Anti-Racism Is Anti-Art | Video Interview with Reid Newton
Art is better at anti-racism than anti-racism is.
Anti-racism only sounds like a solution to racism. People who’ve seen it put into practice and honestly assessed the outcome ultimately have the same realization: anti-racism is a recipe for division.
The proof that anti-racism undoes the progress of the civil rights movement and sows division instead of harmony is its impact on the arts. Our natural differences can be overcome through art…except when anti-racism comes into play. While the focus in art is expressing universal truths and facilitating connection across our differences, the focus in anti-racism is highlighting and reinforcing our separateness.
Our popular essay—Anti-Racism Dismantles Communities, Not Oppression—shows how the spread of anti-racism after the George Floyd killing led to alienation and kicked off separatist behaviors like claiming white people shouldn’t dance to music by black artists.
The point of this essay and our new interview with its author Reid Newton isn’t to keep reminding you that anti-racism is ju…