The New York Times best-selling book exploring the
counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race
are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.
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.
- Publisher's description
