Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book

by W. Kamau Bell, Kate Schatz

Overview

Overwhelmed by racial injustice? Outraged by the news? Find yourself asking, “What can I doooooo?” DO THE WORK!

Revelatory and thought-provoking, this highly illustrated, highly informative interactive workbook gives readers a unique, hands-on understanding of systemic racism—and how we can dismantle it.
Packed with activities, games, illustrations, comics, and eye-opening conversation, Do the Work! challenges readers to think critically and act effectively. Try the “Separate but Not Equal” crossword puzzle. Play “Bootstrapping, the Game” to understand the myth of meritocracy. Test your knowledge of racist laws by playing “Jim Crow or Jim Faux?”

Have hard conversations with your people (scripts and talking points included). Be open to new ideas and diversify your “feed” with a scavenger hunt. Team up with an accountability partner and find hundreds of ideas, resources, and opportunities to DO THE WORK!

Ready to get started?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523514281
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	44,184
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

W. KAMAU BELL is a dad, husband, and comedian. He directed and executive-produced the four-part Showtime documentary We Need To Talk About Cosby, which premiered at Sundance. He famously met with the KKK on his Emmy-Award-winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, where he serves as host and executive producer. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, CBS Mornings, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Comedy Central, HBO, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, WTF with Marc Maron, The Breakfast Club, and This American Life. He has two stand-up comedy specials, Private School Negro (Netflix) and Semi-Prominent Negro (Showtime). Kamau’s writing has been featured in Time, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN.com, Salon, and The LA Review of Books. Kamau’s first book has an easy-to-remember title, The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian. He is the ACLU Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice and serves on the board of directors of Donors Choose and the advisory board of Hollaback!

KATE SCHATZ is the New York Times bestselling author of Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, Rad Girls Can, Rad American History A-Z, and the illustrated journal My Rad Life. She’s a writer, public speaker, educator, and left-handed vegetarian Bay Area-born-and-bred queer feminist activist mama. Kate is also a political organizer and frequent public speaker. She’s the co-founder of Solidarity Sundays, a nationwide network of over 200 feminist activist groups. She founded the organization in January 2016 with a friend and began by holding a series of monthly “activist house parties” aimed at showing women how to take meaningful, coordinated political action. After the 2016 election, the group grew from one chapter with 50 members to more than 200 chapters with 20,000+ members. As an educator, Kate has worked with a wide range of age groups for over 15 years. She taught Women’s Studies, Literature, and Creative Writing at UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, Rhode Island College, and Brown University. And she is the former Chair of the School of Literary Arts at Oakland School for the Arts, where she taught fiction, poetry, and journalism to 9th-12th graders for many years. Kate received her MFA in Fiction from Brown University, and a double BA in Women’s Studies/Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz. She lives with her family on the island of Alameda.

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2022

Comedian Bell (The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell) and activist Schatz (Rad American History A–Z) deliver a jam-packed guide to “dismantling white supremacy in America.” Pitching the book as a “companion to all the antiracist books you bought for your book club back in June of 2020,” the authors enliven their history lessons with interactive exercises: a discussion of white settler colonialism asks readers to locate the unceded Indigenous land where they live; a pop quiz turns out to be taken from Alabama’s 1965 Literacy Test, which disenfranchised Black and poor voters (sample question: “Does enumeration affect the income tax levied on citizens in various states?”). Bell and Schatz also explain how Bacon’s Rebellion, an uprising by “angry servants of European and African descent” in 1670s Virginia, led to the passage of laws creating a racial hierarchy in America; spotlight Black women activists and writers, including Zora Neale Hurston and critical race theory scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw; prompt readers to identify inventions by Black Americans in a drawing of a cookout; and illustrate with a connect-the-dot puzzle how gerrymandering works to “dilute the power of urban voters.” Enhanced by bold graphics, vibrant illustrations, and sharp humor, this call to action strikes the right balance between outrage and inspiration. (July)

Publishers Weekly

“Do the Work! confronts the most persistent and urgent crisis in America with wit, grace, patience, and, surprisingly, puzzles!”
—Conan O’Brien
 
“Since we felt the ground shift...I think we all are looking for concrete ways to create change. This book gives a clear, actionable path to doing that work we have all been talking about. White folks—pick this one up immediately.”
—Megan Rapinoe, World Cup champion, Olympian, and activist

“This clever activity book is a simple, fun resource for anyone looking to better the way they think about race and identity in America. Wonderful and illuminating.”
—Padma Lakshmi, bestselling author and host/executive producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation and Bravo’s Top Chef

"An entertaining resource for anyone seeking genuine engagement with anti-racist activism."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Enhanced by bold graphics, vibrant illustrations, and sharp humor, this call to action strikes the right balance between outrage and inspiration." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

05/01/2022

Bell (The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell) and Schatz (Rad American Women A-Z) provide an engaging and educational workbook aimed at white people who want to transform antiracist readings into action. Presented as a casual conversation between themselves, Bell and Schatz first introduce readers to key ideas regarding race and privilege and address ways in which white people find these difficult to discuss. Next, they give a brief overview of the history of racism in the United States. Additionally, they suggest ways in which readers can act for themselves, in their homes, in their communities, and in the larger world and strategies to sustain future actions. The workbook contains fun activities such as crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blanks, quizzes, and coloring pages to engage readers with concepts. Bell and Schatz include many examples of successful advocates and use their own successes and failures to relate to readers. VERDICT While the concepts covered will not be new for readers familiar with antiracism, the addition of activities and wry humor make for a unique and valuable compilation. Book clubs may take note.—Rebekah Kati

Library Journal

2022-03-24
An anti-racist interactive workbook leads readers through a journey of self-reflection, education, and activism.

Bell is a Black comedian, director, creator of CNN’s United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell, and the ACLU Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice, and Schatz is a sought-after queer feminist activist, public speaker, and author of Rad American History A-Z, among other books. Throughout, humorous dialogues between the authors frame the many useful activities. The authors define terms, reflect on personal experiences, and anticipate objections to engaging in activism that could come at a personal cost. Interspersed between these interactions are activities ranging from crossword puzzles and word searches to spaces for reflection and planning. The text also incorporates a variety of graphics—e.g., an iceberg illustrates the unseen effects of White supremacy, and a jukebox displays possible responses to racist comments. In the final section, the authors address the emotional impact of anti-racist activism, encouraging readers to reflect on their fears about taking part in anti-racist activities and to create strategies for making amends if and when they make mistakes. Bell and Schatz intend for readers to finish the book with the ability to identify their privileges (“unearned access to social power accorded by the formal and informal institutions of society to ALL members of a dominant group”), define anti-racism, and have a plan for a variety of circumstances, including discussing race with children, reducing dependence on policing, and safely participating in public protest. Overall, the narrative is practical and accessible, balancing historical context with self-reflection and direct action. The dialogues between the authors are informative, frank, and vulnerable, creating a safe space for both learning and taking risks. While the authors introduce the book as being for people of all races, the text itself feels more relevant to White people than people of color.

An entertaining resource for anyone seeking genuine engagement with anti-racist activism.

Kirkus Reviews