Check Your Privilege: Live Into The Work

by Myisha T. Hill, Cara Meredith, Jennifer Kinney

The world teaches us that if something has no value to us, it’s easier to throw it away without any attempts of repair. My dual mission has been to use my voice and experience to end throwaway culture, but also keep white women accountable by helping them see how unchecked privilege and relationships with power, privilege, and oppression affects the mental health of black and Indigenous women of color.


What many well-meaning co-conspirators don’t realize is that starting the journey into anti-racism requires a deep examination into the self. A journey similar to the hero's journey, it allows you to deeply uncover the roots of who you are in hopes of showing up differently in the world. The hero's journey in ancestor culture often involves fables of a hero who goes on an adventure, struggles through existential crisis overcomes the crisis, and returns to victory all to begin a journey again.

Through shared storytelling, these 5 friends share their most vulnerable journeys on how they are taking co-conspired action together.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Anti Racist, Social Justice, Essays, Activism, Education

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Caitlin Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swallowed this in one gulp. It was uncomfortable and made me reflect on my own upbringing, prejudices, and views on race in our country. It is gut-wrenchingly insightful. But I'm listening. I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm living into the work. Worth the read.

[Jan Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has me examining most of my life, my language, my implicit biases. I've thought of myself as a champion for black awareness/grief/causes for many years. I'm glad to have found Myisha and her co-conspirators to guide me through all the ways I've been more of a chump than a champ. And I say this without begging any forgiveness from black friends...it's just time to move in a better direction.

Read the book if this is where you want to be. It's a beautiful first step.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. I've been reading lots of hard-hitting novels by Angela Davis, Desmond Cole, and Assata Shakur. This book felt like skimming the surface of poking at one's privilege. For sure the essays are good in helping white folks feel less alone in this journey, but... I thought it would be deeper and more detailed.
For the record, the book does not follow Campbell's hero's journey, in case anyone else was misled by the book description.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

I wish I could say I didn’t learn anything - I wish I could say I was already woke to this, however. Love learning about all the things I simply do not yet know. Now it’s time to live into the work.

[Alexander Borodovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Resource

I would recommend this product to white people, especially white women, who want to learn about loved experiences with racism. This book made me think differently about checking my privilege and living the work, rather than stop and go activism.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So there were some things about this book I really liked. It was encouraging, making you feel as though the work towards anti-racism is, while difficult, also something very possible if you are willing to do the work and stick with it. It also highlights a few ways in which white people promote systemic racism and white supremacy, sometimes without even realizing it.
My only criticism is that I wish there was more! I know there are workshops and classes and everything through her website but this book felt a bit more like an advertisement for all of that. More stories and how they played out. An overview of what Check Your Privilege goes into. Failures, successes...even delving more deeply into Ms. Hill's background, motivation, experiences, or challenges would have been good. I just felt like it cut off kind of abruptly.
All of that aside it did serve it's likely intended purpose which is it made me curious to go look for more.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slim, quick read that’s no less powerful for its size.

[Lara Ruark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really resonated with this book. I’m going to share some of the quotes that really stuck with me:

“White supremacy doesn’t promote repair; instead it values separation, segregation and individualism.”

“All of us (Hollywood included) must change the narrative and shift the spotlights to the strong, beautiful and courageous souls who hold down these communities without outside great gratitude or celebration.”

“One of the things I also do is remind myself “I didn’t choose institutional racism or the racism that is in me, but I must humbly work through it.””

“what I can do is build my own education, share my resources, keep listening, learning and staying open.”

“I saw whiteness as harmless”

“I was certain that my personal experiences provided an already strong foundation as I knew what it meant to live in poverty and underserved communities. What I didn’t realize was things like immediately connecting poverty to black and brown people was a racist assumption.”

Those are just a handful of quotes that I related to or stopped me in my tracks with a gut punch of truth that I thought the same thoughts. There was so much more. I highly recommend this book.

