by Robin Diangelo
Review by Anneke Kapteyn
White folks: What do you think about when you think about race? Perhaps you consider the history of racism in America or the civil rights movement. One thing we—I include myself, as a white person—often don’t consider is what it means to be white. In this book, Robin DiAngelo speaks to white
people about what white identity means and, more importantly, how it relates to racism.
As white people, we’re taught that having a racial viewpoint means
we’re biased. DiAngelo counters that, in fact, we can’t escape having a racial viewpoint. She argues that we’re socialized to hold the unconscious belief that whiteness is superior to blackness; at the same time, we consciously condemn racism. Too often, we believe that racism involves “simple, isolated, and extreme acts of prejudice.”
DiAngelo helps us understand that racism is much more complex and pernicious than most white people think. One of its “most effective adaptation[s]” is that it has convinced us that only “bad” people are racist, when the truth is that we can’t help but hold racist beliefs because of what society has inculcated in us. That’s a hard truth to swallow.
Many of us think we don’t see color, or that because we identify as educated progressives, we know better—we understand the reality of unconscious bias. When someone accuses us of doing or saying something racist, we get defensive. With the way we’ve been raised to think of racists as evil people, it’s natural that we’d react with hurt feelings or disbelief. DiAngelo compassionately guides us into understanding how “good” people can hold racist beliefs and attitudes despite being raised to be “nice” and to treat others equally.
I found White Fragility to be a convicting and rich resource in my own life. Sometimes my awareness of the fact that I hold unconscious bias leads me to slip into complacency: I let the bias itself remain unexamined and unchallenged. Yet, as a Christian who wants to honor God and condemn racism for the sin that it is, I found that DiAngelo’s arguments pierced my heart and showed me some of the ways I help perpetuate racism.
If you feel you don’t see color, if you wonder whether white identity even exists, or if you’re not so sure that racism is as virulent as it once was, this book is for you. If you consider yourself a white progressive, I especially recommend it to you. DiAngelo even offers advice on where to go from here—a common question at forums on racism and social justice.