Skip to main content

Book Review: Carving Out a Humanity

Editor Janet Dewart Bell

“Carving Out a Humanity: Race, Rights and Redemption”
is a collection of essays that builds from the work of preeminent critical race theorist and scholar Dr. Derrick Bell. Bell’s scholarship, writings and lectures form the foundations of the academic and pragmatic lens that centers racism – and most importantly, anti-blackness – at the root of systemic and structural issues that perpetuate inequities.

All essayists featured in the volume have been part of the esteemed Derrick Bell Lecture Series on Race in American Society at the New York University School of Law. The lecture series was founded by social justice activist Dr. Janet Dewart Bell in honor of her late husband. Dr. Dewart Bell co-edited the volume with Vincent M. Southerland, bringing together leading voices on race, civil rights and the law, from Lani Guinier to Michelle Alexander, from Mari Matsuda to Ian Haney Lopez.

The late Dr. Derrick Bell
I read this volume from the vantage point of a doctoral student investigating the role of leadership in advancing equity in education. My research focuses on the requisite leadership competencies, organizational dynamics and institutional supports to guarantee advancement of equity through the role of the Chief Diversity Officer. In grounding the work in the practice of justice and equity, Dr. Bell’s work has served as the “north star” in achieving equity. His scholarship underscored the persistence and prominence of racism in the justice system and other arenas of society, dispelling the notion of race neutrality in a social system built upon racial hierarchies.

Focusing on the tenets of critical race theory such as interest convergence, counter storytelling and the social construction of race, the essays advance the discourse about the insidiousness of race in the American body politic and the resulting consequences of structural racism. This book is an important read for anyone who’s truly invested in embodying anti-racism work in their problems of practice. It’s a crucial reminder that American institutions have been wrestling with the problem of racism for generations. Beyond the focus on the legal and justice systems, topics addressed in the book include school choice and economic justice. Racism has psychological, social and economic consequences, and is rooted in power. This results in benefits for those who use their power and privilege to uphold the racial status quo and dire consequences for those who dare to challenge them.

The lessons from the volume are familiar and complex. Racial disparities often serve as a “miner’s canary,” Guinier writes, warning us of the social perils suffered by Black Americans that will ultimately impact all of us. Emma Coleman Jordan discusses the economic underpinnings of inequality, while Cheryl Harris examines the role of interest convergence in California politics. Essays illustrate how advances in civil rights for Black Americans are only possible when white and Black interests converge. During this time of racial reckoning and sense of urgency fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement, the challenge for students and practitioners is to work on actionable and lasting solutions toward an anti-racist future. This volume holds up a mirror to the continuing project of justice and equity, a stark reminder of the challenges ahead while also inspiring a vision for humanity and civil rights. 

 

 
 

Hardcover, 6 x 9, 400 pages
Published by The New Press, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62097-620-3
Purchase from Bookshop.org

Popular posts from this blog

Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Jennifer Grenz, PhD       Working toward ecological healing requires awareness of how Indigenous ancestral knowledge and living ways can complement Western scientific approaches to environmental restoration and protection practices. Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Nlaxa’pamux mixed ancestry) worked for more than two decades as a field researcher and practitioner for environmental nonprofit organizations, where she worked with different levels of government, including First Nations in Canada. "Medicine Wheel for the Planet" compiles Grenz’s most potent realizations about the lack of forward movement in addressing an impending ecological catastrophe.  A warming climate impacts not only human lives but also the natural balance that relies on reciprocal relationships rooted in deep connections to the land. She uses the metaphor of the four directions of the Indigenous “medicine wheel” to invite openness to Indigenous teachings, letting go of colonial narratives, merging lessons f...

Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law. Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcase...

Enlighten Me

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Los Angeles Book Review . Author Minh Lê Standing up for oneself seems like doing the right thing. Binh did just that in the face of a racist school bully who was poking fun at his Asian heritage. But physically assaulting another student goes against school policy, and it was Binh who got in trouble. Binh shares a silent retreat with his family and younger siblings. Along with other children, he learns about stories from the previous lives of the Buddha. The stories are interesting, but for Binh, it is difficult to sit still and clear his mind when he misses his Gameboy. While he struggles with silence, he learns important lessons about friendship, community, and being present. In the graphic novel "Enlighten Me," award-winning author Minh Lê and bestselling illustrator Chan Chau tell the story of a boy who gains a better understanding of himself as he works on quieting the mind and reflecting on dharma. Lê and Ch...