[Julia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and informative. Definitely inspiring and reassuring. As a white woman from the UK, this was maybe not as helpful to me personally as it certainly is to others, but it was invaluable in it's ralking about the work and about how mistakes will be made. About how progress and trying to work towards and live through the work of anti-racism isn't pretty, it will never be perfect.
I don't work in a group, or volunteer. I have anxiety and depression, so I worry about how much I can do, or where I can best live into the work. And whilst this book has not given me those answers, it has given me a direction to head in. Things to work on, and hope, determination and passion to do my best to find my way through this journey. I have a place to start and that is a lot when dealing with a huge issue like this, so I will continue to work and do my own learning and research as I live into it.

[Jessy Munch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. Short easy read, finished in a few hours but it’s full of so much important stuff. It’s a few short stories by different contributors, a couple black and the rest white. It gives a great perspective from each and also gives me a lot to keep thinking about on this journey of learning more. Definitely recommend reading, it really helps highlight a lot especially with white fragility. It definitely was not a read that felt comfortable to read as a white person, but it felt so necessary in order to learn and grow which is important to me.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read about a serious subject. Several white women write about how they came to realize they were perpetuating white privilege in their own lives. Their essays are followed up by Hill's concluding essay, in which she speaks movingly about how she decided to work with white women who were trying to unlearn white privilege, instead of turning away from them when they make inevitable mistakes.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short compilation of essays by six women about their experience with “living into the work” of anti-racism.

If you are a *beginner* and timid about talking about race, this is a good place for you to start- the white women in this compilation share their reckoning with racism which is both comforting and convicting- however, I feel like it was a little redundant?

All in all, it’s always humbling to hear other people’s stories and experiences.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of six essays is easy to understand, but, as with any anti-racism lit, often difficult to process emotionally. It’s definitely intended to be a first step, and it’s excellent as such. My only issue is that there was a lot of the language and discussion you would expect about doing this kind of self-examination, but not much info about how to actually go about “living into the work.”

[Andi Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short but informative read. I really enjoyed the different viewpoints and it opened my eyes to areas where I have allowed the belief that I was a "good person" to hinder me from recognizing the deeply rooted racism inside of me. I think this book is a great starting point for anyone doing anti-racism work.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was admittedly distracted by the editing. I appreciate it as an example of white women (like me) checking our privilege and working to do better, but I wanted to hear more from Myisha and Brandy. I felt as though the white voice was centred. Maybe it is because I was simultaneously reading Me and White Supremacy.

[Stacey Kauffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appreciated the personal stories and book’s layout, that helped unpack, reflect and internalize our (white women’s) unintentional contributions to white supremest culture, so that we can be better and do better. I also appreciated the call-out and explanation of the “cancel culture” and why it’s not productive and actually halts progress; Important and helpful insight!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who have yet to be enlightened by articles, friends, the news or any media whatsoever this is a very basic start and understanding of racial issues. That said, I was hoping for more in-depth material and perhaps a workbook or ways in which I can find my biases and prejudices and work on them. If that is what you are looking for as well bypass this

[Marcia Burdick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read

This is a fabulous guide to get me started on my active anti-racism work. Reading the experiences of women helped me personally connect to the work that lies ahead of me and gives me encouragement that real change is possible.

[Katie Tower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is short but full of stories that made me think about my own prejudices, assumptions and intentions. How am I showing up? Am I creating space for BIPOC voices? Definitely recommend to anyone and everyone.

[Christine (christines_booked) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book for those beginning their journey into becoming anti-racist. Short and easily read in a couple of hours, the book highlights the journeys and experiences of six women as they dig into living the work and is a stepping off point for beginning your own journey.

[Stephanie Hardaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays provides six different perspectives of women "living into the work" of anti-racism. Even though it was a quick read, it contains a lot of opportunities to pause and self-reflect.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short powerful essays on the process of recognizing privilege and “living into the work.”

[DeniMo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book with lots of good insight. I was hoping for more help with investigating one's privilege, but I enjoyed the essays.

[Lezlee Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to begin a journey of untangling, unlearning and accepting our place within racist systems.

[Ashley Picard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick essays that are easy to read and hard to process emotionally. As a while women, I am definitely privileged and thought myself to be "aware" but opened my eyes to areas I can do better.

[Chelsea]

Best intended for an audience at the beginning of their anti-racism work.

[Tim Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book rather than give you tools actually shows you other people's stories which I liked a lot.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick and good place to start your journey into being an anti racist. They are living the work ❤️