Keith Boykin
About Keith Boykin
Speaking videos
Books by Keith Boykin
“Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race?: 25 Arguments That Won't Go Away” (2024)
The most toxic racial arguments share one of five traits. They try to erase Black history, prioritize white victimhood, deny Black oppression, promote myths of Black inferiority, or rebrand racism as something else entirely. They’re all designed to distract society from racial justice, but now we have the tools to debunk them. With a mixture of personal experience, reportage, and extensive research, Keith Boykin takes a wrecking ball to twenty-five of the most widespread deceptions about race, such as: The Civil War was about states’ rights, not slavery Affirmative action is reverse discrimination Critical Race Theory is indoctrinating children to hate one another and shows us how to refute lies, myths, and misinformation with history, knowledge, and truth.
“Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America” (2021)
Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America
“Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America” (2004)
Bolstered by national television exposure on Oprah and a cover story in the New York Times Magazine, the "down low"-a term used to refer to "straight" men who have sex with men-was thrust into the open in 2004. Keith Boykin, a former Clinton White House aide, goes beyond the hype with the first responsible, eye-opening look at the down low sensation. Unlike all previous accounts on the topic, Beyond the Down Low presents the DL not merely as a problem of gay and bisexual men living in the shadows, but more as an example of America's unwillingness to engage in critical but uncomfortable conversations about black sexuality. Boykin details how society has helped to create an environment where black gay and bisexual men feel compelled to lead double lives. Meanwhile, the dialogue that has taken place in the black community encourages an unhealthy battle of the sexes, ignores the complexity of the closet, demonizes bisexuality, disempowers women, and misdirects public resources and attention. This book is a timely and well researched answer to the question, "Why are so many black men on the DL?" More importantly, it is an essential tool to pry open the closet door in black America.
“Respecting The Soul: Daily Reflections For Black Lesbians And Gays” (1999)
From the author I am the author of the book and want to share my thoughts with you about why I wrote it. There's a lot of talk about spirituality these days, but not much about the personal and spiritual needs for black people dealing with issues of sexual orientation. This book is for anyone who is dealing with these issues. It's not just for black lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people, although they are the book's target audience. It's also for anyone who cares about a friend or loved one, has questions about these issues, or simply wants to have a more sensitive understanding of the many different types of people in our community. As I have traveled the country in recent years, I have met hundreds of black lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals starving for direction. I have learned from these experiences that the primary challenges facing black lesbians and gays are internal, not external. For far too many of us have become stumbling blocks in the way of our own progress. Respecting the Soul can help change this reality, but only if we are willing to make our personal growth and happiness a priority in our lives. With a unique insight for each day of the year, Respecting the Soul is designed in a simple, one-a-day format to fit into even the busiest person's schedule. The approach is similar to Iyanla Vanzant's book Acts of Faith or Eric Copage's Black Pearls. Each page of the book includes a quotation at the top, a discussion in the middle, and an affirmation for the day at the bottom. No two entries are exactly alike. Some entries discuss relevant issues to the black lesbian and gay community while other entries tell inspirational stories of our achievements. Those who are quoted are straight and gay, friend and foe, and represent many different beliefs and ideas. Included in the book are the words of well-known figures such as Alvin Ailey, Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Lorraine Hansberry, E. Lynn Harris, Langston Hughes, Bill T. Jones, Barbara Jordan, June Jordan, Little Richard, Dennis Rodman, Audre Lorde, Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello, Carl Lewis, Queen Latifah, RuPaul, Sapphire, Bessie Smith, Sylvester, Billy Strayhorn, Linda Villarosa, Flip Wilson, and hundreds of others. To learn more about the book, visit my website. Thanks for your time. I hope you enjoy the book, but just as importantly, I hope you will be as blessed in reading it as I have been in writing it for you!
“One More River to Cross” (1996)
Proclaiming Their Mission As A Simple Matter Of Justice, The Organizers Of The 1993 March On Washington For Lesbian And Gay Rights Consciously Paralleled Martin Luther King's Historic 1963 March On Washington. In Response, Black Leaders And Ministers Across The Country Challenged Any Comparison Between Blacks And Gays As Offensive And Irrational. In One More River To Cross, Keith Boykin Takes Us On A Journey Into This Controversy By Offering A Window Onto What It Means. To Be Both Black And Gay In America. Against A Historical Backdrop Of Civil Rights And The Black Experience, Boykin Interviews Baptist Ministers, Gay Political Leaders, And Other Black Lesbians And Gay Men On Issues Of Faith, Family, Discrimination, And Visibility To Determine What Differences - Real And Imagined - Separate The Two Communities. By Portraying The Common Ground Lives Of Everyday Black Gay People, Boykin Dispels The Myths That Homosexuality Is A White. Thang And That Blacks Are More Homophobic Than Whites. With Stories From His Own Experience As Well As From Other Black Lesbians And Gay Men, Boykin Targets Gay Racism And Black Homophobia And Suggests That Conservative Forces Have Substituted The Common Language Of Racism For Homophobia In Order To Prevent A Potentially Powerful Coalition Of Blacks And Gays. The River We All Face As Americans Is Prejudice, Against Whose Current We Must Defend Our Democratic Ideals Of. Equality And Opportunity. Will We Cross This River Together, Boykin Asks? Or Will We Be Divided By The Forces Of Hate And Fear? In One More River To Cross, Boykin Reveals The Necessity Of This Journey As Well As The Promise Of The Other Side. In Search Of Home -- Are Blacks And Gays The Same? -- Black And Gay In America -- Bearing Witness: Faith In The Lives Of Black Lesbians And Gays -- Black Homophobia -- Gay Racism -- Deja Vu: The Common Language Of Racism And Homophobia -- One More River To Cross. Keith Boykin. Includes Index.
At a glanceKeith Boykin
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