Anti-Racism: The Solution or Part of the Problem

In the wake of the George Floyd murder, the call for racial justice and equality has become amplified and increasingly widespread across the nation. One solution has been the “anti-racist” philosophy, popularized by writers like Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo. But a new “anti-woke” Black intelligentsia has been pushing back against what they say is a racial essentialism baked into the anti-racist theory.

Join American Public Square at Jewell and The Forward we explore the ideas between thinkers on both sides of what is one of the most crucial questions facing our nation.

Panelists

Kmele Foster is a co-founder at Freethink and serves as a lead Producer. His projects have included shows about the intersection of culture and revolution (“Pop Revolution”), fractious political debates (“Crossing the Divide”), and world-changing innovation (“Challengers,” “ Super Human”). Kmele is a regular contributor to various national outlets and co-hosts a syndicated media commentary podcast, The Fifth Column. In addition to his work in media and commentary, Kmele has previously helmed ventures in the technology, telecommunications, and consumer goods industries.

Issac Bailey, a 2014 Nieman Fellow, is a journalist, race relations seminar creator and facilitator, and the author of “Why Didn’t We Riot? A Black Man in Trumpland” (Other Press, October 2020). He is also the author of “My Brother Moochie: Regaining Dignity in the Face of Crime, Poverty, and Racism in the American South” (Other Press, 2018). He has contributed to Politico, CNN.com, Time, and The Washington Post. He is a former columnist and senior writer for The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and he was a 2011 recipient of a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for stories about a child protection case. The state subsequently revamped the way it handles such cases.

John McWhorter is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, where he teaches linguistics, American studies, and music history. He hosts Slate’s language podcast, “Lexicon Valley,” and is a contributing editor at The Atlantic. McWhorter is the author of over 20 books, including ones on language such as The Power of Babel, The Language Hoax, and the upcoming Nine Nasty Words, as well as ones on race such as Losing the Race. He has also created five audiovisual courses on language in the Great Courses series. McWhorter is a former contributing editor at The New Republic and has written for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

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