From New York Times bestselling author Jemar Tisby, How to Fight Racism is the perfect follow up to his incredible first book, The Color of Compromise. Tisby uses a framework called ARC (awareness, relationships, and commitment) to organize clear explanations and examples of practical action steps to take to combat racism.

As many people across the nation became more aware of the problem of racism over the summer of 2020, many (especially white) people began asking, “What should I do?” Tisby gives a thoughtful, easy-to-understand response to that question. He encourages readers to start small, choosing one or two action steps to implement first.

This would be a fantastic book to read with a group in order to discuss how these ideas can be applied to readers’ particular contexts, whether they are new to the work of racial justice or have been on the antiracism journey for a long time.

I really love Tisby’s work and the way he is able to combine truth-telling with encouragement for readers to persist in the extremely difficult, but vital, work toward racial justice.

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy to review, and I'm glad I did. This book is, in one sense, a sequel to Tisby's earlier book, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, since it picks up where that book ended. The Color of Compromise, as its subtitle suggests, was a historical survey, although Tisby ends the book with more practical suggestions for addressing this history of racial injustice using his ARC of Racial Justice Framework. This book, How to Fight Racism, expands that framework, delving into the Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment model.

As should be clear from that introduction, Tisby's goal is to give reader practical advice to answer the "So, what do I do now?" question he frequently gets asked after folks read The Color of Compromise or pay attention to racial unrest in the headlines. In that, he succeeds marvelously. Every chapter is packed with practical advice, and even if one disagrees with a tactic here or there, the number of options alone makes this book a valuable addition to people's racial justice repertoire. (I can't stress that point enough if you're entering the book skeptically: give Tisby a chance and avoid throwing out the whole of the book because you disagree on a strategy or two.)

I appreciated that Tisby emphasized all three areas of his framework, stressing that "Awareness, relationships, and commitment need not exist in erfect balance. The point of the model is not to practice an equal number of actions in each area" or to "proceed in a linear fashion...like following steps to a recipe." "Rather, the goal is to keep all three areas in conversation and tension with one another." (p. 6). This means that novices and veterans along the racial justice journey will all find something useful in this book and will feel pushed to grow both personally and communally.

Tisby is a Christian and frames the book within a Christian context, but he makes it accessible to everyone, and I appreciated his commitment to the aforementioned person and communal growth areas. For example, while the fourth chapter on "How to Study the History of Race" appeals to me as someone who teaches history at a Christian school, Tisby's suggestions went beyond recommendations of books to include practices like removing Confederate statues from places of reverence, conducting institutional histories of churches or organizations, and personal projects involving the history of race.

Overall, this is a well-written book that furthers the conversation about racial justice in important and impactful ways. I hope just as many people read this as read The Color of Compromise and begin to make a difference in their hearts, relationships, and communities.

The work continues.
Jemar Tisby's follow up to The Color of Compromise is timely and needed. It is for anyone on the journey of pursuing racial justice in our country with a foundation of the Christian faith. Whether you have been on this path for awhile or you have recently started, you can benefit from this book.

I am grateful for the way Tisby inspires hope, encourages the downtrodden and weary, shoots straight with the truth, outlines tangible ways to seek racial justice (both individually and as an organization), and consistently keeps pointing the reader to Jesus. He provides opportunities for us all to engage in the work where we are, not out of guilt or shame, but because it is right and it is what we are called to do as followers of Christ.

Maybe you’ve read lots of books about racism and its pervasive grip on society. Perhaps you experience it daily and need no convincing about its presence and power. But the question still remains for you — “what can I do? What practical steps can I take to uproot and eliminate it — from my life, my community, and from our world?”

New York Times Bestselling author Jemar Tisby sets out to answer those questions in this book. As a historian, Tisby provided a deep and unflinching look at the American church’s complicity in racism in his first book The Color of Compromise. In How to Fight Racism, he switches gears and moves into the role of seasoned practitioner. A capable and unwavering guide, Tisby lays out a forthright and attainable path for putting convictions about racial justice into everyday practice.

The book is laid out in three sections, following Tisby’s model of the ARC of Racial Justice (1. Awareness, 2. Relationships, and 3. Commitment). Each of these three sections have their own three “how-to’s.” From the intimate and personal to the societal and systemic, the how-to’s cover lots of ground and give readers a plurality of options for putting what they learn into practice.

My favorite things about this book were its clarity, its brevity, and its accessibility. As a trainer and consultant on issues of culture, race, equity, and intercultural competence, I will be using this resource regularly.

If you are skeptical that racism is a deep and enduring problem, this book is not for you. You’ll want to start elsewhere, possibly with The Color of Compromise. But if you are convinced — if you do know that racism needs to be addressed comprehensively and urgently — and you are ready to do your part in that work, this book is for you.

