Ibram X. Kendi’s profile is about to grow even larger due to a deal with the streaming giant Netflix.
The bestselling author of “Antiracist Baby,” “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism” and “Stamped from the Beginning” will have all three of the works adapted for the platform and its 70 million-plus U.S. subscribers.
“I feel deeply honored to have a chance to help deepen the impact of Dr. Kendi’s work,” television veteran Chris Nee said in a statement. “We are living in tumultuous times, and it is incumbent on all of us to use our platforms to make the world a better place. Antiracist Baby aligns perfectly with the values of my company, Laughing Wild, and Netflix as a whole, and we are excited to be a vehicle through which it can continue to influence the world for the better.”
The Hollywood Reporter recently noted plans for a “hybrid documentary/scripted” for “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism,” while “Stamped from the Beginning” will be a documentary for a young adult audience.
“I’m elated these projects landed at Netflix,” Mr. Kendi said in a statement. “What a wonderful partner. I’m elated to work with Roger Ross Williams, Mara Brock Akil and Chris Nee. They are such ambitious, innovative and passionate creators who are committed to racial justice. But I’m really elated for the viewers, for the adults and children who will be captivated, informed and transformed by these projects.”
Mr. Kendi also serves as the founding director of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research. In addition to his academic work, he also offers political commentary for websites like The Atlantic.
“Obama and Trump did not poison the American soul any more than Biden can heal it,” he wrote in November. “Trump battled for the soul of injustice, and the voters sent him home. Soon, President Biden can battle for the soul of justice.”
He also claimed that Americans who use the term “legal vote” when talking about election integrity should realize that it is “functionally racist as the terms ’illegal alien’ and ’race-neutral’ and ’welfare queen’ and ’handouts’ and ’super predator’ and ’crack baby’ and ’personal responsibility’ and ’post-racial.’”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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