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How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice
Winner of the 2022 ECPA Christian Book Award for Faith & Culture
How do we effectively confront racial injustice? We need to move beyond talking about racism and start equipping ourselves to fight against it.
In this follow-up to the New York Times Bestseller the Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby offers an array of actionable items to confront racism. How to Fight Racism introduces a simple framework—the A.R.C. Of Racial Justice—that teaches readers to consistently interrogate their own actions and maintain a consistent posture of anti-racist behavior.
The A.R.C. Of Racial Justice is a clear model for how to think about race in productive
educate yourself by studying history, exploring your personal narrative, and grasping what God says about the dignity of the human understand the spiritual dimension of race relations and how authentic connections make reconciliation real and motivate you to consistently fight systemic racism and work for racial justice by orienting your life to it.Tisby offers practical tools for following this model and suggests that by applying these principles, we can help dismantle a social hierarchy long stratified by skin color. He encourages rejection passivity and active participation in the struggle for human dignity. There is hope for transforming our nation and the world, and you can be part of the solution.
How do we effectively confront racial injustice? We need to move beyond talking about racism and start equipping ourselves to fight against it.
In this follow-up to the New York Times Bestseller the Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby offers an array of actionable items to confront racism. How to Fight Racism introduces a simple framework—the A.R.C. Of Racial Justice—that teaches readers to consistently interrogate their own actions and maintain a consistent posture of anti-racist behavior.
The A.R.C. Of Racial Justice is a clear model for how to think about race in productive
educate yourself by studying history, exploring your personal narrative, and grasping what God says about the dignity of the human understand the spiritual dimension of race relations and how authentic connections make reconciliation real and motivate you to consistently fight systemic racism and work for racial justice by orienting your life to it.Tisby offers practical tools for following this model and suggests that by applying these principles, we can help dismantle a social hierarchy long stratified by skin color. He encourages rejection passivity and active participation in the struggle for human dignity. There is hope for transforming our nation and the world, and you can be part of the solution.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 5, 2021
425 people are currently reading
6921 people want to read
About the author
Jemar Tisby
28 books482 followersJemar Tisby is president and co-founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. He has written about race, religion, and culture for The Washington Post, CNN, Vox, Christianity Today and The New York Times. He is the co-host of the Pass The Mic podcast, which is frequently rated as one of the top 100 religion and faith podcasts on iTunes. Tisby is a PhD student in history at the University of Mississippi, studying race and religion in the 20th century, and he has spoken to thousands at colleges, conferences, and churches across the country on such topics as “Understanding the Heart Cry of Black Lives Matter,” “The Historical Politics of Race in America,” and “The Image of God and the Minority Experience.” In 2017, the Religion News Association recognized him for excellence in student religion reporting for his articles on the police-related killings of unarmed black citizens. https://thewitnessbcc.com
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December 4, 2020Once again, I'm incredibly thankful to see books on race by BIPOC authors being published in Christian publishing houses. Christian circles are deeply intrenched in White Supremacy, and like many other institutions, it is not often addressed enough. In many cases, from personal experience, there is a lot of resistance against the notion that Christians and Christian teaching can be biased and racist, because we like to believe that we are God-loving people. However, it is impossible to separate our foundational Christian beliefs from institutionalized Christian values without dismantling where these cultural influences came from. As a BIPOC Christian, I've found Christian spaces to be very frustrating and demoralizing more often than not. Although How to Fight Racism does not bring entirely new concepts to the discourse on racism that has been published in recent years, it is powerful because it brings this discourse into a Christian sphere, and the more that get published and read, the more Christian publishers will publish books by BIPOC authors. This will mean more BIPOC Christian values and interpretations will become normalized. And for BIPOC believers, this is so necessary, otherwise Christianity will continue to push out people who they claim to want to reach.
On the specifics of this book, I love how clear Jemar Tisby's writing is. He writes in a way that easy to follow, very straightforward, and encompasses the idea of dismantling racism through love, a very Christian perspective on dismantling disagreements (to put it lightly). It is not an easy ask, but I think this is a very encouraging perspective for Christian readers. I think BIPOC Christians will feel seen reading this and be glad to know that Jemar is on their side. For white Christians, I sincerely hope that they read this and that dismantling racism becomes a very normal thing to actively work towards.
This is a book I would love to gift to all of my Christian friends and family. I do wish I had a physical copy of this to markup (since I listened to the audiobook).
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with and ALC of this book.
On the specifics of this book, I love how clear Jemar Tisby's writing is. He writes in a way that easy to follow, very straightforward, and encompasses the idea of dismantling racism through love, a very Christian perspective on dismantling disagreements (to put it lightly). It is not an easy ask, but I think this is a very encouraging perspective for Christian readers. I think BIPOC Christians will feel seen reading this and be glad to know that Jemar is on their side. For white Christians, I sincerely hope that they read this and that dismantling racism becomes a very normal thing to actively work towards.
This is a book I would love to gift to all of my Christian friends and family. I do wish I had a physical copy of this to markup (since I listened to the audiobook).
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with and ALC of this book.
December 8, 2021
This was such a disappointing book to read on many levels. I felt that Tisby's prior book "The Color of Compromise" (TCOC) was such a good book that I was really looking forward to this sequel of sorts when it came out. To be frank, I wasn't sure if I would write an accompanying review for this book, but I think that whenever I give something a lower or higher rating, there should be some sort of explanation due.
For some background, TCOC laid out the history of American chattel slavery and how far too many Christians were complicit in either furthering the slavery industry on both a business and a spiritual level, or they did nothing to hinder or fight against the sinful practice. There were certainly those who gave their lives to fight for abolition, and they are commended for doing so - but those who are guilty must not go unpunished. As I mentioned in my review of TCOC, it reminded me of Joel McDurmon's work on the same subject, but the writing style was easier to follow. It was a great book - but it left us at the end all asking the same question. Where do we go from here? How are we to respond and act in light of the historical data of Christian complicity in the slave trade? This is where "How to fight racism" comes in.
I've long said that people who affirm critical race theory are generally accurate in their surmise of the problem. They weren't unique in doing so, just look at Voddie Baucham, Kevin Deyoung, Sinclair Ferguson, and others who have said almost identical things for years. At some level, you have to be living in a bubble to not recognize the racialization of our country in particular. This may be exaggerated to a degree and used by political figureheads and MSM to push for an agenda in a particular direction, but there is nonetheless something to push. One may argue that they are one of the primary causes of the disunity in our country today, on top of the actual and real issues themselves. The major issue for me has always been that CRT advocates have (without exception) whiffed on the Christian response to these issues. Tisby is unfortunately no different and maybe even worse.
I was hoping that Tisby would take the reigns that he sat down at the end of TCOC and give us a real robust direction and plan to deal with Racism today. It seemed, however, that with each passing chapter the divide widened and widened and widened. In Tisby's understanding, one of the major forces that continues racism in our culture today is the lack of BIPOC in areas of influence, power, or prestige. He continues this argument by stating that one of the easiest ways that we are able to fight racism is to fight for diversity in the workplace, the church, and the community. This doesn't make much sense to me. Certainly, we should not be advocating for discrimination based on the color of one's skin, but this is precisely what Tisby does. Instead of someone being given a position based on their abilities, accolades, or personality and character, we are told that we should be choosing people based on the color of their skin. Isn't that what white privilege is supposed to be in the first place? Even if we are to consent all that is currently assumed about the issues of white privilege, how is this not BIPOC privilege? Additionally, what would it mean to artificially inflate diversity numbers in the career sector? For example, if 12% of the USA is black and 60% is white, wouldn't we expect that to be mirrored in the workplace? This of course is generally what we find with the exception of executive leadership. But if we were to mandate that say, 50% of the workplace must be Black, not only is this impossible without the majority of white people being forced out of their jobs, but it also makes reality outside of the workplace the only instance where the diversity we see is without artificial adjustments. There's more to say here, but Thomas Sowell has stated it better and with more depth.
Tisby even goes on to say that he tried to partake in some counseling sessions, but that the white counselor could not understand that issues that he was going through because she had no experience of it. Once he switched to a black counselor, he was able to make progress because of the common issues they shared. He went on to say that if you are a BIPOC, you should seek out BIPOC counselors. And if you are not BIPOC, you should seek to hire BIPOC counselors because they are often overlooked in their field. Do you see how this is contradictory? If BIPOC counselors work best for other BIPOC individuals because of the shared commonality, then why would any white person hire a BIPOC counselor? It would be impossible for them to help me with my privilege that I experience as a white person. In other words, counselors only work when they have experienced similar issues as the ones who they counsel.
This applies to the school as well where Tisby alleged that school teachers and professor should be hired to help those students who learn best from professors who share their ethnicity. Does this apply to non-BIPOC folk as well? If so, how is the end result not advocating for segregated schools? This is what I mean by CRT folk pinpointing the issue that needs addressed, but inevitably come to not only miss the correct solution to this all, but errantly progress the issues they are concerned about by instigating further problems or ballooning the issues that were already there.
One thing that was painfully absent was any Biblical ethics used to navigate the issue of racism. Instead, Tisby appealed at one point to a well-known Christian poet who disparaged the puritians on the basis of some of them owning slaves. Not only did this show a severe lack of the historical knowledge behind the puritians, but Tisby still ran with it and called for Christians to stop using the puritians or reading them because if their racist history. The irony is that if you were to come away with the strange idea that Tisby actually sounded racist throughout the book, you would be forced to stop using or reading his material. Of course, we should try to have the wherewithal to recognize that we can affirm that which is biblical and deny that which is not - regardless of the sources.
