The History Book Club discussion
FREE READ (Only at the HBC)
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WHITE FRAGILITY: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - FREE READ (ONLY AT THE HBC) - READ AND LEAD - Leisurely Read
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Photo: The Monument to the Discoveries, Lisbon, Portugal. The highlighted figure in the center is an effigy of Gomes Eanes de Zurara. The figure at the top right is Prince Henry the Navigator. Photo by Harvey Barris
The History of White People
by
Nell Irvin PainterSynopsis:
Telling perhaps the most important forgotten story in American history, eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter guides us through more than two thousand years of Western civilization, illuminating not only the invention of race but also the frequent praise of “whiteness” for economic, scientific, and political ends. A story filled with towering historical figures, The History of White People closes a huge gap in literature that has long focused on the non-white and forcefully reminds us that the concept of “race” is an all-too-human invention whose meaning, importance, and reality have changed as it has been driven by a long and rich history of events.
About Nell Irvin Painter:
Nell Irvin Painter is a leading historian of the United States. She is currently the Edwards Professor of American History at Princeton University. She was Director of Princeton's Program in African-American Studies from 1997 to 2000. In addition to her doctorate in history from Harvard University, she has received honorary doctorates from Wesleyan, Dartmouth, SUNY-New Paltz, and Yale.
As a scholar, Professor Painter has published numerous books, articles, reviews, and other essays. Her most recent book is The History of White People. Six earlier books are also still in print. She has served on numerous editorial boards and as an officer of many different professional organizations, including the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the American Antiquarian Society, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, and the Association of Black Women Historians. She is currently a Councillor of the prestigious Society of American Historians.
Professor Painter's current work is interdisciplinary. In addition to traditional courses in American history and African-American studies, she teaches on the social construction of gender, race, and personal beauty.
Education
University of California, Berkeley, 1960-1962; 1963-1964. B.A. (honors) Anthropology, 1964
University of Bordeaux, France, 1962-1963, French medieval history
University of Ghana, Institute of African Studies, 1965-1966
University of California, Los Angeles, 1966-1967, MA, African History, 1967
Harvard University, 1969-1974, Ph.D., American history
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The Ta-Nehisi Coates book is one of my favorites. I would also add his more recent We Were Eight Years in Power, which includes many of his essays for The Atlantic about racism. It really changed my perspectives on the Obama administration, reparations, and many race-related issues.
I am on chapter 4 of An Indigenous People's History. Like White Fragility, it is well written and extremely informative. There are some statements I disagree with, but overall it is transformative. I am enjoying reading new perspectives and challenging myself to think about the past and the present in new ways.
I have also been listening to The New Jim Crow on audiobook. It invesetigates racism in the criminal justice system. There is a lot of information in there that has helped me make more informed discussions of systemic racism.
by Ta-Nehisi Coates (no photo)
by
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
by
Michelle Alexander
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Yes, the bibilography source material is a very good list - the chapter notes add some that are the same and some that are not on the book list. So I have been adding the chapter notes too.
Interesting. Thank you so much for your tips on the other books - the books that I listed with the second Jane Elliott post are ones that Jane Elliott mentions in her latest interviews.
It appears that the talk show hosts etc. are hunting her down again since the events of the past couple of months - I think she may be 87 now or thereabouts.
Next week I will be covering Chapter Two on White Fragility (don't have to cite the book we are discussing)
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Link to series podcasts: http://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-wh...
Just what is going on with white people? Police shootings of unarmed African Americans. Acts of domestic terrorism by white supremacists. The renewed embrace of raw, undisguised white-identity politics. Unending racial inequity in schools, housing, criminal justice, and hiring. Some of this feels new, but in truth it’s an old story.
Why? Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for?
Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with an array of leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, in this fourteen-part documentary series, released between February and August 2017. The series editor is Loretta Williams.
There are 14 podcasts in season two and this project>
Here is the studyguide: http://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-wh...
Here is the bibliography and I will add them eventually: http://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-wh...
Here are the transcripts: http://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-wh...
More:
Scene on Radio is a podcast that tells stories exploring human experience and American society. Produced and hosted by John Biewen, Scene on Radio comes from the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University and is distributed by PRX.
