Blog #1

 Reading This Book Is Anti-Racist made me stop, think, and look at myself in a deeper way. Some of the ideas in the book felt familiar — like discussions about privilege, race, and systemic injustice but Tiffany Jewell presents them in such a personal, honest, and engaging way that they hit differently. Her voice feels like a conversation with a friend who’s challenging you to be more aware and more active.

One part that really stood out to me was the lesson on “Noticing who has the power.” It made me think about the spaces I move through every day school, social media, even friend groups and how power dynamics show up in all of them. The book doesn’t just talk about racism; it shows how anti-racism starts with understanding yourself and your identity. I finished the book feeling both motivated and a little uncomfortable in a good way. It pushed me to ask, “Am I really doing the work to be anti-racist, or am I just being ‘not racist’?”

Real Connection to the real world:

To connect Jewell’s ideas to what’s happening in the real world, I found an article from the Times Union titled “‘This Book Is Anti-Racist’ author Tiffany Jewell coming to Albany”. In it, Jewell shares a personal story from her own school experience about facing racism from a teacher and how that moment led her to a lifelong commitment to anti-racism education. She talks about the difference between being non-racist and being anti-racist, saying that being “non-racist” just means you think of yourself as a good person, while being “anti-racist” means you actively work to challenge racism wherever it appears.

This connects directly back to the message of her book: anti-racism is something we practice daily, not just something we believe in. In classrooms, workplaces, and communities, we all have the power to create change but only if we’re willing to step up, learn, and act.