I could continue to just make this a list of all the odd and sometimes overtly racial comments that Tisby made throughout the book, but most people don't change their minds on simple Goodreads reviews. They mostly bring their presuppositions to this topic and will either write me off or not before even considering my words. For those rare few that genuinely try to understand both sides of a view without getting emotional or keyboard heavy, consider that I gave Tisby a glowing review for one book, and then this review for this book. Maybe I've been consistent and given Tisby a fair shake based solely on what he has written. I'd like to believe I have. Or perhaps I belong in that category that Tisby mentions, where I simply am unable to understand him because our skin colors are different and we don't have similar experiences in life. Perhaps.
For some background, TCOC laid out the history of American chattel slavery and how far too many Christians were complicit in either furthering the slavery industry on both a business and a spiritual level, or they did nothing to hinder or fight against the sinful practice. There were certainly those who gave their lives to fight for abolition, and they are commended for doing so - but those who are guilty must not go unpunished. As I mentioned in my review of TCOC, it reminded me of Joel McDurmon's work on the same subject, but the writing style was easier to follow. It was a great book - but it left us at the end all asking the same question. Where do we go from here? How are we to respond and act in light of the historical data of Christian complicity in the slave trade? This is where "How to fight racism" comes in.
I've long said that people who affirm critical race theory are generally accurate in their surmise of the problem. They weren't unique in doing so, just look at Voddie Baucham, Kevin Deyoung, Sinclair Ferguson, and others who have said almost identical things for years. At some level, you have to be living in a bubble to not recognize the racialization of our country in particular. This may be exaggerated to a degree and used by political figureheads and MSM to push for an agenda in a particular direction, but there is nonetheless something to push. One may argue that they are one of the primary causes of the disunity in our country today, on top of the actual and real issues themselves. The major issue for me has always been that CRT advocates have (without exception) whiffed on the Christian response to these issues. Tisby is unfortunately no different and maybe even worse.
I was hoping that Tisby would take the reigns that he sat down at the end of TCOC and give us a real robust direction and plan to deal with Racism today. It seemed, however, that with each passing chapter the divide widened and widened and widened. In Tisby's understanding, one of the major forces that continues racism in our culture today is the lack of BIPOC in areas of influence, power, or prestige. He continues this argument by stating that one of the easiest ways that we are able to fight racism is to fight for diversity in the workplace, the church, and the community. This doesn't make much sense to me. Certainly, we should not be advocating for discrimination based on the color of one's skin, but this is precisely what Tisby does. Instead of someone being given a position based on their abilities, accolades, or personality and character, we are told that we should be choosing people based on the color of their skin. Isn't that what white privilege is supposed to be in the first place? Even if we are to consent all that is currently assumed about the issues of white privilege, how is this not BIPOC privilege? Additionally, what would it mean to artificially inflate diversity numbers in the career sector? For example, if 12% of the USA is black and 60% is white, wouldn't we expect that to be mirrored in the workplace? This of course is generally what we find with the exception of executive leadership. But if we were to mandate that say, 50% of the workplace must be Black, not only is this impossible without the majority of white people being forced out of their jobs, but it also makes reality outside of the workplace the only instance where the diversity we see is without artificial adjustments. There's more to say here, but Thomas Sowell has stated it better and with more depth.
Tisby even goes on to say that he tried to partake in some counseling sessions, but that the white counselor could not understand that issues that he was going through because she had no experience of it. Once he switched to a black counselor, he was able to make progress because of the common issues they shared. He went on to say that if you are a BIPOC, you should seek out BIPOC counselors. And if you are not BIPOC, you should seek to hire BIPOC counselors because they are often overlooked in their field. Do you see how this is contradictory? If BIPOC counselors work best for other BIPOC individuals because of the shared commonality, then why would any white person hire a BIPOC counselor? It would be impossible for them to help me with my privilege that I experience as a white person. In other words, counselors only work when they have experienced similar issues as the ones who they counsel.
This applies to the school as well where Tisby alleged that school teachers and professor should be hired to help those students who learn best from professors who share their ethnicity. Does this apply to non-BIPOC folk as well? If so, how is the end result not advocating for segregated schools? This is what I mean by CRT folk pinpointing the issue that needs addressed, but inevitably come to not only miss the correct solution to this all, but errantly progress the issues they are concerned about by instigating further problems or ballooning the issues that were already there.
One thing that was painfully absent was any Biblical ethics used to navigate the issue of racism. Instead, Tisby appealed at one point to a well-known Christian poet who disparaged the puritians on the basis of some of them owning slaves. Not only did this show a severe lack of the historical knowledge behind the puritians, but Tisby still ran with it and called for Christians to stop using the puritians or reading them because if their racist history. The irony is that if you were to come away with the strange idea that Tisby actually sounded racist throughout the book, you would be forced to stop using or reading his material. Of course, we should try to have the wherewithal to recognize that we can affirm that which is biblical and deny that which is not - regardless of the sources.
I could continue to just make this a list of all the odd and sometimes overtly racial comments that Tisby made throughout the book, but most people don't change their minds on simple Goodreads reviews. They mostly bring their presuppositions to this topic and will either write me off or not before even considering my words. For those rare few that genuinely try to understand both sides of a view without getting emotional or keyboard heavy, consider that I gave Tisby a glowing review for one book, and then this review for this book. Maybe I've been consistent and given Tisby a fair shake based solely on what he has written. I'd like to believe I have. Or perhaps I belong in that category that Tisby mentions, where I simply am unable to understand him because our skin colors are different and we don't have similar experiences in life. Perhaps.
April 2, 2021
If you’re asking, “But what do I do?” regarding racism in the US, Tisby has some good ideas for you in How to Fight Racism. I’m not going to talk about the whole book in this review, mostly just one portion that really rocked my world. Overall, I found How to Fight Racism. helpful, practical, and hopeful. I had to return it to the library today, but I am planning to get a copy of my own for reference and encouragement. Tisby’s first book, The Color of Compromise, was a great read in 2019 and helped me pass my MA comprehensive exams in church history. Tisby was recently named by Ibram X. Kendi as Assistant Director of Narrative and Advocacy at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research.
The most helpful insight from How to Fight Racism for me came as a surprise. Tisby shares Janet Helms’s model of “Stages of Racial Identity Development: White Identity” on pages 44-46. As I was reading the 6 stages and trying to place myself among them, I came across this statement in Stage 6: Integration under “Self-Perception:” “Positive views of European American ethnic identity and of whiteness are internalized. Makes a commitment to oppose racism.” (46) In all my racial deconstruction and historical research into the topic, I’ve genuinely never thought about developing a positive view of my racial identity. Yet, it makes sense: to combat racism, I have to develop my own identity and not disparage my whiteness. I can be comfortable in my whiteness even as I dismantle the harmful legacies of being white (what Wendell Berry calls The Hidden Wound).
One of the phrases floating around the internet regarding race is, “White people have no culture.” Another is, “White culture is entirely appropriated from people of color.” While sometimes intended as jokes, those two statements, which mutually exclude each other, are both untrue. “Whiteness” is a social construct. At different times and in different places, Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Polish people were not considered “white” in the US. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians have long faced WASP suspicion. (This legacy continues today, particularly in certain conservative Protestant circles and their culture of suspicion/disparagement of Roman Catholicism.) “European American ethnic identity” is lengthy, but I find it more helpful than “white culture.” All of my ancestors come from Europe, as far as I can tell. When I look back to the countries and ethnicities where my ancestry lies, I find plenty of positive cultural artifacts that I can appreciate and value as an American of European descent:
Englishwoman Beatrix Potter and her legacy in children’s literature
European Gothic architecture, particularly in churches, spreading from France to the rest of the continent and beyond
Celtic spirituality and creation-inspired prayer
German Cuckoo clocks
The work of American writers like Louisa May Alcott, Wendell Berry, Marilynne Robinson, and more
Acknowledging these things, among many others, as positive markers of my ethnic identity feels incredibly freeing. Not only can I enjoy these things, I can value them as part of my culture. All too often I think of these things as culturally neutral. They’ve been part of my life since childhood, often shared with me by family and friends. Yet, they’re not neutral. They’re part of my European American ethnic identity, just as much as the German/Czech food my family has shared for generations. Tisby shares Daniel Hill’s experience of attending an Indian wedding, enjoying the richness of the new experience, and saying he wished he “had a culture.” A friend responded, “You do have a culture!” What seems perfectly normal to me, simply the way I live my life, is my culture. My family might not dress in traditional clothing or speak the languages of our ancestors, but we do have ethnic identities and cultures. Just as I practice cultural humility with the different heritages that are part of my makeup, I can practice cultural humility when my European American ethnic identity encounters other ethnic identities.
An insight I gleaned years ago from Dietrich Bonhoeffer is that we, as humans, can never assume that any action we take is completely without sin (Ethics). Instead of being a bothersome idea leading me to obsess over every action I take, I find this freeing. I am not the final judge of my own actions; I can only act as best as I can, as the Spirit leads me. Similarly, when approaching culture, we are freed from the impossible task of finding the perfect cultural artifact or historical figure to appreciate that is untainted by racism, sexism, exploitation, or any other sin. Nothing is perfect. Yet, we can appreciate the good, and love our own ethnic identities. This necessarily involves speaking the truth about the unsavory parts of our histories, but that does not negate the need to be comfortable in our own skins. We can work for racial justice from a place of continually healing wholeness, rather than from constant discomfort.