Season 1 featured a mix of stand-alone and multiple-episode stories; in Season 2, the Peabody-nominated Seeing White, Biewen and collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika explored the history and meaning of whiteness; in Season 3, Biewen and co-host Celeste Headlee delved into sexism, patriarchy, and misogyny.
In Season 4, John Biewen and Chenjerai Kumanyika explore democracy in America—past and present—in twelve biweekly episodes. The series retells the story of the country, or pivotal parts of that history, while exploring critical questions like, How democratic was the U.S. ever meant to be? American democracy is clearly in crisis today, but, when was it not? The series will almost certainly complicate, and may upend, our listeners’ understanding of American history.
The Season 4 title, The Land That Never Has Been Yet, is borrowed from the Langston Hughes poem “Let America Be America Again.” “O, let America be America again— / The land that never has been yet— / And yet must be. . . .”
About John Biewen:
John Biewen’s radio work has taken him to forty American states and to Europe, Japan, and India. He has produced for the NPR newsmagazines, This American Life, Studio 360, American RadioWorks, and the BBC World Service. He is audio program director at the Center for Documentary Studies, where, in addition to producing Scene on Radio, he teaches audio courses to undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. With co-editor Alexa Dilworth, he edited the book, Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound, now in its second edition.
About Chenjerai Kumanyika:
Chenjerai Kumanyika, collaborator on the Seeing White series, is a researcher, journalist, and artist who works as an assistant professor in Rutgers University’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies. His research and teaching focus on the intersections of social justice and emerging media in the cultural and creative industries. Kumanyika is the co-executive producer and co-host of UnCivil, Gimlet Media’s podcast on the Civil War. He has also been a contributor to Transom, VICE, and NPR’s Code Switch and Invisibilia podcasts and All Things Considered, and he is a news analyst for Rising Up Radio with Sonali Kolhatkar.
About Celeste Headlee:
Celeste Headlee is a radio journalist who has appeared on NPR, PBS World, PRI, CNN, BBC, and other international networks. She has hosted the daily talk show On Second Thought for Georgia Public Broadcasting and at National Public Radio has anchored shows including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Headlee’s book We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter, was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2017; she is now working on her second book and speaks to groups around the world on the art of conversation, journalism, and more.
by John Biewen (no photo)
by
Celeste HeadleeSource: Duke University - Scene On
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Fundraiser
Feb 16, 2020
This debate occurred in 1965 and the news story is about that moment and debate.
It has been 55 years since civil-rights activist, James Baldwin, and founder of the conservative National Review, William F. Buckley, Jr., met for a debate on race in America. That discussion and the lives of the two cultural giants are subjects of a new book, "The Fire is Upon Us." Zachary Green spoke with author and political scientist Nicholas Buccola about how the debate's still resonating.
This is the link to the news story: Link: https://www.pbs.org/video/baldwin-buc...
This is the famous and historic Baldwin/Buckley debate which occurred in 1965: Link: https://aeon.co/videos/the-legendary-...
Summary:"Has the American Dream been achieved at the expense of the American Negro?" - 1965 wording
From William F Buckley’s highly stylized posturing and pointing, to James Baldwin’s melodious rhetorical flourishes and memorable scowls, what’s become known as the ‘Baldwin-Buckley Debate’ now stands as one of the archetypal articulations of the dividing line between US progressives and conservatives on questions of race, justice and history.
Baldwin, the famed African-American writer, whose reputation as a progressive social critic and visionary Civil Rights activist has only risen in the intervening decades, argues that the very foundation of US society is built on the dehumanization of its African-American population.
Meanwhile, Buckley, the leading US conservative intellectual of the period, argues that African Americans would be best served by exploiting their country’s many freedoms and opportunities, rather than pointing a collective finger at discriminatory structures and institutions. In both cases, their positions presage contemporary divisive debates in the US, though one wonders whether such an event could happen in today’s political environment.
While usually reduced to short clips, the full hour-long debate – presented here in its entirety – is a remarkable historical document in its own right. Conducted in front of a large, almost entirely white and predominantly male audience at the Cambridge Union, the encounter offers a sense of campus intellectual life in the mid-1960s through the atmosphere in the room, the things that made people laugh, and the particular references made by the debaters.
After the always eloquent Baldwin evokes his personal experience to describe a perpetually disorienting and demeaning existence for African Americans, Buckley responds with facts and figures – as well as an ad hominem shot at Baldwin’s speaking voice – to argue that there’s an American Dream available to all those who would pursue it.
