Everyday Acts Against Racism: Raising Children in a Multiracial World - Softcover

Edited by the author of Crossing the Color Line (Rutgers Univ. Pr., 1996), this anthology aims to be a resource for parents who wish to teach their children to be antiracist by providing "descriptions of actions mothers, especially feminist mothers, had taken against racism." The contributors, 20 women and one male feminist ranging in age from the twenties to the sixties, represent several racial and cultural backgrounds and include 14 academics. This breadth provides insight into many aspects of racism, e.g., issues unique to mixed-race families. The writing is consistently good, though mostly anecdotal, with some references to studies or other literature. Major premises are that passive antiracism perpetuates racism and that racism must be addressed directly and as it occurs. One of only a few books addressing the issue of raising children to be antiracist, this anthology is unique in its feminist treatment of the topic. This thought-provoking coverage of a timely topic with some unusual and unconventional responses is well recommended for public libraries.
Carol R. Nelson, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, Ind.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Everyday Acts Against Racism is a book of essays by mothers and teachers examining the effects of racism on our children and communities, and offering practical strategies for ending racial divisions. Contributors speak from a wide variety of cultural perspectives, providing provocative commentaries on their own experiences fighting intolerance. Readers will meet a Latina mother helping her biracial son learn to celebrate his ethnic heritage, a white mother of a black daughter taking on discrimination at her daughter's high school, a Japanese-American mother reflecting on her dual heritage as she prepares to raise her newborn biracial child, and a black college professor helping his students take their perspectives on race relations beyond the classroom. Everyday Acts Against Racism is highly recommended for school, public, and community center libraries. It is also an ideal addition to multicultural studies curriculums and reading lists. -- Midwest Book Review