Note: while I shelved this with general non-fiction, my library shelved it under Dewey Decimal Class 261: Social theology and interreligious relations and attitudes. While Tisby writes from an acknowledged Christian point of view, with particular attention to American church history, How to Fight Racism is a, well, how-to book rather than a practical theology of race. Compared to other race/religion books on my shelves like I Bring the Voices of My People and The Cross and the Lynching Tree, I thought it best fit with other general books on racism in the US. Tisby’s work is roomy enough for those who do not identify as Christian, too. Many of his examples, while geared toward churches and faith communities, are rather religiously neutral.
The most helpful insight from How to Fight Racism for me came as a surprise. Tisby shares Janet Helms’s model of “Stages of Racial Identity Development: White Identity” on pages 44-46. As I was reading the 6 stages and trying to place myself among them, I came across this statement in Stage 6: Integration under “Self-Perception:” “Positive views of European American ethnic identity and of whiteness are internalized. Makes a commitment to oppose racism.” (46) In all my racial deconstruction and historical research into the topic, I’ve genuinely never thought about developing a positive view of my racial identity. Yet, it makes sense: to combat racism, I have to develop my own identity and not disparage my whiteness. I can be comfortable in my whiteness even as I dismantle the harmful legacies of being white (what Wendell Berry calls The Hidden Wound).
One of the phrases floating around the internet regarding race is, “White people have no culture.” Another is, “White culture is entirely appropriated from people of color.” While sometimes intended as jokes, those two statements, which mutually exclude each other, are both untrue. “Whiteness” is a social construct. At different times and in different places, Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Polish people were not considered “white” in the US. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians have long faced WASP suspicion. (This legacy continues today, particularly in certain conservative Protestant circles and their culture of suspicion/disparagement of Roman Catholicism.) “European American ethnic identity” is lengthy, but I find it more helpful than “white culture.” All of my ancestors come from Europe, as far as I can tell. When I look back to the countries and ethnicities where my ancestry lies, I find plenty of positive cultural artifacts that I can appreciate and value as an American of European descent:
Englishwoman Beatrix Potter and her legacy in children’s literature
European Gothic architecture, particularly in churches, spreading from France to the rest of the continent and beyond
Celtic spirituality and creation-inspired prayer
German Cuckoo clocks
The work of American writers like Louisa May Alcott, Wendell Berry, Marilynne Robinson, and more
Acknowledging these things, among many others, as positive markers of my ethnic identity feels incredibly freeing. Not only can I enjoy these things, I can value them as part of my culture. All too often I think of these things as culturally neutral. They’ve been part of my life since childhood, often shared with me by family and friends. Yet, they’re not neutral. They’re part of my European American ethnic identity, just as much as the German/Czech food my family has shared for generations. Tisby shares Daniel Hill’s experience of attending an Indian wedding, enjoying the richness of the new experience, and saying he wished he “had a culture.” A friend responded, “You do have a culture!” What seems perfectly normal to me, simply the way I live my life, is my culture. My family might not dress in traditional clothing or speak the languages of our ancestors, but we do have ethnic identities and cultures. Just as I practice cultural humility with the different heritages that are part of my makeup, I can practice cultural humility when my European American ethnic identity encounters other ethnic identities.
An insight I gleaned years ago from Dietrich Bonhoeffer is that we, as humans, can never assume that any action we take is completely without sin (Ethics). Instead of being a bothersome idea leading me to obsess over every action I take, I find this freeing. I am not the final judge of my own actions; I can only act as best as I can, as the Spirit leads me. Similarly, when approaching culture, we are freed from the impossible task of finding the perfect cultural artifact or historical figure to appreciate that is untainted by racism, sexism, exploitation, or any other sin. Nothing is perfect. Yet, we can appreciate the good, and love our own ethnic identities. This necessarily involves speaking the truth about the unsavory parts of our histories, but that does not negate the need to be comfortable in our own skins. We can work for racial justice from a place of continually healing wholeness, rather than from constant discomfort.
Note: while I shelved this with general non-fiction, my library shelved it under Dewey Decimal Class 261: Social theology and interreligious relations and attitudes. While Tisby writes from an acknowledged Christian point of view, with particular attention to American church history, How to Fight Racism is a, well, how-to book rather than a practical theology of race. Compared to other race/religion books on my shelves like I Bring the Voices of My People and The Cross and the Lynching Tree, I thought it best fit with other general books on racism in the US. Tisby’s work is roomy enough for those who do not identify as Christian, too. Many of his examples, while geared toward churches and faith communities, are rather religiously neutral.
July 9, 2021
After reading a number of books on the topic of race in the US, I had exactly the question Jemar Tisby writes about in How to Fight Racism: What do I do? I'm pretty familiar with the statistics and history proving the depths of racism in this country, but practical suggestions for moving forward in a good way tend to be scarce. As a white person who cares about race, I can sometimes feel like there's little I can do other than just stay out of the way and not be obnoxious. Tisby's writing fills this gap with a book that eschews another recitation of all the stats and instead suggests a framework for reflecting on our racial identities, and then recommends good ways to begin (or continue) to incorporate antiracism into our everyday lives.
The structure Tisby uses to guide this book is what he calls "the ARC of racial reconciliation": Awareness, Relationships, Commitment. Each of us is probably naturally drawn more to one of these areas than the others, but Tisby encourages us to intentionally spend time in all of them. Awareness is reading and learning about race issues; relationships involves seeking out friendships that take us out of the monocultural spheres that are easiest for us; and commitment is actively getting involved in social change for antiracism.
For me, my default area is definitely awareness; I could read all day long about any topic, and especially about race. It's the other two areas that Tisby challenged me the most. I'm in a phase of life where I barely have any friends at all—I love being with my family, and most of my time is spent at home with them, not out building other friendships—and most of my closest friends are white, and quite a lot like me. Tisby gave some good ideas for modifying that situation, and I'm already thinking through how I might broaden the scope of my friendships. For "commitment," I often feel that I have no influence to make any changes anywhere; mostly I sit in my house staring at my computer screen, editing other people's writing. Not very exciting or influential, though it suits me. Tisby's advice in the book is helpful, though figuring out what I should be doing in this area is still percolating in my thoughts. I'm not sure where it will end up, but I'm open to anything.
As the subtitle implies, the book is targeted particularly at Christians. But the jargon here is not too "insider-only," and because, as I mentioned, there are so few books that attempt to guide practical steps for antiracism, I think this book is worth anyone's time, not just Christians. But it is definitely recommended reading for all Christians and all churches. I hope churches, Sunday schools, and Bible studies will decide to read this book together and discuss how they'll respond to Tisby's encouragement.
How to Fight Racism assumes that the reader already knows the basics about racism in the US, so it's not the only book on the topic that a person should read. But pairing this with other books I've read recently, such as How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi, or Reading While Black, by Esau McCaulley, is perfect.
The structure Tisby uses to guide this book is what he calls "the ARC of racial reconciliation": Awareness, Relationships, Commitment. Each of us is probably naturally drawn more to one of these areas than the others, but Tisby encourages us to intentionally spend time in all of them. Awareness is reading and learning about race issues; relationships involves seeking out friendships that take us out of the monocultural spheres that are easiest for us; and commitment is actively getting involved in social change for antiracism.
For me, my default area is definitely awareness; I could read all day long about any topic, and especially about race. It's the other two areas that Tisby challenged me the most. I'm in a phase of life where I barely have any friends at all—I love being with my family, and most of my time is spent at home with them, not out building other friendships—and most of my closest friends are white, and quite a lot like me. Tisby gave some good ideas for modifying that situation, and I'm already thinking through how I might broaden the scope of my friendships. For "commitment," I often feel that I have no influence to make any changes anywhere; mostly I sit in my house staring at my computer screen, editing other people's writing. Not very exciting or influential, though it suits me. Tisby's advice in the book is helpful, though figuring out what I should be doing in this area is still percolating in my thoughts. I'm not sure where it will end up, but I'm open to anything.
As the subtitle implies, the book is targeted particularly at Christians. But the jargon here is not too "insider-only," and because, as I mentioned, there are so few books that attempt to guide practical steps for antiracism, I think this book is worth anyone's time, not just Christians. But it is definitely recommended reading for all Christians and all churches. I hope churches, Sunday schools, and Bible studies will decide to read this book together and discuss how they'll respond to Tisby's encouragement.
How to Fight Racism assumes that the reader already knows the basics about racism in the US, so it's not the only book on the topic that a person should read. But pairing this with other books I've read recently, such as How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi, or Reading While Black, by Esau McCaulley, is perfect.
February 3, 2021
I forget precisely how I discovered Jemar Tisby’s first book, The Color of Compromise. However I found it, I read it and thought it was brilliantly well researched, eye-opening and challenging. It was a work of history that shined a light on things too long left in darkness and has become the first book I suggest people who want to wrestle with the failures of white Christianity in American history go to and read.
About a year after I read The Color of Compromise, it shot to the top of the bestseller list. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, lots of books about racism became best sellers. In the midst of the sadness and anger over Floyd’s death, I was glad Tisby’s book was getting more attention.
While I said that the book was challenging, it was still a work of history. How to Fight Racism is essentially a sequel to The Color of Compromise. Its not like one of those fantasy series where you have to read the first to understand the second. Its just that where The Color of Compromise is heavy on history and lighter on everyday applications, How to Fight Racism flips it around. This is the book to read if you are aware of, or becoming aware of, systemic racism in the church and America and you want to do something about it.
