Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi is an expansive re-telling of the formative moments and people throughout the last 500 years that have either upheld or fought against racism in the United States.
Identify different literary elements: themes, symbols, motifs, figurative language, etc. present in the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You. Illustrate and describe them using evidence from the text.
Storyboard Text
MOTIF: STAMPED
THEME: HYPOCRISY IN LEADERSHIP
METAPHOR: FREEDOM LIKE QUICKSAND
The title of the book speaks to the fact that racist beliefs and actions were so entwined in the founding of the country, so integrated into laws and policies that upheld white supremacy that it is as if racism were "stamped" into the very core of the United States.
Common narratives woven through American history textbooks paint past presidents and leaders as heroic and perfect without nuance. This is false. The authors include the varying contradictions and hypocrisies of these leaders that provide a more accurate and balanced portrayal.
Since their forced arrival in America, Black people have fought for freedom. Even though there has been tremendous gains towards equality in the last 400 years, there are setbacks, violence, and oppression that keep America from living up to its promise of "liberty and justice for all".
“Freedom in America was like quicksand. It looked solid until a Black person tried to stand on it. Then it became clear it was a sinkhole."