Ultimately, we should be striving to be anti-racist, which is to say we should be actively

seeking to confront the structure of racism while recognizing that if we do nothing in the face

of the status quo of racial inequity, then that racial inequity and injustice will persist.

Coming up on more to the story, Dr. Ebram X. Kendi, author of the popular book, How to Be an

anti-racist. His upcoming book, Chain of Ideas, The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age, comes out next

month. Dr. Kendi joins me to talk about the persistence of racial inequality, why his work became so controversial, and the importance of sharing the story of Malcolm X with young readers.

Don't go anywhere. This is more to the story.

I'm out Letson.

It was just a few years ago when Dr. Ibram X. Kendi seemed to be everywhere.

At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Kendi became a sought-after

voice on racism, and particularly anti-racism. But as a backlash grew over DEI initiatives and

critical race theory, the movement itself came under attack, and so did Kendi. In particular,

he was accused of financially mismanaging an anti-racism center he founded at Boston University,

which raised $55 million, but closed its doors last year. He was cleared by the University of any wrongdoing.

Now, Kendi is heading up another academic project, this time at Howard University.

And he's responding to some criticism he faced head on.

So we're revisiting this conversation with Dr. Kendi.

Dr. Kendi, how are you doing?

I'm well. How are you?

I'm good. I'm good. I'm really excited to talk to you.

Thank you for having me. So I was first introduced to your work when I read your 2019 book, How to Be an Anti-Racist. Now, I had never heard that term anti-racist before. It was a new way of looking at how to address racism. For those who haven't had a chance to read it, what does it mean to be an anti-racist?

Well, the book and what I try to show through my research is that the true opposite of racist

...