Tisby breaks this book out into three sections using the acronym ARC: Awareness, Relationships and Commitment. The three sections each consist of three chapters, and each chapter is further divided into “Essential Understandings” and “Racial Justice Practices.” This is not a book of meandering essays (not that there is anything wrong with such books!), it is a highly organized book clearly developed to be read in discussion with others, whether in church small groups or online book clubs (or over the kitchen table, as my wife and I have been discussing it).
The first section, Awareness, begins with Tisby showing that race is a social construct and in the Bible all races, all humans, are together made in God’s image. From this he moves on to inviting the reader to explore our own racial identity, including writing your own racial autobiography. This is something I plan to work on, as I have a variety of memories from my youth of racist jokes and comments being said by family members. The first section ends with a chapter on how to study the history of race.
This chapter could be a book in itself, as the question of how to tell what news is legitimate or how to talk to someone who believes conspiracy theories, is very relevant today. As I was reading this book, I texted my pastor suggesting our church read this book AND do some sort of study on how to analyze news and information. Then I read this chapter and realized Tisby kind of did both!
The second section focuses on Relationships. Here Tisby talks about how to do reconciliation right, how to make friends and how to build communities. Racial reconciliation is much more than hugs at a large Christian conference. Reconciliation requires repentance and confession by those who have harmed others, and even those who have benefited from the harm others have done.
Finally, the third section is about Commitment, focusing in on working for racial justice, fighting injustice and orienting your life to racial justice. As in the previous sections, there is a lot here and though I finished the book, I am going to be returning to these sections frequently. Its not the kind of book you read and toss on the shelf, its the kind you read and come back to.
Overall, I think this is probably the best book out there to give to a Christian friend who wants to learn how to fight racism. There are plenty of books out there, such as Ibram Kendi’s How to be Antiracist, and all these books have value. Yet, especially for Christians who are resistant or even skeptical, Tisby’s book has especial value because he writes as a Christian. If a person of faith will not give their brother in Christ a hearing, then they probably aren’t truly open to change.
Moving forward, I am truly challenged by this book. I hope others will read it and discuss it. If you do read it, discuss it with me! I’d love to chat with you!
About a year after I read The Color of Compromise, it shot to the top of the bestseller list. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, lots of books about racism became best sellers. In the midst of the sadness and anger over Floyd’s death, I was glad Tisby’s book was getting more attention.
While I said that the book was challenging, it was still a work of history. How to Fight Racism is essentially a sequel to The Color of Compromise. Its not like one of those fantasy series where you have to read the first to understand the second. Its just that where The Color of Compromise is heavy on history and lighter on everyday applications, How to Fight Racism flips it around. This is the book to read if you are aware of, or becoming aware of, systemic racism in the church and America and you want to do something about it.
Tisby breaks this book out into three sections using the acronym ARC: Awareness, Relationships and Commitment. The three sections each consist of three chapters, and each chapter is further divided into “Essential Understandings” and “Racial Justice Practices.” This is not a book of meandering essays (not that there is anything wrong with such books!), it is a highly organized book clearly developed to be read in discussion with others, whether in church small groups or online book clubs (or over the kitchen table, as my wife and I have been discussing it).
The first section, Awareness, begins with Tisby showing that race is a social construct and in the Bible all races, all humans, are together made in God’s image. From this he moves on to inviting the reader to explore our own racial identity, including writing your own racial autobiography. This is something I plan to work on, as I have a variety of memories from my youth of racist jokes and comments being said by family members. The first section ends with a chapter on how to study the history of race.
This chapter could be a book in itself, as the question of how to tell what news is legitimate or how to talk to someone who believes conspiracy theories, is very relevant today. As I was reading this book, I texted my pastor suggesting our church read this book AND do some sort of study on how to analyze news and information. Then I read this chapter and realized Tisby kind of did both!
The second section focuses on Relationships. Here Tisby talks about how to do reconciliation right, how to make friends and how to build communities. Racial reconciliation is much more than hugs at a large Christian conference. Reconciliation requires repentance and confession by those who have harmed others, and even those who have benefited from the harm others have done.
Finally, the third section is about Commitment, focusing in on working for racial justice, fighting injustice and orienting your life to racial justice. As in the previous sections, there is a lot here and though I finished the book, I am going to be returning to these sections frequently. Its not the kind of book you read and toss on the shelf, its the kind you read and come back to.
Overall, I think this is probably the best book out there to give to a Christian friend who wants to learn how to fight racism. There are plenty of books out there, such as Ibram Kendi’s How to be Antiracist, and all these books have value. Yet, especially for Christians who are resistant or even skeptical, Tisby’s book has especial value because he writes as a Christian. If a person of faith will not give their brother in Christ a hearing, then they probably aren’t truly open to change.
Moving forward, I am truly challenged by this book. I hope others will read it and discuss it. If you do read it, discuss it with me! I’d love to chat with you!
February 19, 2021
If I could give this a higher rating than 5 stars I would. Jemar Tisby has written an incredibly helpful and practical book about how to fight racism and bring about racial justice as a Christian. A must read.
January 8, 2021
Good primer. Need more specific books that tackle how to do so from different cultural backgrounds.
February 26, 2021
With How to Fight Racism, Jemar Tisby writes a helpful follow-up to The Color of Compromise. Where Compromise outlined the historical ways in which the church has been complicit in the racist history in America, How to Fight Racism offers a practical rubric and suggestions of how individuals and organizations can fight racism.
The rubric that Tisby provides is The ARC of Social Justice, standing for Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment. Awareness is growing in our knowledge of race and racism. The chapter on race and the image of God was very good. Relationships highlight the importance of developing authentic relationships with people of color- which includes the work of reconciliation. Commitment is the final and most challenging section, but also the most helpful. Tisby helps the reader realize how to fight racial injustices and to fight systemic racism.
I found the book very encouraging and helpful. Tisby's practical ideas are plentiful and the reader can begin to extrapolate ways that they can join the fight against racism for themselves. Highly recommended.
The rubric that Tisby provides is The ARC of Social Justice, standing for Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment. Awareness is growing in our knowledge of race and racism. The chapter on race and the image of God was very good. Relationships highlight the importance of developing authentic relationships with people of color- which includes the work of reconciliation. Commitment is the final and most challenging section, but also the most helpful. Tisby helps the reader realize how to fight racial injustices and to fight systemic racism.
I found the book very encouraging and helpful. Tisby's practical ideas are plentiful and the reader can begin to extrapolate ways that they can join the fight against racism for themselves. Highly recommended.
January 5, 2021
Jemar Tisby's book The Color of Compromise was an eye-opening, insightful, and life-changing book, and How To Fight Racism is just as good...maybe even better. This book provides excellent research, thoughtful commentary, and practical suggestions for anyone committed to playing a part in ending systemic racism and building unity, understanding, respect, equity, and compassion across color lines. As a white woman, I cannot imagine the oppression, prejudice and bias my brothers and sisters of color have endured for generations. How To Fight Racism helped me see life a bit more from a non-white perspective. It provided practical suggestions for what I can do to listen and learn more and ACT to make a difference. How To Fight Racism helped me see things in my own life that I was blind to and provided suggestions for how to grow and change. The things I choose to do, or not to do, can make a difference in my small part of the world. I appreciate Jemar's honest, humble, and wise advice. I cannot recommend this book enough.
July 25, 2021
Left me with a lot to think about. While there is a lot that can be learned reading this book on an individual level, I think this book would be best read if you are in a leadership position in a church, organization, or business. Tisby has so many good ideas on how to enact change and fight racism at that level but it is harder to employ his methods and ideas on an individual level. Still would definitely recommend if interested in learning more about racial justice and reparations.
June 17, 2021
Add this to your list of racial justice must-reads! Published in April of 2021, this is super relevant and offers a great framework for fighting injustice. “Fighting racism is not just about how it changes the world; it’s also about how it changes you.”
January 12, 2021
Very timely and practical
January 5, 2021
Summary: A practical, focused guide to opposing racism through the ARC model (awareness, relationships, commitment).
Jemar Tisby has long been fighting against racism. He has an NYT bestselling history survey, The Color of Compromise. He is the co-founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. He is in the final stages of his Ph.D. in history, focusing on 20th-century racial history. And he co-hosts the Pass The Mic podcast.
This is a very different book from Color of Compromise. Color of Compromise is a survey of the American church's racial history, especially its compromise concerning accepting racism in exchange for cultural power. Tisby says clearly in the introduction that How to Fight Racism responds to the standard question that he frequently gets, especially from White Christians, after presenting the problems of racism. How to Fight Racism is a book-length response to 'what can I do.'
The broad structure of the book is ARC (see link for a graphic detailing the concept). ARC is not linear, but a broad strategy that will look different from person to person and community to community. But generally, healthy response to racism will include some mix of ongoing awareness, relationship building, and a long-term commitment to systemic change. This may sound theoretical, but it is very practically focused. There are many stories to illustrate the suggestions. And while you certainly do not need to be a Christian to get value out of the book, it is a Christian book that is rooting the reasoning and methods of fighting racism in a Christian background.
How to Fight racism will be the most helpful read in a group. Because many aspects of racism are cultural, organizational, or legal, there are limits to individual actions. There are study guides for group discussion available. And I think that if you can read this in a group, especially a group within a church or organization, it can be a good jumping-off point toward organizational change that is systemic. Many other similar pieces (often article length) are oriented toward individuals.
