White Fragility

Each school day, I post a quote for my middle school homeroom and English students. I then take a picture of what I’ve written on our whiteboard and post it on social media. Selecting quotes is not as easy as you might suppose at first glance. This is my first…

Anti-racism training can be challenging and uncomfortable for some individuals. Trainers may encounter resistance or challenging questions from participants during their training sessions. It is essential for trainers to address resistance and challenging questions to create a safe and productive learning environment. …

Some thoughts from a crabby moderate — I’ve said it before. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me from going off the deep end is my dog, Mabel. Thank God she understands me, even when I am feeling despondent and unreasonable. Today has been a little rough because my candidate lost the mayoral election. But I’m not…

Fragile reactions to race-conscious actions — White fragility, coined by American author Robin DiAngelo, is a theory of white sensitivity to the racial environment. It refers to the tendency for white people to become uncomfortable about conversations around race. In her paper titled White Fragility, published by the International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, DiAngelo writes that: …

Did you start to glaze over when you read the word “white”? As if, because this article is about Whiteness and racism, then this article must be for racists or people of a different race? If so, great! This article is written for you! Also, if you have European heritage…

How does that change your calculus toward racism? — White supremacy is the breath we breathe. It surrounds us. It lives within us and everyone around us. It is practiced in all of our institutions and organizations. Does that give you comfort or distress? How about both at the same time? It deeply distresses me to know that human…

I’m leading a group discussion circle on “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla F. Saad. I’m taking the journaling challenge daily throughout February even though I’m not white. If you happen to be white, why not take the challenge? If I can do it, you can do it too. — - — - If it seemed like there was some redundancy in this week, that should come as no surprise. Just as intersectionality of identities compounds and exponentially alters the ways in which privilege manifests, so too do the principles covered in week one overlap and interplay. If it feels…

Reflections on tourism and white American guilt — Several years ago I traveled to Accra, Ghana with a group of peers from university. I wrote the following piece reflecting on my white American guilt that arose while touring the country: The most impactful part of the trip was the coming and going, the physicality of being there and…

Absolutely nothing. Instead, she allows space and listens. — Context: It is the Monday after the video release of the murder of Tyre Nichols. I am welcoming my students into my small experiential learning class that exists within the larger construct of a majority White suburban high school. …