In the end, Baldwin prevailed, earning an ardent standing ovation and a landslide victory in the Union’s vote on the motion raised.
by
Nicholas Buccola
by
James Baldwin
by
William F. Buckley Jr.
by
James BaldwinSources: PBS, Youtube, Aeon, The Cambridge Union
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Jun 18, 2020
Dr. Robin DiAngelo talks about her book White Fragility, breaks down the meaning behind the book’s title and what white people can do to be better.
Link to show: https://youtu.be/rZfiSjTHVqA
Source: Youtube
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A critic I read on Twitter, Dr. Rhea Boyd, argues that the book lacks analysis and that "the intersecting forms of violence that shorten Black lives do not come from a social, economic, or political position of 'fragility'." She recommends a list of other books that "situate that analysis within ideological traditions they clearly name. And they explicitly interrogate the intersecting forms of oppression that power institutional racism":
by
Dorothy Roberts
by Karen E. Fields (no photo)
by
Harriet A. Washington
by
Isabel Wilkerson
by
Melissa V. Harris-Perry
by Monique W. Morris (no photo)I would worry about anyone who makes WF the only book they read about race. By itself, without more context about systemic racism, I could see where the book could do harm. Skeptical readers might dig deeper into their denial of racism and opposition to political correctness. Accepting readers might turn themselves into self-righteous monsters who think they are "woke" but really have just mastered some semantics.
In my view, WF is a well-needed slap in the face for white people, but we also need to follow up that slap with a long discussion about what is wrong with our society and how to fix it. We need to educate ourselves about systemic racism and learn all that we can about the Black experience. It is absolutely essential that we supplement this book with books by Black authors, like the growing list of books mentioned in this thread.
Source: @RheaBoyd on Twitter
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And we will be moving on to Stamped next and some others along with all sorts of interesting books too. Douglass if you would like to lead the Stamped free read or one on another of these books - just let me know - I will let you know what is involved and set up your thread in the Free Read section. Happy to do that.
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CHAPTER 2
RACISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY
"Many of us have been taught to believe that there are distinct biological and genetic differences between races.
This biology accounts for visual differences such as skin color, hair texture, and eye shape, and traits that we believe we see such as sexuality, athleticism, or mathematical ability.
The idea of race as a biological construct makes it easy to believe that many of the divisions we see in society are natural. But race, like gender, is socially constructed.
The differences we see with our eyes—differences such as hair texture and eye color—are superficial and emerged as adaptations to geography.
Under the skin, there is no true biological race. The external characteristics that we use to define race are unreliable indicators of genetic variation between any two people.
However, the belief that race and the differences associated with it are biological is deep-seated.
To challenge the belief in race as biology, we need to understand the social and economic investments that drove science to organize society and its resources along racial lines and why this organization is so enduring."
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 15). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
Discussion Topics and Questions:
✓Pre-Reading
✓Read the following quote. Journal your thoughts or discuss.
✓“Similarly, racism—like sexism and other forms of oppression—occurs when a racial group’s prejudice is backed by legal authority and institutional control. This authority and control transforms individual prejudices into a far-reaching system that no longer depends on the good intentions of individual actors; it becomes the default of the society and is reproduced automatically.” (p. 21)
✓1. What does it mean to say that race is “socially constructed”?
✓ 2. What is the difference between racial prejudice, racial discrimination, and racism?
✓ 3. What does the author mean when she says that there is no such thing as reverse racism?
✓4. How does the birdcage metaphor illustrate oppression?
✓5. What is scientific racism? Give some examples of how scientific racism is conveyed today.
✓6. What does Cheryl Harris mean when describing whiteness as a form of property?
✓7. What is problematic about the idea of the U.S. as a great “melting pot”? How did the melting pot actually work?
8. Discuss Coates’s statement that race is the child of racism, not the father.
9. The author cites Ruth Frankenberg’s description of whiteness as “a location of structural advantage, a standpoint from which white people look at ourselves, at others, and at society, and a set of cultural practices that are not named or acknowledged.” Explain each of these dimensions in your own words.
✓10. How is the author using the term “white supremacy”?
The White Racial Frame
1. Explain the concept of the white racial frame. What are some examples?
✓2. Take a few minutes to share some of your answers to the reflection questions on pp. 35-37. What surprised you?