I did see one review that said there was not much new or unique here. In some ways, I agree. Similar to how there is not much about prayer or bible reading or discipleship that is really new or unique, but we still need new books to teach and communicate to new contexts. We do still need books to talk about how to oppose racism and take different approaches.
How to Fight Racism is not also not trying to prove that racism exists. That is a different book. This book centered around practical, constructive opposition to racism, especially the type of work that Christians should do. And I hope it is a book that will be widely read and widely put into practice.
February 22, 2022
I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy to review, and I'm glad I did. This book is, in one sense, a sequel to Tisby's earlier book, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, since it picks up where that book ended. The Color of Compromise, as its subtitle suggests, was a historical survey, although Tisby ends the book with more practical suggestions for addressing this history of racial injustice using his ARC of Racial Justice Framework. This book, How to Fight Racism, expands that framework, delving into the Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment model.
As should be clear from that introduction, Tisby's goal is to give reader practical advice to answer the "So, what do I do now?" question he frequently gets asked after folks read The Color of Compromise or pay attention to racial unrest in the headlines. In that, he succeeds marvelously. Every chapter is packed with practical advice, and even if one disagrees with a tactic here or there, the number of options alone makes this book a valuable addition to people's racial justice repertoire. (I can't stress that point enough if you're entering the book skeptically: give Tisby a chance and avoid throwing out the whole of the book because you disagree on a strategy or two.)
I appreciated that Tisby emphasized all three areas of his framework, stressing that "Awareness, relationships, and commitment need not exist in perfect balance. The point of the model is not to practice an equal number of actions in each area" or to "proceed in a linear fashion...like following steps to a recipe." "Rather, the goal is to keep all three areas in conversation and tension with one another." (p. 6). This means that novices and veterans along the racial justice journey will all find something useful in this book and will feel pushed to grow both personally and communally.
Tisby is a Christian and frames the book within a Christian context, but he makes it accessible to everyone, and I appreciated his commitment to the aforementioned person and communal growth areas. For example, while the fourth chapter on "How to Study the History of Race" appeals to me as someone who teaches history at a Christian school, Tisby's suggestions went beyond recommendations of books to include practices like removing Confederate statues from places of reverence, conducting institutional histories of churches or organizations, and personal projects involving the history of race.
Overall, this is a well-written book that furthers the conversation about racial justice in important and impactful ways. I hope just as many people read this as read The Color of Compromise and begin to make a difference in their hearts, relationships, and communities.
As should be clear from that introduction, Tisby's goal is to give reader practical advice to answer the "So, what do I do now?" question he frequently gets asked after folks read The Color of Compromise or pay attention to racial unrest in the headlines. In that, he succeeds marvelously. Every chapter is packed with practical advice, and even if one disagrees with a tactic here or there, the number of options alone makes this book a valuable addition to people's racial justice repertoire. (I can't stress that point enough if you're entering the book skeptically: give Tisby a chance and avoid throwing out the whole of the book because you disagree on a strategy or two.)
I appreciated that Tisby emphasized all three areas of his framework, stressing that "Awareness, relationships, and commitment need not exist in perfect balance. The point of the model is not to practice an equal number of actions in each area" or to "proceed in a linear fashion...like following steps to a recipe." "Rather, the goal is to keep all three areas in conversation and tension with one another." (p. 6). This means that novices and veterans along the racial justice journey will all find something useful in this book and will feel pushed to grow both personally and communally.
Tisby is a Christian and frames the book within a Christian context, but he makes it accessible to everyone, and I appreciated his commitment to the aforementioned person and communal growth areas. For example, while the fourth chapter on "How to Study the History of Race" appeals to me as someone who teaches history at a Christian school, Tisby's suggestions went beyond recommendations of books to include practices like removing Confederate statues from places of reverence, conducting institutional histories of churches or organizations, and personal projects involving the history of race.
Overall, this is a well-written book that furthers the conversation about racial justice in important and impactful ways. I hope just as many people read this as read The Color of Compromise and begin to make a difference in their hearts, relationships, and communities.
December 14, 2020
Okay, I've said this before, but when I receive this book, I did not realize a Christian publisher had published it or that it had that religion as a base for exploring racism.
With that being said, you can understand this was not exactly what I expected, however, the mention of religion wasn't out of proportion.
Having read other books on the same topic by different authors I think it didn't bring anything new to the table rather than exploring how racism relates or can relate to christianity.
I would recommend this book specially to white christians, because it explores how their legacy affects people of colour. It's a good book for its intended audience.
Sorry if I was a bit repetitive, but I really don't have anything else to say.
With that being said, you can understand this was not exactly what I expected, however, the mention of religion wasn't out of proportion.
Having read other books on the same topic by different authors I think it didn't bring anything new to the table rather than exploring how racism relates or can relate to christianity.
I would recommend this book specially to white christians, because it explores how their legacy affects people of colour. It's a good book for its intended audience.
Sorry if I was a bit repetitive, but I really don't have anything else to say.
January 1, 2021
For those who, in the wake of 2020’s events, wondered what they can practically do about the racism that is still evident in this world, Jemar Tisby’s book is an incredibly helpful resource. In tandem with The Color of Compromise, How to Fight Racism provides an overview of the ways that racism still pervades so many facets of society, but also provides a hopeful roadmap of concrete actions that anyone can take to combat racism on a personal, institutional, and societal level. I would highly recommend this as a starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about racial justice, no matter their background.
July 27, 2021
Very informative, challenging, well-written, and thought-provoking. Highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about the experiences of any people of color and what individuals can do to fight racism. I also highly recommend it to anyone not currently interested in those things. You just might change your mind.
January 19, 2021
A great read full of practical advice and informative historical perspective, based on good theology. Highly recommend
April 24, 2021
The most practical anti-racism book I've read so far.
January 4, 2021
How to Fight Racism should be required study for the white evangelical church. Jemar Tisby writes with razor-sharp clarity and precision, defining each and every one of his terms in exacting manner. Tisby doesn’t just made it plain that racism is still a driving factor in society—a skill in and of itself when white evangelical society thinks of itself as post-racial—but provides a thorough, practical blueprint for the church to move forward in the fight against racism in our institutions, communities, and lives.
As I read through How to Fight Racism, I tried to look at it from the perspective of someone who holds to this sort of post-racial world: someone who responds to #BlackLivesMatter with #AllLivesMatter, or someone who doesn’t believe in systemic racism. I tried to see what statements I would pick it, what word choices I’d be offended by, or what storylines I’d refute. And, in truth, I couldn’t find any. Tisby’s arguments are self-evident and airtight. You can argue against them, but not effectively. You can disagree with him, but not substantially. By shying away from language that some find inflammatory, by carefully defining his terms, and by being clear, firm, and practical, Tisby forces the reluctant reader to least consider a different perspective.
The cynic in me still wonders what effect How to Fight Racism will have on this audience. History has shown that careful arguments and substantive evidence can all too often be overwhelmed by the systemically racist structures it calls out. However, those people are Tisby’s secondary audience, and we should laud the fact that he even attempts to write in a manner accessible to them. His primary audience are the increasing number of people who—particularly through the events of 2020—have jumped into the arena of racial justice and are ready to fight.
Tisby doesn’t say it outright, but these folks need to be educated. Particularly young white evangelicals who are breaking from their denominations and their elders on this issue (and hi, I’m one of them). We’re young, white, and ready to fight—and that’s not always the best. Tisby leads readers through a calm, yet forceful response to racism, utilizing the ARC framework of awareness, relationships, and commitment.
How to Fight Racism covers each of these points in three-chapter sections. Awareness is step one: becoming aware of racism, exploring one’s own racial identity, and understanding the history of race. This helps the reader orient themselves to racial ideas beginning with the intimate and personal before moving to the systemic and communal. Tisby begins with an explanation of race as it factors into the humankind’s creation in the image of God. Often, the imago Dei is used to downplay the idea of race (and therefore racism) because all humans are created in God’s image. Tisby flips the script, asking if that is the case, why have some humans been treated in ways that would profane that image?
Tisby also talks about race as a social construct. Because race is a social construct, it is one that we—the society—have the power to change. Understanding the history of race, both one’s own personal history and American history, helps readers contextualize the need to fight against racism and one’s own personal place within that fight.
After awareness comes relationships. This is where many young white Christian find themselves. They’ve been made aware of the issues, but they don’t know where to go and they don’t know what to do. To speak from my own experience, my change from being neutral on racial issues to active involvement came through the development of relationships. I grew up in a rural town that was almost universally white. Only after seminary, when I took a position at a primarily Asian church set within a primarily Hispanic and Black community that I begin finding myself challenged to action through the creation of relationship. I was out of the fight before because I wasn’t connected to it. Getting into the fight wasn’t, for me, as much a change of intellectual position as it was simply gaining these connections, becoming educated, and experiencing even by proxy, the life of a person of color.
The final part is commitment. It’s something we’ve seen a lack of again and again. There will be some egregious incident, there are protests and calls for justice, then a week or so later the media narrative has moved onward. It’s social justice by social media, where calls for justice are often superficial and simply moving along with the bandwagon of wokeness. No real change ever—or rarely happens. At least, no real change happens like that. Tisby walks readers through a blueprint for real, substantive lasting change that will only come through real, substantive work.