Jemar Tisby’s book "How To Fight Racism" is a welcomed guide for Christians and non-Christians alike in a time when many pastors are still electing silence and “preach the Gospel” rhetoric over public condemnation of racism as evil sin.

Drawing from his own experiences with racial justice and the church, Tisby understands where his readers are and what they might be faced with. Tisby give clear directives for fighting racial injustice without inciting violence and anger. And all the while, making space for the inevitable anger you will feel when faced with racism, especially Blacks and other people of color.

Tisby not only addresses the white Christian, but also Black people, people of color, and non-Christians throughout the book. He lays out practical plans for people and organizations at every level and gives advice on how individuals can take the fight to each level. "How to Fight Racism" bridges the gap between Christians and non-Christians and allows them to work side-by-side to fight a common enemy: racism.

How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice presents Jemar Tisby's ARC of Racial Justice - awareness, relationships, and commitment. All three aspects of fighting racism are integral to success, which he suggests we define by the actions we take, rather than the results we achieve.
While Tisby's first book, The Color of Compromise, was emotionally taxing for me, as a highly empathetic person, this book is much more practical. Although some examples of racism are explained in "Essential Understandings" sections, the focus of each chapter are specific action steps that can be taken by individuals, churches, and other organizations. Emphasis is given to biblical rationales for application to Christian living.
The book will be useful for the individual who is new to the battle, as well as the one who has already been learning as well as engaging in justice efforts. It is recommended to be studied in a group, which I plan to do. Together, members can encourage and help each other in steps such as writing a racial autobiography as they consider their racial and cultural identity development, and learning their local history of race.
Relationship building for individuals and how to build diverse communities are two themes in the second section of the book. Probably the most challenging section for white Christians will be Commitment, but Tisby includes many ideas for individual behavior as well as for fighting systemic racism, and for "How to Orient Your Life to Racial Justice".
This is a great book for the many folk who are ready to roll up their sleeves and engage in the needed work of fighting racism!

For those who, in the wake of 2020’s events, wondered what they can practically do about the racism that is still evident in this world, Jemar Tisby’s book is an incredibly helpful resource. In tandem with The Color of Compromise, How to Fight Racism provides an overview of the ways that racism still pervades so many facets of society, but also provides a hopeful roadmap of concrete actions that anyone can take to combat racism on a personal, institutional, and societal level. I would highly recommend this as a starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about racial justice, no matter their background.

“The value of fighting racism cannot be gauged simply by looking at the number of laws passed or individuals elected. It cannot be measured in funds raised or in how many members an organization has. These data points matter, but they are not all that matter. Fighting racism is not just about how it changes the world; it’s also about how it changes you.”

After reading Tisby’s The Color of Compromise this summer, I was eager to join the launch team for How to Fight Racism. This book fills a needed space in the literature on racial justice by exploring the distinctive qualities of fighting racism as a Christian. How to Fight Racism is filled with practical strategies and ideas for further action, but all of its concreteness is rooted in Christian teaching, in the idea of the image of God in every person.

Tisby presents the framework of the “ARC” of racial justice, consisting of awareness, relationship, and commitment. We may naturally gravitate toward one of the three (I certainly gravitate toward “awareness”--give me all the books/podcasts/etc.!), but without all three, our racial justice work is incomplete. I found this structure to be immensely helpful in thinking through my own anti-racism work, and it’s a model I’ll return to again and again in the years to come.

I’m so excited this book is entering the world, and I’m so grateful to Tisby for his careful work in crafting it.

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for this review.)

A book many Christians, especially White Christians, need to read today.

In a follow-up to his bestselling The Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby does in How to Fight Racism what I feel he was missing in his first book. Give examples of how Christians can better engage in fighting racism and fighting for equity and justice.

Not only does Tisby give examples of practical ways Christians can engage in anti-racism using the ARC of racial justice (Awareness, Relationships, Commitment), he skillfully exegetes what the Bible has to say about race, historically racist and anti-racist beliefs promulgated by Christians, and gives example after example of how White Christians have (and have not) worked for reconciliation for the history they are complicit in.

Tisby has a wide audience for his book: speaking words of dignity and solidarity to Black Christians as well as challenging White Christians to confront White supremacy in all its forms—theologically, relationally, and systemically. Additionally, though he focuses primarily on the White/Black binary, he mentions Latinx, Asian, and Native-American similarities in the struggle for racial equality in ways that give honor and dignity to fellow image bearers.

I plan on reading this book with others once it is officially published to pursue Tisby’s call for coalitions of allyship and communally working together to accomplish goals. This would be a great book study for churches, small groups, and in book clubs.

I was provided an advanced copy of the book; however, this review is voluntarily and joyfully written.