Dr.  McManus witnessed firsthand the devastating impact that racism had on his racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse family growing up in a white flight town south of Boston. The eldest of three boys, Joe-Joe was born into a working-class family that lived in an apartment behind the local “packie” (liquor store). Shortly after his first birthday, his parents adopted five-week-old Kacey, and a few years later, their brother B-J was born. Racism became an issue early on for the McManus boys because of the reactions to Kacey, who was African American. Their family of five also experienced anti-Semitism and classism, but nothing was as insidious as the anti-Black racism that was ever present. Taught to actively oppose racism and intersecting oppressions from an early age, it became Joe-Joe’s life’s work after Kacey’s passing at only seventeen years old.  Motivated by his experiences as a father and his reflections on the challenges faced by his daughter, Makaila, Dr. Joe-Joe McManus shares heartfelt stories and actionable strategies for dismantling racism and fostering equity. He takes you by the hand and into his world which is shaped by courage, equity, and a relentless pursuit of freedom. Through deeply personal stories and groundbreaking strategies, this book illuminates how the decisions you make can either uphold or dismantle the systems that perpetuate racism.

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