stay up: racism, resistance, and reclaiming Black freedom

by Khodi Dill, Stylo Starr (Illustrator)

Overview

Eureka! Silver Award Honor Book

An incisive, innovative, and inviting take on fighting oppression and fighting for racial justice.

Racism is a real and present danger. But how can you fight it if you don’t know how it works or where it comes from? Using a compelling mix of memoir, cultural criticism, and anti-oppressive theory, Khodi Dill breaks down how white supremacy functions in North America and gives readers tools to understand how racism impacts their lives. From dismantling internalized racism, decolonizing schools, joining social justice movements and more, Dill lays out paths to personal liberation and social transformation.

Vibrant, dramatic collages by stylo starr complement Dill’s propulsive voice. Fueled by joy and hope as much as by rage and sorrow, this groundbreaking book empowers racialized young people to be confident in their identities and embrace the fullness of their futures.

A New Kids’ Books That Encourage Compassion, Connection, Hope and Inclusion —The Toronto Star

“Eloquent and inspiring . . .” —​STARRED review, Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773218076
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	10/17/2023
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1190L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

KHODI DILL is a Bahamian-Canadian writer of everything from rap songs to spoken word poetry to children’s books, including Welcome to the Cypher and Little Black Lives Matter. He is a practicing anti-racist educator and a sought-after public speaker on issues of social justice, identity, and education. Khodi lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

STYLO STARR is a Jamaican-Canadian collage artist whose work centres nature, fantasy, and notions of the Afrofuture. She is an emerging curator and arts educator with interests in exploring hand-cut collage as a grounding and healing creative modality. stylo lives and works in her hometown of Hamilton, Ontario.

Table of Contents

the land

author’s note

epigraph

Introduction

section I: the know-up

chapter 1: the gut knows whussup

Intuition (gut feeling) as a way of knowing, Childhood and early experiences of racism, police and policing

chapter 2: black ain’t a colour; it’s a concept

Social construction of race, Biracial identity, Bahamian and Canadian identity, Wealth inequality

section II: personal liberation

chapter 3: don’t be hatin’ (yourself)

Self-worth and self-confidence, How white supremacy breaks down Black confidence and self-worth; Claiming that confidence as resisting white supremacist structures

chapter 4: how to show love, and rage, too

How Black emotions (especially joy and rage) are suppressed in a white supremacist society, Art as a means of expressing these emotions and as an act of resistance

chapter 5: black like you.

Blackness contains multitudes, The joy and possibility inherent in expressing one’s own Blackness and not what Blackness is assumed to be

section III: social transformation

chapter 6: make the old school new

The many ways schools and western education upholds white supremacist standards through, clothing, language and other means

chapter 7: pick your battles and your team

strategies for confronting racism and resisting oppression, Finding community to share in this fight, The importance of connecting with one’s ancestors/spirituality

conclusion

epilogue

further reading

sources

Editorial Reviews

Eloquent and inspiring . . . Teens will appreciate this straightforward, honest, and respectful offering.” —Booklist, *starred review, 09/15/23

“Dill combines his own lived experiences, moments from the sociopolitical context and equity theories to show the impact and presence of racism and how to individually and collectively resist. The beautiful art creates a perfect balance of theory and praxis.” —Toronto Star, 10/18/23

From the Publisher

2023-07-26
The Little Black Lives Matter (2022) author presents a mix of memoir and manifesto on anti-racism.

Dill writes that anti-racism work “at its core…centers compassion.” Born to a Black Bahamian mother and white father and raised in Saskatchewan, he experienced the “racial tightrope walking” of holding “ ‘honorary’ white status” among his white friends but being called “whiteboy” while visiting family in the Bahamas. Now armed with the language he lacked as a young person, he fills this book with terms and concepts that explain the social construction of race and its centuries-old hierarchical system. As an educator, Dill dedicates a chapter to critiques of the educational systems of Canada and the U.S. He offers suggestions for reimagining schools: organizing for better resources, revamping curricula, and offering student-centered learning, among others. He highlights the detrimental effects of racism that manifest in ways such as disparities in mental health treatment. Dill’s background as a spoken-word poet and his passion for hip-hop influence the conversational tone; he warmly addresses readers as “family.” Starr’s eye-catching collages help to showcase the sincere urgency of the text. Ultimately, while it contains much of value, the book struggles with everything it’s trying to accomplish. As a result, it feels a bit congested and may prove more helpful to educators than teen readers.

A well-intentioned primer on anti-racism, particularly useful for those supporting young activists. (land acknowledgment, author’s note, further reading, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 13-adult)

Kirkus Reviews