Earlier today — just as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Donald Trump’s latest assault on the 14th Amendment and the concept of American citizenship — we spoke with historian and author Ibram X. Kendi, the Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair in History and the inaugural director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study about his brand-new book, Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age. We talked to Kendi about “great replacement theory” (the notion that a shadowy global elite is recruiting one group — people of color — to replace another — white citizens — to reshape the West), how far-right movements around the world are using a shared playbook to steal livelihoods and destroy democratic values. But, Dr. Kendi tells us, solidarity, knowledge, and antiracism are the tools we need to push back.
Just click on the video player above to watch the conversation now.
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How to participate in the Book Club
Each week, we’ll post questions — our discussion guide — on Sunday, and on alternate Wednesdays we’ll meet for a discussion with the Club or a visit from an author or other special guest (occasionally we’ll schedule special events on alternate days or times, but we will let you know). Look out for posts with further details.
In between meetings, we invite you to chat or comment on our posts with your insights and questions. The Book Club will meet again with Ibram Kendi on Wednesday, April 22, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
To participate in our meetings and author talks on Substack Live, join from your phone or tablet with the Substack app. You can also watch from your computer at The Ink, and comment and ask questions in our chat, but you won’t be able to join the live video discussion. Make sure you enable notifications, and when our meetings begin, you should receive an email alert; if you can’t find the message, just check the notifications tab (the small bell-shaped icon to the upper right of the website or lower right of the app at the time of the event to find a link.
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