White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

The racial status quo is comfortable for white people, and we will not move forward in race relations if we remain comfortable. The key to moving forward is what we do with our discomfort. We can use it as a door out—blame the messenger and disregard the message. Or we can use it as a door in by asking, Why does this unsettle me? What would it mean

Because you so greatly benefit from your whiteness, you work tirelessly to protect it. In a white supremacy culture like ours, not working tirelessly to dismantle it is the equivalent of working tirelessly to protect it. In other words, not acting is acting.

Because any slippage—any willingness to consider alternative perspectives—seems to weaken our position and expose us to attack, we refuse to seriously consider the limitations in our current perspectives.

We must look directly at the ways in which this racist ideology of white supremacy, this idea that white equals better, superior, more worthy, more credible, more deserving, and more valuable actively harms anyone who does not own white privilege. If you are willing to dare to look white supremacy right in the eye and see yourself reflected back, y