Ibram X. Kendi Gets Applause for Race Remarks at Netflix Screening: ‘Whiteness Prevents White People from Connecting to Humanity’
by David Ng
He’s back. And this time he has a new Netflix documentary. Because of course he does.
Ibram X. Kendi recently spoke at a special screening for his new Netflix doc Stamped from the Beginning, which is based on his 2016 book examining the history of anti-black racism. At the screening, Kendi received a round of applause after he called out white people.
“I don’t think white people worldwide have really reckoned with how much their own personal identity is shaped by constructions of whiteness, and how much that construction of whiteness prevents white people from connecting with humanity,” Kendi said.
“It’s whiteness that prevents that,” he later added.
“When you’re not able to see yourself in other human beings, that creates all sorts of problems. But not just societal problems, but personal problems, that I think hopefully this film and this work will liberate those folks from. It’s liberating all the way around. I think it will liberate all of us because we’ve all been told a lie about ourselves and other people.”
With that, the audience applauded Kendi.