Ratings5
Average rating4.8
Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see black youth seated together in the cafeteria. Of course, it's not just the black kids sitting together-the white, Latino, Asian Pacific, and, in some regions, American Indian youth are clustered in their own groups, too. The same phenomenon can be observed in college dining halls, faculty lounges, and corporate cafeterias. What is going on here? Is this self-segregation a problem we should try to fix, or a coping strategy we should support? How can we get past our reluctance to talk about racial issues to even discuss it? And what about all the other questions we and our children have about race? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, asserts that we do not know how to talk about our racial differences: Whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as "racist" while parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities too soon. Using real-life examples and the latest research, Tatum presents strong evidence that straight talk about our racial identities-whatever they may be-is essential if we are serious about facilitating communication across racial and ethnic divides. We have waited far too long to begin our conversations about race. This remarkable book, infused with great wisdom and humanity, has already helped hundreds of thousands of readers figure out where to start.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was a really useful book as a white educator in a diverse school. It's a well-researched look at how racism affects development across various developmental stages and life markers and what can be done to mitigate these effects. As a white person, I know a lot of microaggressions and small moments of discrimination go completely over my head, and this book has clear methods of active anti-racist actions that I can take to help combat this. While it is primarily about Black-White relationships, there are also a couple chapters about other people of color and multiracial families that are limited but good starting points here. It's a book for both POC's and allies, and I highly recommend it to educators specifically.
Very thought provoking! Excellent insight on stereotypes of different races,behaviors, multiracial family issues! Highly recommend!