CBS This Morning on Thursday explained how one can raise an “anti-racist baby.” Who better an expert on the topic than Ibram X. Kendi? He's the CBS News analyst who has previously refused to condemn the anti-Semitism of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who previously referred to Israel as “evil.”
On Thursday, co-host Gayle King introduced, “As more Americans become aware of the painful realities of racism, a new book aims to help the next generation understand it.... He wrote a new book. It’s called Anti-Racist Baby.”
Journalist Jericka Duncan cheered, “It really comes down to introducing children to anti-racist ideas in a fun and exciting way.” She lectured, “Even though this is a children's book it's something we could all learn some lessons from.”
Kendi described the idea for the book this way: “It came from desire to produce a book that I could read to her that can sort of serve as a springboard for us to have conversations about race and racism and about how to be anti-racist. The earlier we teach them how to be anti-racist, the better.”
On July 16, 2019, Kendi appeared on CBS This Morning and dismissed criticism of Omar, a woman who has repeatedly come under fire for anti-Semitism:
[Omar] was very specific in criticizing the policies of a country. In this case, the country was Israel.... When we criticize a country's policies, that is not — when you criticize Israeli policies, that's not anti-Semitic. But when you say there's something wrong with Jews, that is. I haven't heard her say that.
In addition to calling the only Jewish state “evil,” in 2019, Omar recycled conspiratorial nonsense about disloyal Jews: “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
But, of course, Duncan and Kendi never mentioned that in their discussion of how to raise an“anti-racist baby.” Instead the book features illustrations like “climate justice is racial justice.”
A partial transcript is below:
CBS This Morning
6/18/2020
8:37 AM ETGAYLE KING: As more Americans become aware of the painful realities of racism, a new book aims to help the next generation understand it. Author and CBS News contributor, that's Ibram X. Kendi, has a 4-year-old little girl and says it is never too soon to start having these conversations. Hear, hear. That's why he wrote a new book. It’s called Anti-Racist Baby. Our national correspondent Jericka Duncan has read the book. Jericka, I know you have a young daughter, too. I'm excited to hear about there book. What's it all about?
JERICKA DUNCAN: You know, it really comes down to introducing children to anti-racist ideas in a fun and exciting way. And as you know, adults grapple with that idea. Anti-racist, what does that mean? Well, perhaps even though this is a children's book it's something we could all learn some lessons from.
...
DUNCAN: For the last seven years, ibram X. Kendi has been schooling a nation on how to be an anti-racist. The title of his book published in 2019. Recently he's taking on a new audience: children. Through a new book called Anti-Racist Baby. Where does that idea come from? Obviously you have a 4-year-old daughter.
KENDI: I mean it came from desire to produce a book that I could read to her that can sort of serve as a springboard for us to have conversations about race and racism and about how to be anti-racist. The earlier we teach them how to be anti-racist, the better. We have studies that show that babies or even toddlers at two years tend to discern people's behaviors based on their race. We also know that two to three-year-olds tend to choose their playmates based on their race.
