White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

White fragility is "the tendency among members of the dominant white cultural group to have a defensive, wounded, angry, or dismissive response to evidence of racism."

               -Dictionary.com

"Though white fragility is triggered by discomfort and anxiety, it is born of superiority and entitlement. White fragility is not weakness per se. In fact, it is a powerful means of white racial control and the protection of white advantage."

                                                      -Robin DiAngelo, from the book

This title had long been on my must-read list and somehow it had been on my Kindle unbeknownst to me. I have been convinced for a while now that I live a life of white privilege. I also realize that although I try not to be, I am racist. DiAngelo, a white woman, admits that even though she is a tenured professor and diversity training consultant she still battles with degrees of racism. She feels all white people are racist and that does NOT equate to being bad. Racism does not just mean being full of hate and tending to violence. It is the inevitable result of growing up in a culture where white is deemed superior.

I think DiAngelo is saying that we white folks must admit to our racism and work at changing it. Since reading How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi, I have caught myself several times doing or saying something racist.

The reading of White Fragility convicted me to work harder at being anti-racist! I rated the book a 4, not exactly a page turner but very informative and worthwhile.