This Book is Anti-Racist Review

 Reading “This Book is Anti-Racist” was very affirming and motivating. Recently, I have been really focused on my identity and who I want to be. It is so easy to get caught up in what others think about you or to let those anxious/intrusive thoughts slip through. I have realized it is very important to be active in the way you think about yourself. Whether it is through journaling or just having more intentional thoughts. I like to live by the phrase “I am exactly who I think I am,” meaning I am not what others tell me unless I start to believe it. This is way easier said than done, but it comes with practice. For example, my anxious thoughts have told me for years that I am “lazy” and “unmotivated” because when I have a lot on my plate and I am overwhelmed, it can be harder to even start one task due to the stress of them all. Before I took into account my true identity and how I want to identify, this was a natural common thought of mine that I never considered to be weighing me down. Now I intentionally practice telling myself positive things about myself or things I want to become. If you tell yourself you love yourself enough times, you'll start to believe it, just like you do when people tell you something negative about yourself enough times. This book touches on this recent topic in my life, but in a societal way, and some things you cannot change about yourself with enough words of affirmation, like gender, race, age, social class, education level, etc. What one can convince themselves of is that these aspects do not make you “good” or “bad,” no matter how many times society tries to drill it in our brains; they do not define you, but they are a part of you. So daily, I make it a point to think about who I want to become, and be exactly who I think I am. 

I felt as though this image really portrayed what was talked about in this reading. It symbolizes how equal opportunity can affect how people "see" the world. When everyone is put on the same size box not all of them can see due to their differences. Their boxes should coordinate with their identity, not a standard image of what everyone's identity should be. When the boxes coincide with their heights, everyone is now on the same playing field. However, equal opportunity should not be the only solution, but also altering outdated and ignorant views on people due to their physical differences. The ideology needs to change.