Week Five: Chapters 7, 8 & 9: Readings, Questions and Videos

 Whiteness accrues privilege and status; gets itself surrounded by protective pillows of resources and/or benefits of the doubt.

– Michelle Fine

Within their insulated environment of racial privilege, whites both expect racial comfort and become less tolerant of stress.

– Robin DiAngelo

In this country, “American” means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.

– Toni Morrison

Reading Overview

This Week’s Reading

Chapter 7 (pages 99 – 106)

Chapter 8 (pages 107 – 113)

Chapter 9 (pages 115 – 122)

Reading Summary

Chapter 7

Building upon earlier chapters, this chapter continues to explore what happens when white people are triggered in conversations about race and racism. Most white people can experience racial comfort because they live in insulated environments of racial privilege. Racial stress is triggered when foundational ideologies such as color-blindness, meritocracy, and individualism are challenged, and often white people are unable to respond constructively. Instead, common responses or emotions include anger, withdrawal, emotional incapacitation, guilt, argumentation, and cognitive dissonance.

Optional pre-reading question:

• How has the use of coded language, such as “urban,” “inner city,” and “disadvantaged,” kept you and your colleagues from having open and honest conversations about race and racism in education?

• How does using these terms shift the responsibility for racial inequality from white people to people of color? What is masked by these terms?

Chapter 8

Although research indicates that ideas about race are constructed as early as preschool, white adults often deny that racially based privileges exist. When challenged, white people resort to the discourse of self-defense. In conversations about race, and although no physical violence occurs, white people will characterize themselves as victimized or attacked. Claiming to be unfairly treated, they blame others for their discomfort. In that regard, white fragility is not fragile at all and can be a form of bullying that allows white people to regain control and protect their position.

Optional pre-reading question:

• Reflect on this quote from the book: “In my workshops, I often ask people of color, ‘How often have you given white people feedback on our unaware yet inevitable racism? How often has that gone well for you?’ Eye-rolling, head-shaking, and outright laughter follow, along with the consensus of rarely, if ever. I then ask, ‘What would it be like if you could simply give us feedback, have us graciously receive it, reflect, and work to change the behavior?’ Recently a man of color sighed and said, ‘It would be revolutionary.’” (p. 113)

Chapter 9

This chapter looks specifically at the common feelings and behaviors that occur when white fragility is in action. The author identifies common claims that are used to justify strong emotional reactions such as arguing, avoiding, denying, or crying. The claims are based on a series of assumptions that are common among the white collective when white fragility is in action. Each of these feelings, behaviors, claims, and assumptions is a function of white fragility. They block any entry point for reflection and engagement.

Optional pre-reading question:

• Reflect on this quote from the book: “White people are receptive to my presentation as long as it remains abstract. The moment I name some racially problematic dynamic or action happening in the room in the moment…white fragility erupts.” (p. 117)

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Group Discussion Questions: (~40 min)

• Start by reflecting together on the group (consider each question one by one)

• What’s going well?

• What could be better?

• What’s missing?

• What have we learned from that we can stop doing?

• Discuss how the “intention” someone holds when communicating can differ from the “impact” they have, in the context of race and racism.

• Where does white fragility show up in your own experience of the world?

• Why do you think many whites see that people of color get preferential treatment when studies show that people of color are discriminated against in education, employment, medicine, and criminal justice?

• How would you like to respond when confronted with white fragility? What would prepare you to respond that way?
  
  It is ok to spend time on one or two questions, don’t expect to make it through all of them.