✓3. What patterns in the answers to the reflection questions do you notice within the group? - responded to in other answers
✓4. What insights do the answers give you on implicit aspects of our racial socialization? - responded to in other answers
✓5. What are some ways in which racism is “deeply embedded in the fabric” of society? Provide some examples. - responded to in other answers
Sources: White Fragility Reading Guide (Beacon Press)
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Chapter Two - RACISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY
Chapter 2 outlines key information about racism and white supremacy in the United States. The author emphasizes that race is socially constructed; however, the belief that race and differences associated with it are biological is deep-seated.
Race is an evolving social idea that was created to legitimize racial inequality and protect white advantage. Historically and contemporarily, being perceived as white carries legal, political, economic, and social rights and privileges that are denied to others.
White supremacy is the overarching political, economic, and social system of domination that describes the culture we live in and that positions whiteness as ideal.
Naming white supremacy makes the system visible and shifts the locus of change onto white people, where it belongs. Challenging complicity with and investment in racism is life-long work for white people.
Note: The above summary of ideas are the thoughts and ideas of the authors of White Fragility.
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✓• Prejudice - According to the author: People of color may also hold prejudices and discriminate against white people, but they lack the social and institutional power that transforms their prejudice and discrimination into racism; the impact of their prejudice on whites is temporary and contextual. Prejudice is pre-judgment about another person based on the social groups to which that person belongs. Prejudice consists of thoughts and feelings, including stereotypes, attitudes, and generalizations that are based on little or no experience and then are projected onto everyone from that group. Our prejudices tend to be shared because we swim in the same cultural water and absorb the same messages.
Source for the above quote: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 19 - 22). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
✓• Discrimination - According to the author: People of color may also hold prejudices and discriminate against white people, but they lack the social and institutional power that transforms their prejudice and discrimination into racism; the impact of their prejudice on whites is temporary and contextual. Discrimination is action based on prejudice. These actions include ignoring, exclusion, threats, ridicule, slander, and violence. For example, if hatred is the emotion we feel because of our prejudice, extreme acts of discrimination, such as violence, may follow.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 20). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition. DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 20 - 22). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
✓• Racism - According to the author - racism is a society-wide dynamic that occurs at the group level. When I say (the author's direct words) that only whites can be racist, I mean that in the United States, only whites have the collective social and institutional power and privilege over people of color. People of color do not have this power and privilege over white people. Racism is deeply embedded in the fabric of our society. It is not limited to a single act or person. Nor does it move back and forth, one day benefiting whites and another day (or even era) benefiting people of color. The direction of power between white people and people of color is historic, traditional, and normalized in ideology. Racism differs from individual racial prejudice and racial discrimination in the historical accumulation and ongoing use of institutional power and authority to support the prejudice and to systematically enforce discriminatory behaviors with far-reaching effects. When a racial group’s collective prejudice is backed by the power of legal authority and institutional control, it is transformed into racism, a far-reaching system that functions independently from the intentions or self-images of individual actors.
Source for the quote: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 20 - 22). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
✓• Ideology - According to the author: "The system of racism begins with ideology, which refers to the big ideas that are reinforced throughout society. From birth, we are conditioned into accepting and not questioning these ideas. Ideology is reinforced across society, for example, in schools and textbooks, political speeches, movies, advertising, holiday celebrations, and words and phrases. These ideas are also reinforced through social penalties when someone questions an ideology and through the limited availability of alternative ideas. Ideologies are the frameworks through which we are taught to represent, interpret, understand, and make sense of social existence. Because these ideas are constantly reinforced, they are very hard to avoid believing and internalizing. Examples of ideology in the United States include individualism, the superiority of capitalism as an economic system and democracy as a political system, consumerism as a desirable lifestyle, and meritocracy (anyone can succeed if he or she works hard).
