She began to realize that racism was the root of what was
making her so uncomfortable. But is it “really about race”?
It is, Oluo says, “if a person of color thinks it is…” or if
it “disproportionately or differently affects people of
color.” Part of the problem here, she says, is that we
can’t agree on a definition of racism. It’s something “that
we have to talk about…”
And yet, she says (mostly to white people), “You’re going to
screw this up” by saying the wrong thing. Even the most
well-meaning person can verbally blunder and you can fix
your faux pas, or you can make things worse. Complicating
matters, you must be mindful of intersectionality, because
no one is singular.
“And it all starts with conversation,” says Oluo.
That people of color are “disproportionately criminalized”
is not “all in our heads” and Driving While Black is a real
thing. Black students need affirmative action to level a
long playing field. Our school systems, she says, must learn
“cultural sensitivity for black and brown children.”
Cultural appropriation isn’t just something that happens to
African Americans. No, you can’t touch Oluo’s hair. No, you
can’t say “the N word” but you can fight racism, though “it
is not at all fun.”
When author Ijeoma Oluo says that her book is going to make
you uncomfortable, sit down. She’s not lying to you. So
You Want to Talk about Race is squirmy.
Though, obviously, white America is who Oluo is talking to
here, she ultimately speaks to people of all races as she
points out the fine lines we all walk: what’s insulting to
one person is not to another and hurts can run entirely
along racial lines. Here, though, Oluo helps navigate the
waters with keep-your-mouth-shut advice on one hand and tips
on how to speak out without being unintentionally racist on
the other. To do it, she uses candor, anger, exasperation,
and – though she says she’s not feeling funny – some
humorous stories to illustrate the many analogies for which
she reaches.
Overall, this book will do exactly what its author sets out
to do: it’ll spark conversation and it’ll make you think.
So You Want to Talk about Race proves that black and
white isn’t always clear at all. |