I do honestly try to steelman most public figures who I find repulsive.
After reading several hundred pages and listening to a lot of hours of Ibram X Kendi's rhetoric, the best way that I can summarize his worldview is, "It's okay if you disagree with me. But if you disagree with me on anything - and by 'anything' I mean 'ANYTHING' - you have to admit to being racist and ideally all of your ideas will be made illegal."
That's actually the most generous way that I can interpret his views.
This person rejects the idea of neutrality when it comes to racism. You can't simply be "not racist" in his world. No idea or policy proposal can simply be "not racist." Even debates about tax policy must be racist or antiracist in his view.
If I make an argument for cutting the capital gains tax, as I have, and simply point out that revenue went up at lower rates and that the argument for taxes existing at all should be to fund the state to do what it needs to, that taxes shouldn't be about punishing people for their decisions, and that a realistic assessment of the capital gains tax rate as it exists now is actually hurting everybody, Kendi would demand that I admit that I'm supporting a racist policy.
It's good that racism has become so unpopular that "racist" is the last thing that you want to be called. Racism is the stupidest, most basic, most perverse, most immoral manifestation of collectivism and the rejection of individualism. But, Kendi is using the weapon of the word "racist" so capriciously that it loses all of its power.