Readblog 4/30/21: "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo (Adult Nonfiction)

"White Fragility: Why it's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism"

Written by Robin Diangelo

Published by Beacon Press in 2018

Snippet read by Richard Coombs

"In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively."