Speaker Profile

Ibram X. Kendi

Founding director, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research

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IN-PERSON APPEARANCE

(NO VIRTUAL STREAM)

Ibram X. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor.  

Dr. Kendi is the author of many highly acclaimed books, including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction, making him the youngest author to win that award. He had also produced five #1 New York Times bestsellers, including How to Be an Antiracist; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored with Jason Reynolds; and Antiracist Baby, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. In 2020, Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant. His latest two books are the instant New York Times bestsellers, How to Raise an Antiracist and the picture book Goodnight Racism. His latest book, co-authored with Nic Stone, is How to Be a (Young) Antiracist. 

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Scheduled Appearances

Keynote

"Woke" and the Debate About Race

Crosscut Festival 2023
Sat May 6, 2023 | 8:00pm

Ibram X. Kendi rose to fame when his books became a source for Americans trying to make sense of the murder of George Floyd. Then came a backlash: His books were banned by school libraries and he was accused of corrupting children and casting everyone as a racist. “The momentum was just crushed by a pretty well-organized force and movement of people who are seeking to conserve racism,” he says.

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Featuring: Ibram X. Kendi, Audie Cornish

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About the Festival

The Crosscut Ideas Festival is a celebration of big ideas and a gathering for bold thinkers. Newsmakers, changemakers and innovators come together to take a fresh look at the biggest issues of our time. Over one week, the Crosscut Ideas Festival hosts fireside conversations and panels, meetups, art installations, workshops, and interactive experiences.

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Celebrate the best of PNW community and culture while supporting public media. Enjoy a night of entertainment with a culinary tour of the region curated by premier chefs and restaurateurs, Hear from The Daily host Michael Barbaro, and bid on a unique items in a PBS and Northwest-themed auction.

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