Point by point, area by area, How to Fight Racism spells out exactly how to work for racial justice and expose and stand up against racist systems. Tisby is thorough, providing clear and practical advice. It’s not easy advice, understand, because it’s about changing systems not just minds. It’s about practical change, not just intellectual assent. It’s about becoming a person for whom justice and reconciliation are integral parts of life. Tisby doesn’t call readers to all of this points. Some individuals are made for some spaces, other individuals for others. But neither does Tisby leave something out simply because it’s hard or because it won’t be relevant to most of his readers. He talks about how to run for political office, how to organize voter drives, how to protest, and the list goes on. Find one or two and pursue that. This section can be the building block for sustained, substantive activism.
Tisby ultimately concludes: Fighting racism is not just about how it changes the world; it’s also about how it changes you. We began with a personal exploration of racial identity and an awareness of racial and racist systems. We moved through awareness to relationship and reconciliation, which happens in one-on-one friendships and through small groups, churches, and communities. We ended with a commitment to take on the system, expanding our reach even more into our governments and institutions. But, in the end, Tisby leads us back to ourselves and how the journey toward racial justice changes us, makes us more Christlike, and calls us to be a part of that Kingdom that is coming and is even now here.
How to Fight Racism has the ability to save the soul of white evangelical Christianity. Jemar Tisby is our Ezekiel or our Amos, warning us of the vapid hollowness of our religious systems if we do not take up this banner of justice and let justice roll like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. With precision, passion, and grace, Tisby calls the church to repentance. We ignore him at our eternal peril.
As I read through How to Fight Racism, I tried to look at it from the perspective of someone who holds to this sort of post-racial world: someone who responds to #BlackLivesMatter with #AllLivesMatter, or someone who doesn’t believe in systemic racism. I tried to see what statements I would pick it, what word choices I’d be offended by, or what storylines I’d refute. And, in truth, I couldn’t find any. Tisby’s arguments are self-evident and airtight. You can argue against them, but not effectively. You can disagree with him, but not substantially. By shying away from language that some find inflammatory, by carefully defining his terms, and by being clear, firm, and practical, Tisby forces the reluctant reader to least consider a different perspective.
The cynic in me still wonders what effect How to Fight Racism will have on this audience. History has shown that careful arguments and substantive evidence can all too often be overwhelmed by the systemically racist structures it calls out. However, those people are Tisby’s secondary audience, and we should laud the fact that he even attempts to write in a manner accessible to them. His primary audience are the increasing number of people who—particularly through the events of 2020—have jumped into the arena of racial justice and are ready to fight.
Tisby doesn’t say it outright, but these folks need to be educated. Particularly young white evangelicals who are breaking from their denominations and their elders on this issue (and hi, I’m one of them). We’re young, white, and ready to fight—and that’s not always the best. Tisby leads readers through a calm, yet forceful response to racism, utilizing the ARC framework of awareness, relationships, and commitment.
How to Fight Racism covers each of these points in three-chapter sections. Awareness is step one: becoming aware of racism, exploring one’s own racial identity, and understanding the history of race. This helps the reader orient themselves to racial ideas beginning with the intimate and personal before moving to the systemic and communal. Tisby begins with an explanation of race as it factors into the humankind’s creation in the image of God. Often, the imago Dei is used to downplay the idea of race (and therefore racism) because all humans are created in God’s image. Tisby flips the script, asking if that is the case, why have some humans been treated in ways that would profane that image?
Tisby also talks about race as a social construct. Because race is a social construct, it is one that we—the society—have the power to change. Understanding the history of race, both one’s own personal history and American history, helps readers contextualize the need to fight against racism and one’s own personal place within that fight.
After awareness comes relationships. This is where many young white Christian find themselves. They’ve been made aware of the issues, but they don’t know where to go and they don’t know what to do. To speak from my own experience, my change from being neutral on racial issues to active involvement came through the development of relationships. I grew up in a rural town that was almost universally white. Only after seminary, when I took a position at a primarily Asian church set within a primarily Hispanic and Black community that I begin finding myself challenged to action through the creation of relationship. I was out of the fight before because I wasn’t connected to it. Getting into the fight wasn’t, for me, as much a change of intellectual position as it was simply gaining these connections, becoming educated, and experiencing even by proxy, the life of a person of color.
The final part is commitment. It’s something we’ve seen a lack of again and again. There will be some egregious incident, there are protests and calls for justice, then a week or so later the media narrative has moved onward. It’s social justice by social media, where calls for justice are often superficial and simply moving along with the bandwagon of wokeness. No real change ever—or rarely happens. At least, no real change happens like that. Tisby walks readers through a blueprint for real, substantive lasting change that will only come through real, substantive work.
Point by point, area by area, How to Fight Racism spells out exactly how to work for racial justice and expose and stand up against racist systems. Tisby is thorough, providing clear and practical advice. It’s not easy advice, understand, because it’s about changing systems not just minds. It’s about practical change, not just intellectual assent. It’s about becoming a person for whom justice and reconciliation are integral parts of life. Tisby doesn’t call readers to all of this points. Some individuals are made for some spaces, other individuals for others. But neither does Tisby leave something out simply because it’s hard or because it won’t be relevant to most of his readers. He talks about how to run for political office, how to organize voter drives, how to protest, and the list goes on. Find one or two and pursue that. This section can be the building block for sustained, substantive activism.
Tisby ultimately concludes: Fighting racism is not just about how it changes the world; it’s also about how it changes you. We began with a personal exploration of racial identity and an awareness of racial and racist systems. We moved through awareness to relationship and reconciliation, which happens in one-on-one friendships and through small groups, churches, and communities. We ended with a commitment to take on the system, expanding our reach even more into our governments and institutions. But, in the end, Tisby leads us back to ourselves and how the journey toward racial justice changes us, makes us more Christlike, and calls us to be a part of that Kingdom that is coming and is even now here.
How to Fight Racism has the ability to save the soul of white evangelical Christianity. Jemar Tisby is our Ezekiel or our Amos, warning us of the vapid hollowness of our religious systems if we do not take up this banner of justice and let justice roll like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. With precision, passion, and grace, Tisby calls the church to repentance. We ignore him at our eternal peril.
September 5, 2024
I think this book is a good starting point for christians who have limited background on racial justice and want to get involved.
January 22, 2021
I'm still figuring out my rating system for nonfiction since I don't read much of it but I think this book deserves 5 stars because of the amount of information it gives and how it is shown, and it delivers what it promises.
This book, in simple terms, sets out to teach How To Fight Racism, in more detailed terms in talks and introduces the A.R.C. of racial justice. It's divided into three parts Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment.
I found Relationships to be underdeveloped in terms of tangible and insightful tools to achieve the goals set out at the beginning of the part. It still had the best components of the books which were factual examples with direct quotes and statistics regarding the formation and current form of the US with respect to relations and segregation.
My personal favorite was the part of Commitment, more specifically chapter 8. I thought some advice from this chapter weren't directly useful to me (I'm not a US citizen) I think they can be easily adapted to my actions toward my government with the appropriate research. Either way, I found the information to be very precise and explained with clarity.
The narration was greatly done, even if I hadn't checked before I think I could've known it was the own author narrating because the passion and the understanding of the subject showed through the tone.
Though I digest information best through audio and the narration was great I think I could benefit from the physical copy. There were so many quotes, from the bible, from historical figures, and from the author I wish I could highlight light and bring it with me everywhere.
Now for the Christianity aspect, I'm not a Christian but I've grown up in a Christian environment, both social and governmental. I don't have the highest appreciation for the religion itself, and that was definitely highlighted in this book. I don't think it would be fair to lower my rating on account of this because I should've assessed myself better before requesting the ALC. However, I think I should mention it for people who have complicated relationships with Christianity or religion as a whole. I was looking forward to the educational aspects on the matter, the quotes and the examples the racism and reparations different churches, I loved listening about how the bible states diversity and I do recommend educating yourself on the things that affect your environment (Christianity ) so everything that was educational was welcomed.
*Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with the ALC of this book.*
This book, in simple terms, sets out to teach How To Fight Racism, in more detailed terms in talks and introduces the A.R.C. of racial justice. It's divided into three parts Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment.
I found Relationships to be underdeveloped in terms of tangible and insightful tools to achieve the goals set out at the beginning of the part. It still had the best components of the books which were factual examples with direct quotes and statistics regarding the formation and current form of the US with respect to relations and segregation.
My personal favorite was the part of Commitment, more specifically chapter 8. I thought some advice from this chapter weren't directly useful to me (I'm not a US citizen) I think they can be easily adapted to my actions toward my government with the appropriate research. Either way, I found the information to be very precise and explained with clarity.
The narration was greatly done, even if I hadn't checked before I think I could've known it was the own author narrating because the passion and the understanding of the subject showed through the tone.
Though I digest information best through audio and the narration was great I think I could benefit from the physical copy. There were so many quotes, from the bible, from historical figures, and from the author I wish I could highlight light and bring it with me everywhere.
Now for the Christianity aspect, I'm not a Christian but I've grown up in a Christian environment, both social and governmental. I don't have the highest appreciation for the religion itself, and that was definitely highlighted in this book. I don't think it would be fair to lower my rating on account of this because I should've assessed myself better before requesting the ALC. However, I think I should mention it for people who have complicated relationships with Christianity or religion as a whole. I was looking forward to the educational aspects on the matter, the quotes and the examples the racism and reparations different churches, I loved listening about how the bible states diversity and I do recommend educating yourself on the things that affect your environment (Christianity ) so everything that was educational was welcomed.
*Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with the ALC of this book.*
February 3, 2022
Jemar Tisby is a guy I have followed for about 6 years now. He is a black Christian who was intimately involved with the Presbyterian denomination but stepped back from it in the past few years. He has founded "The Witness: A Black Christian Collective" and a podcast called "Pass the Mic" with Tyler Burns. Tisby is a man that I appreciate. He made some difficult decisions stepping away from what was familiar to pave a way for black Christians to create their own spaces for creativity, advocacy, and community. In one way, I lament that he left a space with white Christian leaders because we so badly need men like him to move us away from segregated worship and community. I felt hurt when he made that decision because I long to see a diverse, multiethnic expression of God's kingdom here on earth made visible in our churches. However, I also see the honor and boldness in his life decisions. Tisby is living an integrated life through his work as a historian, his advocacy for justice, and his life in the church (From what I can see---we are not close acquaintances---I merely follow him, listen to him, and read his books).
This book was helpful for me to read. One, I walked away with a more clear understanding of Tisby's reasons for stepping away from the white church. He was experiencing racist attacks and did not feel like he was in a safe space emotionally. He wanted other Christians who look up to him to be able to go a different way. He wanted to worship in the black church. No one can fault him for that! Tisby is gracious in this book toward white Christians. He speaks directly and gives clear instructions for fighting against racism. Some things I had heard, but others were new to me. All were helpful to me. I struggle to live an integrated life myself. I have these people I deeply admire like Jemar Tisby, John Perkins, Ida B Wells, Dorothy Day, Will Acuff, etc who live sacrificial lives serving others and enduring suffering. Part of me longs to follow in their footsteps and pour my life out for others. But another part of me wants a life of comfort and ease, safe from pain. God is working on me and I am asking him for an integrated heart that is fully devoted to Him and to caring for those who are forgotten or downtrodden in society. I'll keep following Tisby because I want to be uncomfortable in my two-hearted life. I want to live fully for Christ, loving others with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Only by God can I possibly do that. People like Tisby encourage me to walk further down that path!
This book was helpful for me to read. One, I walked away with a more clear understanding of Tisby's reasons for stepping away from the white church. He was experiencing racist attacks and did not feel like he was in a safe space emotionally. He wanted other Christians who look up to him to be able to go a different way. He wanted to worship in the black church. No one can fault him for that! Tisby is gracious in this book toward white Christians. He speaks directly and gives clear instructions for fighting against racism. Some things I had heard, but others were new to me. All were helpful to me. I struggle to live an integrated life myself. I have these people I deeply admire like Jemar Tisby, John Perkins, Ida B Wells, Dorothy Day, Will Acuff, etc who live sacrificial lives serving others and enduring suffering. Part of me longs to follow in their footsteps and pour my life out for others. But another part of me wants a life of comfort and ease, safe from pain. God is working on me and I am asking him for an integrated heart that is fully devoted to Him and to caring for those who are forgotten or downtrodden in society. I'll keep following Tisby because I want to be uncomfortable in my two-hearted life. I want to live fully for Christ, loving others with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Only by God can I possibly do that. People like Tisby encourage me to walk further down that path!
June 17, 2021
Over the last 4-5 years I've read a few books each year on racial justice in America from various authors. Almost without exception, I've found the process both awkward and enlightening. When it comes to my own lived experiences, I'm almost quintessentially privileged. White, male, straight, oldest child, upper middle class on and on. There's nothing morally wrong with that, but by definition privilege means that you have an unfair advantage over someone else. I'm coming more and more to realize that working to undo injustice is not just a good thing to do, but something I have a duty to do. Both before God as a Christian and a human with a living conscience.
Anyway, what Tisby's book added for me that I had not seen before in other great books was twofold. First, he discussed racial justice in America through a clear Christian lens. I think that's an important piece! A majority of Americans are Christians, and even if we no longer believe the arguments, we do know that Christianity has been used from the founding of America until now to defend slavery, segregation and racism. While it wasn't a main focus, Tisby was able to break down some of those arguments and build a positive vision of Christianity. From the beginning Jesus was on the side of the oppressed.
The second piece that really set this book apart is hinted at in the title. He laid out concrete steps to undermine personal and systemic racism. I was impressed by the variety and scope of these challenges. From the deeply personal challenge of writing out your racial biography to a call to learn about and reevaluate your church and business. From soliciting stories from friends with diverse backgrounds to practical steps for getting involved in local and national politics. You won't put down this book and be left wondering "what now?" I'm personally challenged, I think reading this book and walking away with no concrete change would be a personal failing on my part.
I will say that this book is targeted primarily toward Christians who already believe that systemic racism is alive and well. If you aren't convinced that there is a problem, or convicted that you should be a part of the solution, I would have other recommendations for places to begin your learning process.
Anyway, what Tisby's book added for me that I had not seen before in other great books was twofold. First, he discussed racial justice in America through a clear Christian lens. I think that's an important piece! A majority of Americans are Christians, and even if we no longer believe the arguments, we do know that Christianity has been used from the founding of America until now to defend slavery, segregation and racism. While it wasn't a main focus, Tisby was able to break down some of those arguments and build a positive vision of Christianity. From the beginning Jesus was on the side of the oppressed.
The second piece that really set this book apart is hinted at in the title. He laid out concrete steps to undermine personal and systemic racism. I was impressed by the variety and scope of these challenges. From the deeply personal challenge of writing out your racial biography to a call to learn about and reevaluate your church and business. From soliciting stories from friends with diverse backgrounds to practical steps for getting involved in local and national politics. You won't put down this book and be left wondering "what now?" I'm personally challenged, I think reading this book and walking away with no concrete change would be a personal failing on my part.
I will say that this book is targeted primarily toward Christians who already believe that systemic racism is alive and well. If you aren't convinced that there is a problem, or convicted that you should be a part of the solution, I would have other recommendations for places to begin your learning process.
January 2, 2021
This was the first Jemar Tisby book that I’ve read.
I felt that there was a conversational tone, which I appreciated. Racism can be a topic where an individual can get offended when they disagree and the tone of the book made it easier to read on whether I agreed with what I was reading or not. There was a genuine feel in the writing that made me comfortable with being uncomfortable as I continued through the content. Whenever I began to question the text, I did not feel judged. Instead it felt like Jemar was saying, “I am right here with you. Let’s figure out what to do together.”
In the opening, I appreciated the distinction between the use of the term equity rather than equality to account for the identities (race, ethnicity, ability, nationality, gender, etc.) and circumstances that may otherwise hinder the success of one participant over another.
Knowing that the book was broken into 3 sections/parts structured around the Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment (ARC) model allowed me not to get overwhelmed. There was a good mix of examples and history to establish the context. Then there were practical examples of potential action steps to address racism. Even if I didn’t feel like I would make the action step listed, the suggestions shared encouraged an internal dialogue for me that led to other ideas of ways to be active.
An unexpected benefit of reading the book was the number of references. Many of the references tied to current events that I could relate to and read more about. I was also introduced to further resources to review in my continued journey to fight racism. That is saying a lot, as I don’t usually make it a habit of reading through the references shared only to begin reading them for fun.
My only criticism is that if you are reading the book alone you could miss out on the benefits of dialogue over the suggestions in the text.
This was a good read that I would suggest to others.
I felt that there was a conversational tone, which I appreciated. Racism can be a topic where an individual can get offended when they disagree and the tone of the book made it easier to read on whether I agreed with what I was reading or not. There was a genuine feel in the writing that made me comfortable with being uncomfortable as I continued through the content. Whenever I began to question the text, I did not feel judged. Instead it felt like Jemar was saying, “I am right here with you. Let’s figure out what to do together.”
In the opening, I appreciated the distinction between the use of the term equity rather than equality to account for the identities (race, ethnicity, ability, nationality, gender, etc.) and circumstances that may otherwise hinder the success of one participant over another.
Knowing that the book was broken into 3 sections/parts structured around the Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment (ARC) model allowed me not to get overwhelmed. There was a good mix of examples and history to establish the context. Then there were practical examples of potential action steps to address racism. Even if I didn’t feel like I would make the action step listed, the suggestions shared encouraged an internal dialogue for me that led to other ideas of ways to be active.
An unexpected benefit of reading the book was the number of references. Many of the references tied to current events that I could relate to and read more about. I was also introduced to further resources to review in my continued journey to fight racism. That is saying a lot, as I don’t usually make it a habit of reading through the references shared only to begin reading them for fun.
My only criticism is that if you are reading the book alone you could miss out on the benefits of dialogue over the suggestions in the text.
This was a good read that I would suggest to others.
January 6, 2021
In this follow up to his 2019 "The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism," Jemar Tisby lays out a path for moving from learning about the history of racism to fighting against it.
In three parts, Tisby moves the reader from explaining how you can raise your (A) awareness about racism in your community, to building (R) relationships through reconciliation in your community, and finally to working out what it means to be (C) committed to fighting racism.
This book is a helpful, and much needed, follow up to his 2019 historical analysis. By framing his argument around The ARC of Racial Justice, he helps the reader see how they need to continually be working in each of the three areas (rather than just assuming they are an expert in one and that is good enough). By combining historical examples with real world challenges, Tisby encourages individuals AND communities of Christians to begin doing the work of fighting racial justice together. Tisby understands the limitations, but does not hesitate to push against them in a way that is necessary to break the logjam that so often inhibits the hard work of racial justice. By laying out concrete actions that both individuals and communities can take, Tisby moves beyond the theoretical and gives the reader things the begin working on from the first chapter.
