Racism in Everything
Warning: This book review, and the attached PDF, contains inappropriate topics and images for children.
Action Tip: Be aware and informed, this book is being used in public schools and libraries to indoctrinate children.
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Stamped (For Kids)
Racism, Antiracism, and You
By Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul
Stamped (For Kids) is an adaptation of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You and is designed to make Critical Race Theory (CRT) accessible for children. That alone would be troublesome, but this book generalizes, glosses over inconvenient facts, and in other places is factually incorrect.
Chapter one discusses the European slave trade as the evil institution was rationalized between 1415 and 1619. Many books for a variety of reasons limit their discussion to the European slave trade. Glossed over is that during this period slavery existed in China, the Middle East, across Africa, and the Americas. It was virtually a worldwide practice.
Kyle with his copy of Stamped (for Kids), by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
In the first lines of the second chapter, we read this generalization, “America welcomed slavery with open arms and used it to build this country.” The clear implication of those words is that there was no meaningful opposition to slavery. However, from the founding of the nation, America wrestled with slavery. After the revolution, Britain continued the slave trade in its remaining colonies while, over the next few decades, many American states abolished the practice. Some states did build their economies on slavery, while others abhorred the practice and did not.
Chapter three informs us that, “in order for White Americans to feel comfortable with continuing slavery, they had to break free of Britain once and for all.” The Revolutionary War ended in 1783. Even before the end of the war, Vermont abolished slavery and over the next few years other states, such as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, abolished slavery. Britain would retain slavery for another fifty years. The American war of independence had nothing to do with making Americans feel comfortable with continuing slavery.
Bias is on every page with generalization, factual error, and glossing over inconvenient facts in almost every chapter.
In another gloss over, we’re told in chapter eighteen that, “The words the government used to label the Black Panther Party were militant, radical, dangerous.” The Black Panthers are portrayed as a kind of community service organization. However, the founder of the Black Panthers, Huey Newton, once said that members were involved in many fatal firefights with police. Black Panther member Alex Rackley was tortured and murdered by the organization. Newton was indicted for the murder of prostitute Kathleen Smith. Three members attempted to assassinate key witness Crystal Gray. Newton was also indicted for the pistol-whipping of his tailor, Preston Callins. The recounting of murder, mayhem, and beatings could continue but, my point has been made.
Also, in chapter eighteen, we’re told that Angela Davis is an “activist, educator and influential advocate for political and social change.” What we’re not told is that she was a Marxist and longtime member of the Communist Party USA. She praised communism in East Germany, the Soviet Union, and in Cuba where she also supported Fidel Castro. Davis has advocated for the abolition of prisons and was acquitted of aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of Judge Harold Haley.
Perhaps the most incredible understatement is found in chapter twenty. “Black Americans were angry [after the beating of Rodney King]. And in pain. So pained and angered that they took over neighborhoods in Los Angeles and expressed their frustrations.” The “frustrations” mentioned here were the Los Angeles riots of 1992. By the end of the riots, 63 people had been killed, 2,383 had been injured, including truck driver Reginald Denny, beaten nearly to death on live national television. Property damage exceeded one billion dollars.
On an almost humorous note, we’re told that “Math was used as a weapon against Black people.” That the novel Planet of the Apes is racist, and so is “King Kong. Dumbo. Peter Pan. Lady and the Tramp. The Cat in the Hat and many books by Dr. Seuss. Swiss Family Robinson. The Jungle Book. Little House on the Prairie. Curious George. Aladdin. Pocahontas.”
The amount of praise for this book has both amazed and discouraged me. Stamped (For Kids) provides neither accurate history nor good scholarship. I cannot recommend it. The book is bias, racist, and error-filled and shouldn’t be in the tax-supported library of any city or school.
Click on the graphic or here, or the icon above for a PDF of quotes from Stamped for Kids.
