The Rise and Fall of “Woke” with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

What’s it like to be at the forefront of a cultural backlash? Academic and author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi certainly knows. His books, “How to Be an Antiracist,” and its follow-up, a youth-friendly version called, “How to Be a (Young) Antiracist,” teach readers how to actively fight racism instead of passively acknowledging it. Audie talks with Dr. Kendi about the backlash around “wokeness,” antiracism, and what it’s like to live in the middle of cultural maelstrom. They spoke in front of a live audience at the Crosscut Ideas Festival in Seattle ( ).

Ibram X. Kendi is a historian and antiracist scholar. He is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research ( ). He is the author of 14 books, including, "Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America ( )." His forthcoming book is, "Stamped From The Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America. ( )"

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy ( )

31 comments

  1. So you stepped in something. It could’ve happened to anyone lacking common sense. Transcriptase I said and they looked at me like I was the one who didn’t know what RNA was. That’s all going to change now

  2. Being a highly emotional nit picker is not being woke, or wide awake to what is really going on in the real world 😂

  3. Question Dr. Kendi: how have your anti-law enforcement writings impacted black communities?

  4. Imagine trying to blame other people for everything you do, or dont do , then claiming to be an equal. Nothing less equal than that.

  5. Say what you will about this guy’s ideas, but it seems pretty obvious that he is overly intellectualizing and this stuff and the fact that he is such a notable figure on the left is not good for the left. I understand he did not ask for that role but It’s bad politics that in the long run will heard that movement.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.