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 21). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
✓• White privilege - According to the author - David Wellman succinctly summarizes racism as “a system of advantage based on race.” These advantages are referred to as white privilege, a sociological concept referring to advantages that are taken for granted by whites and that cannot be similarly enjoyed by people of color in the same context (government, community, workplace, schools, etc.). But let me be clear (these are the author's words): stating that racism privileges whites does not mean that individual white people do not struggle or face barriers. It does mean that we do not face the particular barriers of racism.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 24). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
✓• Whiteness - According to the author: "Whiteness rests upon a foundational premise: the definition of whites as the norm or standard for human, and people of color as a deviation from that norm. Whiteness is not acknowledged by white people, and the white reference point is assumed to be universal and is imposed on everyone. White people find it very difficult to think about whiteness as a specific state of being that could have an impact on one’s life and perceptions.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 25). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
✓• White supremacy - According to the author, "This powerful ideology promotes the idea of whiteness as the ideal for humanity well beyond the West. White supremacy is especially relevant in countries that have a history of colonialism by Western nations. White supremacy is the overarching political, economic, and social system of domination that describes the culture we live in and that positions whiteness as ideal.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 29). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
Note: The above concepts are the thoughts and ideas of the authors of White Fragility solely.
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✓1. How has race impacted your life? If you are struggling to answer the question, why?
✓2. Review the racial breakdown of people who control our national institutions on p. 31. What specific conclusions can be drawn from this list?
✓3. The author asks several questions about racial socialization and schooling on p. 35, including “Why is it important to reflect on our teachers in our effort to uncover our racial socialization and the messages we receive from schools?” Answer that question and consider answering a few other questions from p. 35.
✓4. Practice explaining the differences between racism, prejudice, and discrimination in your own terms. Why is it important for people of all races to understand these concepts and the differences between them? What are historical or current examples of racism, prejudice, and discrimination that students can understand? - already responded to
✓5. How does your community reinforce a racist ideology? How do you know?
✓6. Who or what benefits from the biological myths associated with race? How are biological racist myths perpetuated in society? - already responded within the response of other answers
7. Describe some of the broader implications of our complicity and investment in racism.
✓8. How can the learning from this chapter be converted into an action item for your others around you?
Note: The above topics and questions are the thoughts and ideas of the authors of White Fragility.
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Glad to have all members take part.
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Race has not impacted my life in ways that I am aware. I have always taken things for granted; but worked extremely hard. We were taught that a solid work effort and education were very important. Life has its ups and downs but that is to be expected. I am not struggling to answer the question.
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Similarly, racism—like sexism and other forms of oppression—occurs when a racial group’s prejudice is backed by legal authority and institutional control. This authority and control transforms individual prejudices into a far-reaching system that no longer depends on the good intentions of individual actors; it becomes the default of the society and is reproduced automatically.”
Response:
I have not seen this to the extent of the author. If the author is talking about what happened with poor George Floyd and others - that was very apparent as everyone watched on their television screen. That was heartbreaking and those policies (chokehold, etc) need to be changed. Many towns and cities are working on just that.
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Response:
The author claims the following: Race is a social construction, and thus who is included in the category of white changes over time. As the Italian American man from my workshop noted, European ethnic groups such as the Irish, Italian, and Polish were excluded in the past. But where they may have been originally divided in terms of origin, European immigrants became racially united through assimilation. This process of assimilation—speaking English, eating “American” foods, discarding customs that set them apart—reified the perception of American as white.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 18). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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Chisholm ′72: Unbought and Unbossed. Shola Lynch, dir. and prod. REAL-side, 2004. http://www.pbs.org/pov/chisholm.
A Class Divided. William Peters, dir. and prod. Yale University Films for Frontline, PBS. WGBH Education Foundation, 1985. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/fi....
The Color of Fear. Stirfry Seminars, 1994. http://www.stirfryseminars.com/store/....
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Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to run for President when she sought the Democratic nomination in 1972.
Link: https://youtu.be/y3JCX3WxBik (a full segment of Chisholm "72: Unbought and Unbossed - could not find the entire film on line - at least not yet)
Source: NYC Department of Records and Information Services. Youtube
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. When listening to Chisholm speak, even though it was 1972 - she could have been talking about the politics and times of 2020. What are your thoughts after watching the video?
2. Chisholm talked about why she wanted to run for President of the United States and what motivated her. What are your thoughts regarding this interview?
3. It was interesting that in one of the clips - Shirley Chisholm stated that it was not white people who stood in her way but it was men - (black, white, and Puerto Rican - they all thought that she asked and raised too many questions, and that she never keeps quiet. Were the men afraid of change and the influence that Chisholm would have on other women?
