White Fragility

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo is a short, powerful look at a phenomenon that, once pointed out, exists everywhere. It's controversial, though, and I've had several people laugh aloud when they see the title of the book I'm reading. Potential readers need to accept the following: almost no one considers themself racist; racism persists; unexamined, often subconscious assumptions allow racism to persist. DiAngelo, who is white, understands the reflexive defensiveness that almost all white people adopt when confronted with white fragility, and she guides the (presumably white) reader as gently as possible to see the topic. As mentioned, white fragility exists everywhere.

I'm reading two other books in this season of my life about this topic: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Biased by Jennifer Eberhardt, PhD. Together, they make up a sort of anti-racist trilogy that pushes me outside of my comfort zone. White Fragility was deeply personal, and at times the voices that DiAngelo would challenge ("I was taught to treat everyone the same"/"I don't see color"/"I judge people by what they do, not who they are") sounded like they were coming from inside my head.