Thoughtful Thursday: "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo

"But I'm not a racist!"

Robin DiAngelo's book "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" tackles why we (white folks) often experience strong feelings of defensiveness when Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour begin conversations with us about race, and gives us tools for engaging more productively and lovingly in these conversations. Thanks for this week's #thoughfulthursday book recommendation, Healthy Growing Churches!

Summary: "In this 'vital, necessary, and beautiful book' (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and 'allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’' (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively."