Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

Reading this book provoked so many emotions and has brought me incredible insight on the history of America. Finishing this has pushed me to be proactive in learning more about cultural diversity, politics, and educating myself out of ignorance. I was intimidated when I first started this book. I knew I wanted to not just read it, but consume it. I learned more in this book about American History and politics than I ever did in grade school.

This book is easy to devour mentally. It is set up in five parts: Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Dubois, and Angela Davis.  Each part creates a foundation with the specific person in conversation, but it’s not isolated information. This book chronologically goes through from the 1500’s all the way to 2008. It navigates through slavery, political power, racism, and the impact that ideology has on society. 

I recommend everyone to read this book. If you have children in high school, read it with them. Start the discussion of cultural understanding and weed out the bullshit that the media and politicians have been feeding you for years.

I am challenged with a lot of things and one question I find myself asking is, what does it mean to be a patriot? What does patriotism look like to me? Knowing what this country was founded on and where it began isn’t something to be proud of. Of course there are moments that are reasons to celebrate, but I am not one to pretend I don’t smell shit when someone crapped their pants. 

I have the ability to educate myself because I am not going to be taught this. I am motivated to be more proactive in reading more about the rise and fall of presidents in the United States, about the lives of people with different cultural backgrounds, and learning what I can do to not become a societal lemming for the racist agenda.