4. What did you think of the advice Chisholm gave to young African Americans? And the fact that she believed that a great deal of future success of African Americans depended upon the environment in which they were reared? Any thoughts?
5. What did you think about Chisholm's responses about her greatest achievement and strongest regret? Chisholm was the first black woman to serve in Congress.
More:
Shirley Chisholm : The First Black Congresswoman
Link to video: https://youtu.be/Ia2ngZgo17U
Shirley Chisholm : Men in My Political Career
Link to video: https://youtu.be/Hubaho0vX2U
Shirley Chisholm : Outlook on the Future
Link to video: https://youtu.be/ZjQrzitHqyc
Shirley Chisholm : Advice to Young African Americans
Link to video: https://youtu.be/kc1coVnxU9s
Shirley Chisholm : Greatest Achievement / Strongest Regret
Link to video: https://youtu.be/p3MEK65hrtA
Shirley Chisholm : Definition of Leadership
Link to video: https://youtu.be/ypwgXe6pI_A
Shirley Chisholm : My Bid for Presidency
Link to video: https://youtu.be/qB_krfRLSVM
Shirley Chisholm : Fighting the Educational System
Link to video: https://youtu.be/FAD2eSfixrg
by Shirley Chisholm (no photo)
by Barbara Winslow (no photo)(no image) The Good Fight by Shirley Chisholm (no photo)
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US Congresswoman, Social Reformer.
She was elected to represent New York’s 12th District in the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1968 to 1982.
Born Shirley St. Hill in New York City, she was the eldest daughter of a Guyanese father who worked in a burlap bag factory and a Barbadian mother. At the age of 3, she was sent to her grandmother's farm in Barbados, where she attended British grammar school, and picked up the Caribbean accent that would later mark her speech.
When she was 11, she returned to New York City, and went on to graduate Cum Laude from Brooklyn College, and earn a Master's Degree from Columbia University.
She began a career as Director of a day care center, and served as consultant to the city's Bureau of Child Welfare.
Becoming active in Democratic politics, she served in the state Assembly from 1964 to 1968, and in 1968, won election to the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first Black woman to win office there.
She went on to serve seven terms in the House of Representatives, and from her first moments there, demanded to be heard. When assigned to the House Agriculture Committee, which she felt was worthless due to her representation of an urban constituency, she was reassigned to the Veterans Affairs Committee.
During her time in office, she would vote her mind, sometimes supporting better white candidates over black candidates, when she thought it would better serve the country as a whole.
She ran for Democratic nomination for President in 1972, and when rival candidate George Wallace was shot, she visited him in the hospital.
Two years later, when she needed support to extend the minimum wage, it was Wallace who got her the votes from the Southern members of Congress.
In her book, "Unbought and Unbossed," a title that clearly described her years in Congress, she believed that the representative democracy in the United States was not working, because the Congress was controlled by a small group of old men.
She left Congress in 1982, stating that she was a pragmatic politician and that conservatism was becoming more dominant in national politics. After her retirement from Congress, she taught at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, and later, became a speaker on the lecture circuit.
More:
https://www.jofreeman.com/polhistory/...
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/spee...
https://www.c-span.org/person/?shirle...
http://www.visionaryproject.com/chish...
https://www.womenshistory.org/educati...
https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Ho...
https://www.thoughtco.com/shirley-chi...
https://www.britannica.com/biography/...
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-350...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley...
Sources: Wikipedia, Find a Grave, BBC News, Encyclopedia Britannica, Thought Company, Congress, Women's History, Visionary Project, C-Span, American Rhetoric, Youtube, Jo Freeman
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Response:
According to the author - "Prejudice is pre-judgment about another person based on the social groups to which that person belongs. Prejudice consists of thoughts and feelings, including stereotypes, attitudes, and generalizations that are based on little or no experience and then are projected onto everyone from that group. Our prejudices tend to be shared because we swim in the same cultural water and absorb the same messages. All humans have prejudice; we cannot avoid it."
