Ibram X. Kendi reminds us: "It's a pretty massive step from awareness to antiracist action. We haven't, as a society, taken that step." Kendi goes on to say, "It's not enough for people to say or believe that they're not racist, they must be loud and radical about it, and actively involved in building a more equitable society. To allow anything to persist is to be complicit in its persistence."

Speaking of Abolitionism as the model for imagining an antiracist future, he adds, "Abolitionists were loud, radical, and persistent. ...Abolitionists believed it was up to them to dismantle slavery, because if they didn't, no one else would. That's a mindset that needs to take hold today."

Reflection question: What steps will you take this week, with your finances, your actions, or your voice, to challenge racist actions and policies?

—Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research and cofounder of The Emancipator, a partnership between The Boston Globe and the Center, made these comments at the Boston Globe Summit, Sept. 24, 2021.