8. Stamped, by Jason Reynolds

Reynolds, J. (2020). Stamped. NY: Little, Brown and Company

 Stamped is an overview of racism in the United States throughout the nation's 500+ years of existence. The book is organized chronologically into five main sections. Although each section provides an overview of historical events, the sections also center around the narratives of five "main characters." These individuals include Puritan minister Cotton Mather, President Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist  William Lloyd Garrison, scholar W.E.B. DuBois, and anti-prison activist Angela Davis.

Section I focuses on events that took place between 1415-1728. First to be introduced is Gomes Eanes de Zurara, a Portuguese chronicler of the Age of Discovery. Zurara is given the title of the "world's first racist" because he used storytelling to heroically depict the enslavement of Moroccans at the hands of the Portuguese monarchy. According to Zurara, the Portuguese felt that it was their noble duty to civilize and Christianize the "African savages.  Later in the 17th century, Cotton Mather took up Zurara's writing to justify slavery in the Americas.  Mather was an important Puritan minister in the English colonies in America.

Section II discusses the events that took place between 1743-1826, also known as the Enlightenment Era. The Enlightenment has long been regarded as a sort of intellectual renaissance when the modern era dominated by scientific advance and the spread of democratic government. The Enlightenment era also ended in the establishment of the United States of America in 1776. However, Reynolds and Kendi use this section to address the racism and hypocrisy that is deeply embedded in Enlightenment philosophies, and thus in the founding of the nation.  They argue that leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson, were hypocrites.  They said he valued individualism and freedom but still prevented Black people from having these rights.  They argue how Black people have been "stamped" into the founding documents of the United States as second-class citizens.

Section III spans from 1826-1879. During this time, William Lloyd Garrison emerged as a prominent abolitionist thinker who gained  fame for his newspaper, The Liberator. Garrison founded the American Anti-Slavery Society and published antislavery pamphlets that were widely distributed across the United States. Although Garrison wanted abolition, he was fearful of integrating former slaves into White society. However, Garrison later recognized the flaws in his thinking and adjusted his perspectives.  According to the book, he was one of the first public-facing, white antiracists. Garrison used his influence and his white privilege to openly discuss the horrors of slavery and advocate for abolition.  He was able to influence people that would not listen to the arguments of Black abolitionists.

 Section IV describes events that occurred between 1868-1963. W.E.B. Du Bois is introduced as the king of “uplift suasion” because he encouraged Black people to integrate into American society by competing with white people. Reynolds and Kendi expose the complex and racist thinking of Du Bois.  He blamed Black people for being mistreated.  Over time he did change his thinking from assimilationists to antiracists.

Section V traces events from 1963 through the present era. The section focuses on the work of activist Angela Davis. In many history books, contributions of Black women and their organizing work are either minimized or left out. Black woman leaders such as Davis disrupted the social understandings of both race and gender. Throughout her career, Davis struggled to find her place within activist organizations that were either "too white," "too capitalist," or "too male-dominated.  Through her involvement with the Black Power movement, the feminist movement, and the prison abolition movement, Davis is a prominent leader who argues that we must work together to liberate all people. By concluding the book with the work of Angela Davis, Reynolds and Kendi explain that a person cannot be antiracist without at the same time fighting to eradicate capitalism, sexism, heterosexism, and transphobia.

I have mixed opinions about this book, which is what the authors intended I’m sure.  On one hand, I don’t agree with some of their viewpoints. I am not a fan of Barrack and Michelle Obama.  Their or other Black political figures I would have much rather had to be our first Black president. But on the other, a lot of what they said in the book makes sense.  I taught social studies for 14 years specifically 5^th grade.  I taught some of the sensitive themes that the book talks about.  Everyone always thought Abraham Lincoln was the savior of the slaves because of the Emancipation Proclamation.  He did not have their best interest in mind, it was just “good for business”.

This book is for high school aged students, maybe a higher level eight-grader who was into American History.  The vocabulary and themes are too abstract for younger students. I had to re-read a few parts to fully understand what they wanted to say.  I would use this book as supplemental reading for a GT American History class or a college level freshman American History class.  I am including a teacher’s guide to the book created by Sonja Cherry-Paul.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/WebVault/SLJ/EDIT20/projects/STAMPED-edu-guide.pdf