Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Recent events have prompted a much needed and long overdue look at systemic racism in our society. This book, originally published in 2017, was prompted by one of Eddo-Lodge's blog posts from 2014, where she explores aspects of racism, the social forces and white privilege that maintain and promote it in Britain's past and present.

It's an eye-catching title and despite its message, Eddo-Lodge now finds herself thrust into the world spotlight to educate people about systemic racism. This is a small book, but it packs quite a punch. It's a thought-provoking, eye-opening read that is a good place to start for the average person wanting to educate themselves about racism. It includes specific historical references in Britain which bring an emotional and personal aspect to the issues of systemic racism.

This book will make many people uncomfortable. It will make some defensive. And that's necessary. Hopefully, it will also encourage self-reflection about prejudices, ideas and actions (overt and covert) as well as opening up the discussion about how white people have benefited and continue to benefit from racism and white privilege.

Discussing racism is not the same thing as discussing ‘black identity.’ 

Discussing racism is about discussing white identity. It’s about white anxiety. 

Within these pages Eddo-Lodge also addresses immigration, class and feminism and uses anecdotes to open readers' eyes to how privilege and systemic racism continue to affect so many. She also recognizes her own privilege which, as a university educated Black woman, grants her more opportunities in life that POC who didn't have similar advantages. I also respect Eddo-Lodge's decision to put the preservation of her own well-being before educating others about racism. 

I stopped talking to white people about race because I don't think giving up is 
a sign of weakness. Sometimes it's about self-preservation.

I can no longer have this conversation, because we're often coming at it from completely different places. I can't have a conversation with them about the details of a problem if they don't even recognize that the problem exists. Worse still is the white person who might be willing to entertain the possibility of said racism but who thinks we enter this conversation as equals. We don't.

This book has ignited an important discussion and is a good introductory text about racism that is both eye-opening and shocking as well as motivating. While, at times, it got a bit repetitive, it will open many eyes to how pervasive and destructive racism continues to be for so many. While the road to dismantle racism will be a long one, it's time for many of us to listen. To sympathize. To do more and to keep the discussions going.

In order to dismantle unjust, racist structures, we must see race. We must see 

who benefits from their race, who is disproportionally impacted by negative stereotypes about their race, and to who power and privilege is bestowed upon- earned or not- because of their race, their class, and their gender. Seeing race is essential to changing the system.

If you are disgusted by what you see, and if you feel the fire coursing through your veins, then it’s up to you. You don’t have to be the leader of a global movement or a household name. It can be as small scale as chipping away at the warped power relations in your workplace. It can be passing on knowledge and skills to those who wouldn’t access them otherwise. It can be creative. It can be your job. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you’re doing something.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Reni Eddo-Lodge

Genre: NonFiction

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus

First Published: November 7, 2017

Opening Lines: On 22 February 2014, I published a post on my blog. 

I titled it 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race'. 

Book Description from GoodReads: 'Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power. We can't afford to stay silent. This book is an attempt to speak'

The book that sparked a national conversation. Exploring everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race is the essential handbook for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today.