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 19). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
According to the author - "Discrimination is action based on prejudice. These actions include ignoring, exclusion, threats, ridicule, slander, and violence. For example, if hatred is the emotion we feel because of our prejudice, extreme acts of discrimination, such as violence, may follow. These forms of discrimination are generally clear and recognizable. But if what we feel is more subtle, such as mild discomfort, the discrimination is likely to also be subtle, even hard to detect. Most of us can acknowledge that we do feel some unease around certain groups of people, if only a heightened sense of self-consciousness. But this feeling doesn’t come naturally.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 20). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
The author further states that everyone is prejudiced and everyone discriminates. But according to the author: "Racism is a structure." According to the author: "When a racial group’s collective prejudice is backed by the power of legal authority and institutional control, it is transformed into racism, a far-reaching system that functions independently from the intentions or self-images of individual actors. J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, professor of American studies and anthropology at Wesleyan University, explains, “Racism is a structure, not an event.” American women’s struggle for suffrage illustrates how institutional power transforms prejudice and discrimination into structures of oppression.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 20). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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More:
Shirley Chisholm: First African American Congresswoman | Black History Documentary | Timeline
Link to video: https://youtu.be/Fz-dfJIprkY
Source: Timeline - World History Documentaries, Youtube
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Response:
This I do not believe nor do I agree with the author's premise and generalization. There is reverse racism from what I have been able to observe; but the following is what the author states is her point of view. The author states as follows "everyone has prejudice, and everyone discriminates. Given this reality, inserting the qualifier “reverse” is nonsensical." This may be nonsensical from her viewpoint but regardless - it is a reality in some places. We are all entitled to our own opinions and we are all critical readers of all books; so I am not taking what DiAngelo is saying as the "gospel truth".
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 20). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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Response:
There are no specific conclusions that can be drawn. For example, the Obama White House was indicative of the demographics of our country - it looked like our country. The Trump White House does not. The Clinton White House looked like the country - the George W. Bush White House did too. So it is not Executive Branch specific or even party specific - it is the executive branch head that determines that mix. There are so many factors in each of these situations. However, it would be beneficial for the country to be more sensitive and fine tuned to these demographics and seek equality of opportunity for each of the minorities (women included).
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Response:
I do not think that this matters - it really depends upon the teacher. (JMHO)
But the author states the following: "Now think about your teachers. When was the first time you had a teacher of the same race as yours? Did you often have teachers of the same race as your own? Most white people, in reflecting on these questions, realize that they almost always had white teachers; many did not have a teacher of color until college. Conversely, most people of color have rarely if ever had a teacher who reflected their own race(s). Why is it important to reflect on our teachers in our effort to uncover our racial socialization and the messages we receive from schools?
Again I disagree with the basic premise that is being made that teachers will treat student differently as it regards race or even going a step further that black students for example will do better with a teacher of their own race. Those hypotheses on the part of DiAngelo just are not true and very fuzzy generalizations. However, if seeing black teachers provides a role model for a black student - I can understand that specific connection. (JMHO)
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 35). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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Right now I am in the middle of Chapter 2 - I have read the chapter and listened to it as well. But I am going through the author's questions and pausing to think and to respond to them if I can. Also these are personal opinions or thoughts - but I am giving it a go. I am also taking the time to look at the sources or urls or films or footnotes and examining them. I post when I find something interesting to share.
So Chapter 2 - it appears - will be taking me awhile; but that is where I am - when I have completed examining and thinking about Chapter 2 and will be going on to Chapter 3 - I will let you know.
I will be checking off the questions as I think and ponder and post about them.
All is well,
Bentley
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Response:
Frankly, I did not buy into this concept although I can see what she means about everything being a matter of perspective from your point of view and the angle or perspective you have or you grew up with. And of course the concept of the "caged bird". I actually read an essay related to Frye that explained it better and more succinctly - "A view of oppression that views its elements individually, like the birdcage, will fail to show you the elements of oppression that force you to stay in the cage."
This is what the author wrote about it: The author states: "Scholar Marilyn Frye uses the metaphor of a birdcage to describe the interlocking forces of oppression.
If you stand close to a birdcage and press your face against the wires, your perception of the bars will disappear and you will have an almost unobstructed view of the bird. If you turn your head to examine one wire of the cage closely, you will not be able to see the other wires.
If your understanding of the cage is based on this myopic view, you may not understand why the bird doesn’t just go around the single wire and fly away. You might even assume that the bird liked or chose its place in the cage. But if you stepped back and took a wider view, you would begin to see that the wires come together in an interlocking pattern—a pattern that works to hold the bird firmly in place. It now becomes clear that a network of systematically related barriers surrounds the bird.
