Why white people can't face up to racism
Robin DiAngelo is the author of the book, What Does It Mean to Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy.
http://crosscut.com/2017/04/white-fragility-robin-diangelo-race/
Robin DiAngelo grew up poor and white. But it was years before she realized that despite living in poverty, she still had privilege because she was white.
“I had a very deep sense of shame and otherness growing up… But I had never looked at how, where in my life did I have an advantage? And where might I have been actually benefiting from the oppression of somebody else?” she says.
DiAngelo has been working on race and social justice issues for more than 20 years as a lecturer, consultant and trainer. She’s the author of the book, What Does It Mean to Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy.
She came to understand her advantage and privilege when she took a job as a diversity trainer. It was eye opening as she worked with mainly white clients who were uncomfortable with having to deal with the issue of race. It was through that work that she developed the concept of “white fragility” to explain why white people have such difficulty in talking about racism.
DiAngelo and I talked about her work and why it is important for white people to have a serious conversation about race in America today.
SNIP
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