This book is highly accessible and I would recommend that it be used both for individual action, but also for church leaders, small groups, and other organizations that want to fight for racial justice to work through together and begin asking the hard questions about what they should begin doing today to start down the road of racial justice and continue moving down that road.
The audiobook was well done, read by the author, and a worthy companion to the printed book. Pick up both.
(Note: I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review)
In three parts, Tisby moves the reader from explaining how you can raise your (A) awareness about racism in your community, to building (R) relationships through reconciliation in your community, and finally to working out what it means to be (C) committed to fighting racism.
This book is a helpful, and much needed, follow up to his 2019 historical analysis. By framing his argument around The ARC of Racial Justice, he helps the reader see how they need to continually be working in each of the three areas (rather than just assuming they are an expert in one and that is good enough). By combining historical examples with real world challenges, Tisby encourages individuals AND communities of Christians to begin doing the work of fighting racial justice together. Tisby understands the limitations, but does not hesitate to push against them in a way that is necessary to break the logjam that so often inhibits the hard work of racial justice. By laying out concrete actions that both individuals and communities can take, Tisby moves beyond the theoretical and gives the reader things the begin working on from the first chapter.
This book is highly accessible and I would recommend that it be used both for individual action, but also for church leaders, small groups, and other organizations that want to fight for racial justice to work through together and begin asking the hard questions about what they should begin doing today to start down the road of racial justice and continue moving down that road.
The audiobook was well done, read by the author, and a worthy companion to the printed book. Pick up both.
(Note: I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review)
January 9, 2021
Maybe you’ve read lots of books about racism and its pervasive grip on society. Perhaps you experience it daily and need no convincing about its presence and power. But the question still remains for you — “what can I do? What practical steps can I take to uproot and eliminate it — from my life, my community, and from our world?”
New York Times Bestselling author Jemar Tisby sets out to answer those questions in this book. As a historian, Tisby provided a deep and unflinching look at the American church’s complicity in racism in his first book The Color of Compromise. In How to Fight Racism, he switches gears and moves into the role of seasoned practitioner. A capable and unwavering guide, Tisby lays out a forthright and attainable path for putting convictions about racial justice into everyday practice.
The book is laid out in three sections, following Tisby’s model of the ARC of Racial Justice (1. Awareness, 2. Relationships, and 3. Commitment). Each of these three sections have their own three “how-to’s.” From the intimate and personal to the societal and systemic, the how-to’s cover lots of ground and give readers a plurality of options for putting what they learn into practice.
My favorite things about this book were its clarity, its brevity, and its accessibility. As a trainer and consultant on issues of culture, race, equity, and intercultural competence, I will be using this resource regularly.
If you are skeptical that racism is a deep and enduring problem, this book is not for you. You’ll want to start elsewhere, possibly with The Color of Compromise. But if you are convinced — if you do know that racism needs to be addressed comprehensively and urgently — and you are ready to do your part in that work, this book is for you.
New York Times Bestselling author Jemar Tisby sets out to answer those questions in this book. As a historian, Tisby provided a deep and unflinching look at the American church’s complicity in racism in his first book The Color of Compromise. In How to Fight Racism, he switches gears and moves into the role of seasoned practitioner. A capable and unwavering guide, Tisby lays out a forthright and attainable path for putting convictions about racial justice into everyday practice.
The book is laid out in three sections, following Tisby’s model of the ARC of Racial Justice (1. Awareness, 2. Relationships, and 3. Commitment). Each of these three sections have their own three “how-to’s.” From the intimate and personal to the societal and systemic, the how-to’s cover lots of ground and give readers a plurality of options for putting what they learn into practice.
My favorite things about this book were its clarity, its brevity, and its accessibility. As a trainer and consultant on issues of culture, race, equity, and intercultural competence, I will be using this resource regularly.
If you are skeptical that racism is a deep and enduring problem, this book is not for you. You’ll want to start elsewhere, possibly with The Color of Compromise. But if you are convinced — if you do know that racism needs to be addressed comprehensively and urgently — and you are ready to do your part in that work, this book is for you.
December 30, 2020
“The value of fighting racism cannot be gauged simply by looking at the number of laws passed or individuals elected. It cannot be measured in funds raised or in how many members an organization has. These data points matter, but they are not all that matter. Fighting racism is not just about how it changes the world; it’s also about how it changes you.”
After reading Tisby’s The Color of Compromise this summer, I was eager to join the launch team for How to Fight Racism. This book fills a needed space in the literature on racial justice by exploring the distinctive qualities of fighting racism as a Christian. How to Fight Racism is filled with practical strategies and ideas for further action, but all of its concreteness is rooted in Christian teaching, in the idea of the image of God in every person.
Tisby presents the framework of the “ARC” of racial justice, consisting of awareness, relationship, and commitment. We may naturally gravitate toward one of the three (I certainly gravitate toward “awareness”--give me all the books/podcasts/etc.!), but without all three, our racial justice work is incomplete. I found this structure to be immensely helpful in thinking through my own anti-racism work, and it’s a model I’ll return to again and again in the years to come.
I’m so excited this book is entering the world, and I’m so grateful to Tisby for his careful work in crafting it.
(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for this review.)
After reading Tisby’s The Color of Compromise this summer, I was eager to join the launch team for How to Fight Racism. This book fills a needed space in the literature on racial justice by exploring the distinctive qualities of fighting racism as a Christian. How to Fight Racism is filled with practical strategies and ideas for further action, but all of its concreteness is rooted in Christian teaching, in the idea of the image of God in every person.
Tisby presents the framework of the “ARC” of racial justice, consisting of awareness, relationship, and commitment. We may naturally gravitate toward one of the three (I certainly gravitate toward “awareness”--give me all the books/podcasts/etc.!), but without all three, our racial justice work is incomplete. I found this structure to be immensely helpful in thinking through my own anti-racism work, and it’s a model I’ll return to again and again in the years to come.
I’m so excited this book is entering the world, and I’m so grateful to Tisby for his careful work in crafting it.
(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for this review.)
January 3, 2021
I received an advanced copy of this book in order to review it. I read The Color of Compromise this summer (2020) and have listened to Jemar Tisby's podcasts through the Witness since then as well. I appreciate Jemar's work so much, have learned a ton, and I highly recommend all of it. I am white, and I think white Christians specifically should read this book, and especially if you are someone who has asked, "But what should we DO about racism?" Figuring out the answer to that question should NOT be the burden of Black people and other people of color, yet Jemar has nevertheless given the world the gift of this book with several possible answers to that question.
A few strengths of How to Fight Racism that I personally most appreciated are:
1. The ARC framework. (Awareness, Relationships, Commitment). Categorizing different types of actions to fight racism is helpful because it allows me to recognize the things I am doing and encourages me that there is always more that I can do - in all 3 categories.
2. Chapter 10 about orienting your life to racial justice. While much of the book could feel almost like a checklist of tasks one can "complete," chapter 10 makes it explicit that one needs to have a mindset, ongoing commitment, and heart change/growth in order to really sustain this work.
3. References throughout the book to doing the right thing (i.e. fighting racism) even though it is costly and often unpopular. At the end of the day, we should all fight racism because it is the right thing to do.
A few strengths of How to Fight Racism that I personally most appreciated are:
1. The ARC framework. (Awareness, Relationships, Commitment). Categorizing different types of actions to fight racism is helpful because it allows me to recognize the things I am doing and encourages me that there is always more that I can do - in all 3 categories.
2. Chapter 10 about orienting your life to racial justice. While much of the book could feel almost like a checklist of tasks one can "complete," chapter 10 makes it explicit that one needs to have a mindset, ongoing commitment, and heart change/growth in order to really sustain this work.
3. References throughout the book to doing the right thing (i.e. fighting racism) even though it is costly and often unpopular. At the end of the day, we should all fight racism because it is the right thing to do.
November 26, 2020
This was a well-researched book that provides actionable steps for folks who are looking for ways to fight racism in the various places of their lives.
Touted as a handbook, rooted in Christian values, Tisby provides a framework - the A.R.C. of Justice - as a playbook for readers to use to evaluate their own relationship with racist ideals, policies, and thoughts. I loved the historical examples shared throughout the book to provide insight that when systems, policies, and personal racist ideologies combine we are unable to actively fight racism.
Tisby explores how racism impacts schools, the criminal justice system, voting, churches, employment and uses current and historical examples of policies and systems in place that have contributed to our racist society. I really loved how Tisby shines a light on performative acts that institutions often partake in passively address issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity within their walls.
I think my one issue with the book evolves around the theme of love. Admittingly, it is the one ideology I often struggle with when moving through anti-racist spaces. Overall, this was a quick and easy read that was filled with actionable ways to continuously confront racism in our day to day lives.
Touted as a handbook, rooted in Christian values, Tisby provides a framework - the A.R.C. of Justice - as a playbook for readers to use to evaluate their own relationship with racist ideals, policies, and thoughts. I loved the historical examples shared throughout the book to provide insight that when systems, policies, and personal racist ideologies combine we are unable to actively fight racism.
Tisby explores how racism impacts schools, the criminal justice system, voting, churches, employment and uses current and historical examples of policies and systems in place that have contributed to our racist society. I really loved how Tisby shines a light on performative acts that institutions often partake in passively address issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity within their walls.
I think my one issue with the book evolves around the theme of love. Admittingly, it is the one ideology I often struggle with when moving through anti-racist spaces. Overall, this was a quick and easy read that was filled with actionable ways to continuously confront racism in our day to day lives.
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