Alex Zamalin — Against Civility: The Hidden Racism in Our Obsession with Civility

Join the Boston Public Library in partnership with the Museum of African American History (MAAH) for an online conversation with author Alex Zamalin moderated by MAAH Director Of Education And Interpretation L'Merchie Frazier. This program is part of the BPL's Repairing America Series.

People who are interested in attending must register. Visit the following link to access the registration page: https://boston-public-library.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ukqNiApER4uPbfiG_xH_HA.

Spanning two hundred years, Alex Zamalin’s accessible blend of intellectual history, political biography, and contemporary political criticism shows that civility has never been neutral in its political uses and impacts. The best way to tackle racial inequality is through “civic radicalism,” an alternative to civility found in the actions of Black radical leaders including Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and Audre Lorde. Civic radicals shock and provoke people. They name injustice and who is responsible for it. They protest, march, strike, boycott, and mobilize collectively rather than form alliances with those who fundamentally oppose them.

The idea and practice of civility has always been wielded to silence dissent, repress political participation, and justify violence upon people of color. Although many progressives today are told that we need to be more polite and thoughtful, less rancorous and angry, when we talk about race in America, civility maintains rather than disrupts racial injustice. In Against Civility, citizens who care deeply about racial and socioeconomic equality will see that they need to abandon this concept of discreet politeness when it comes to racial justice and instead more fully support disruptive actions and calls for liberation, which have already begun with movements like #MeToo, the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, and Black Lives Matter.

To purchase this book from one of the BPL's community bookstore partners, Trident Booksellers and Cafe, please visit the following page on their website: https://www.tridentbookscafe.com/event/bpl-event-alex-zamalin-%E2%80%94-against-civility-hidden-racism-our-obsession-civility. Use the code BPLSHIP for free media mail delivery!

Alex Zamalin is the director of the African American Studies Program and an assistant professor of political science at the University of Detroit Mercy. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Antiracism: An Introduction. His areas of expertise include African American political thought, American politics, and political theory. Alex Zamalin’s essays and reviews have appeared in various edited book collections and in peer-reviewed journals such as New Political Science, Contemporary Political Theory, Political Theory, and Women’s Studies Quarterly.

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The Repairing America Initiative is the Boston Public Library's pledge to focus its 2021 programming and services on bridging the gaps that divide America. By prioritizing economic recovery, civic engagement, COVID-19 recovery, racial equity, workforce development, and youth engagement, the BPL is working to help Americans rise above the challenges they face.

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