Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism

In this vital and accessible survey, a prominent activist for racial justice answers questions from real children, giving them the tools and the confidence to shape a more just society.

Using questions canvassed from children around the United Kingdom as her framework, writer, activist, engineer, and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied provides a clear overview of racism’s history, what it looks like today, and how to recognize, resist, and disrupt racist conversations and attitudes that can appear anywhere. This book is a practical guide for taking actionable steps, but it acknowledges that talking about racism invites complex feelings and offers tips and tactics for expressing those emotions safely, stepping back when needed, and prioritizing self-care. The book’s warm and assured tone, friendly illustrations, and supplementary charts, sidebars, infographics, and glossary offer an authentic way to open a dialogue with middle-grade readers, providing an eloquent call to nurture compassion and change, challenge inequality, and strive toward racial justice for all.Clear and unflinching yet accessible to a young audience, speaking to them gently when the content gets sensitive, emphasizing the need to remain safe when intervening, and providing them with a number of constructive tools to apply to their own lives. . . . A straightforward yet encouraging discussion on the fight against racism with a uniquely global perspective.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Throughout the book, the author uses a comforting tone while acknowledging the weight of this subject matter. Frequent metaphors, such as climbing a mountain with a heavy backpack, help explain terms like equality, equity, and justice, with myriad infographics and visuals providing more context to this social justice resource.
—BooklistYassmin Abdel-Magied is the creator of the TED talk “What Does My Headscarf Mean to You?” which was featured as one of TED’s most influential ideas of 2015. She has designed a race car, worked on an oil rig, and written two children’s novels, a memoir, and a book of political essays. She has delivered keynotes in twenty-five countries and continues to comment on news and current affairs for the BBC and Al Jazeera. In all her work, Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an advocate for transformative justice and a fairer, safer world for all.

Aleesha Nandhra is an illustrator and printmaker whose work includes promotional pieces for the Barbican and House of Illustration (now the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration) and a Google Doodle. One of her prints appeared in the 2022 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. She lives in the UK.Introduction
Hello there! I’m Yassmin Abdel-Magied, and I’m so excited you’re reading this book.
   I was born in Sudan, brought up in Meeanjin (present-day Brisbane, Australia), and now live in London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. In the UK, I am considered a Black (African) woman. I also wear the hijab as part of my practice as a Muslim woman. There’s a lot going on! But I’m more than just my “race” (Black), ethnicity (Sudanese), language group (Arabic), visa status (immigrant), or gender (cis woman). I’m also an engineer (I’ve designed my own race car), a writer (this is my fifth book), and an advocate for social justice. For me, social justice is about making the world fairer and safer for us all. That’s why I decided to write this book. Right now, we live in a world where life is like climbing up a big, tall, scary mountain, and when we are born, we all get a different set of tools to climb it.
   Others have to use the stairs.
   Some people get access to a cable car.
   Some people have their way blocked.
   The luckiest get a jetpack.
   It doesn’t seem very fair, does it?
   This book focuses on how “race” and racism affect the way different people go up the mountain, depending on the group (in this case “race”) they have been put into.
   How can we make the climb fair for everyone?
   I visited young people in schools around the UK and asked what they wanted to know about racism and how to fight for racial justice.
  Each chapter in this book answers some of their questions, and many more. What you learn will help you understand why racism exists, how it plays out, and what we can all do about it so that Earth is a safer, fairer place for us all, inshallah!
   “Inshallah” is an Arabic word meaning “God willing.” It’s used by Muslims and Arabic speakers of many religions to talk about events we hope will happen in the future. It’s like a version of “Fingers crossed!”

About this book
Stand Up and Speak Out Against racism  is split into THREE main sections.
   The first deals with how racism started: where it came from and why it exists. It talks about the history, over hundreds of years, to help explain the background to racism.
   Section two is all about what racism looks like today. You will learn about the four different ways racism shows up, as well as the impact of racism on the daily lives of everyday people, like you and me!
   The final section is all about action: How do we stand up and speak out against racism? Here you will find tactics, tips, and tricks to help you get started, as well as answers to many of the questions young people asked me about this challenging topic. And speaking of challenging topics, I want to give you a heads-up before we begin.
   Racism can be a heavy issue to discuss, whoever you are. Some of what you read in this book might make you feel sad or uncomfortable, or bring up feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and frustration. That is OK. It is normal to feel heavy emotions when it comes to topics like this. My advice?
  First: Remember to breathe. If you are feeling really intense emotions, it is fine to put the book down and take at least three long, deep breaths. I always
find this calming when I get a bit stressed out.
 Second: Notice what it is you are feeling and ask yourself where that feeling has come from. Are you remembering a moment when you were on the receiving end of a racist act? Are you feeling guilty about something you said?
 Third: Find a way to express that emotion safely. Maybe write down how you are feeling, or speak to a trusted adult or knowledgeable friend. It can be helpful to read this book alongside another person so you have someone else to turn to and discuss what you
are learning.
   You’ll see boxes like this throughout the book, giving you extra pieces of interesting information and asking questions to get you thinking more deeply about the things you’ve discovered.

Other notes
You don’t have to read this book cover to cover, from front to back. Take it little by little, put it down if it gets to be too much, think about what you are learning, and come back to it when it feels right. We are all on a journey, and we can all take it at our own pace.
   If you see a word underlined in bold italics, you can turn to the glossary (pages 122–125) to learn its definition. There are also pages at the back (120–121) where you’ll find further information about inspiring people or groups who have resisted the impacts of racial injustice.
   OK! You ready?
   Let’s get into it!