is called the Zero-Sum Theory, which has been disputed and proven inaccurate for decades, but the political power machine is hard at work to convince us otherwise.
This is done much to the detriment of white people, oftentimes, more so, than the black people it adversely impacts. This was shocking to learn and unbelievably sad as well, namely, to grasp that white people have often fought against rules/legislation that would benefit them simply in order to prevent “others” from benefiting too.
One thing that I found incredible in this book was the references section. Of the 450 pages, the last 125 of them cited the resources drawn upon to state facts, studies, and legislation. This book was not about theories per se, but about the factual consequences of our actions for the last several generations.
All in all, this journey has been a huge awakening for me, one that has me looking for answers but also seeking ways that I may engage in a humble, yet meaningful way. I feel the ground firming up, once again, beneath me.
I am looking forward with intention, humility, curiosity, and accountability. I am indebted to the many writers who have been courageous enough to speak up and present their perspectives and experiences…to teach us about our American history, the fullness of it, not just the whitewashed version.
To solve the challenges we are facing today, we MUST be open to having hard conversations, listening to disturbing truths, and leaning into finding ways to balance the many inequities which hold back all people, not just people of color. We ALL need to RISE UP in our own personal and unique way to move toward the embodiment of the ideals our forefathers envisioned for us as a nation of immigrants. Nelson Mandela said it best, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
If you are inspired to find a way to personally step into this narrative beyond reading the books I’ve mentioned, consider perusing the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation movement’s website, https://healourcommunities.org, for opportunities and information on ways to help heal our nation.