Taken individually, none of these barriers would be that difficult for the bird to get around, but because they interlock with each other, they thoroughly restrict the bird. While some birds may escape from the cage, most will not. And certainly those that do escape will have to navigate many barriers that birds outside the cage do not.
The birdcage metaphor helps us understand why racism can be so hard not understand why the bird doesn’t just go around the single wire and fly away. You might even assume that the bird liked or chose its place in the cage. But if you stepped back and took a wider view, you would begin to see that the wires come together in an interlocking pattern—a pattern that works to hold the bird firmly in place. It now becomes clear that a network of systematically related barriers surrounds the bird.
Taken individually, none of these barriers would be that difficult for the bird to get around, but because they interlock with each other, they thoroughly restrict the bird. While some birds may escape from the cage, most will not. And certainly those that do escape will have to navigate many barriers that birds outside the cage do not. The birdcage metaphor helps us understand why racism can be so hard" (she goes on and on and on about the birdcage metaphor- but I have added enough)
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 23). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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Conversation with Shirley A. Chisholm (Talking Leadership
Series)
Link: https://youtu.be/bQPc8EMNFXE
Source: Youtube, Center for American Women and Politics
Note: Watching and listening to the interviews, etc. with Shirley Chisholm - the one above was done in 2002. In the others which also were later - her hair was slightly different and she did look a bit younger.
So I am assuming that the other oral interviews were maybe 3 years earlier or so. Of course - the one where she was running for president was in 72.
But in the later ones - after she was well retired (she died when she was 80 on January 1, 2005) - she told the interviewer that a woman would become president; but it would not be for another 20 to 25 years; and she did not think that the first woman president would be black; but she did think that the first woman president would be a vice president first so that America could get use to seeing a woman in the executive branch.
I was thinking how potentially prophetic and potentially accurate she might be. We do know that Biden has stated that he will select a woman candidate (and there are women of color among them as well as Elizabeth Warren) so we will see if Shirley is right.
As far as President Trump - there have been all sorts of rumors that Pence might be dropped in favor of a woman - so this is anybody's guess. For Trump, however, he could not have had a better fit than Pence who has been loyal and knows how to give the President the deference that Trump wants and needs. It is not easy to fire your vice president.
It is too bad that Congresswoman Chisholm did not at least see Barack Obama win the presidency. I am sure she would have been thrilled. Quite a tenacious, admirable woman (the first black member of congress).
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Response:
I personally have never heard of this term in my entire life. I thought possibly that it could mean how some colleges and scientists were charted with the task of discovering how the races were different and coming up with hypotheses. Some of this early work (hundreds of years ago) was done by German scientists and even was adopted by some of the named and revered colleges in this country. Of course, they did not know any better and those times thankfully were long ago. When the group was reading and discussing The Metaphysical Club - these studies were discussed in the book (this was a good book by the way if you have not read it)
by
Louis MenandThe author defines the above as the following and she writes: "If science could prove that black people were naturally and inherently inferior (he saw Indigenous people as culturally deficient—a shortcoming that could be remedied), there would be no contradiction between our professed ideals and our actual practices.
There were, of course, enormous economic interests in justifying enslavement and colonization. Race science was driven by these social and economic interests, which came to establish cultural norms and legal rulings that legitimized racism and the privileged status of those defined as white.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 16). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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Response:
I personally see nothing wrong with this concept. In the past, when immigrants came to America and they were asked to assimilate into the culture and language of our country; it helped unify the country as a whole. It was good for them and it was good for the country. Everyone became one - the melting pot. I am sorry but I see nothing wrong with this whatsoever and it was something for our country to be proud of. That folks from all over the world - from many diverse backgrounds could all become one.
Now along comes the author who writes the following: "In reality, only European immigrants were allowed to melt, or assimilate, into dominant culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, because, regardless of their ethnic identities, these immigrants were perceived to be white and thus could belong."
My Additional Response: Personally I believe her statement to be false. Folks have come from all over the world and some are sitting in our Congress as Congressmen or Women and/or Senators. They worked hard, assimilated and the melting pot worked.
Source: DiAngelo, Robin J.. White Fragility (p. 18). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.
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Response:
I do not think it does. How do I know - I can observe the community and I can see how folks are treated by all of the local institutions and there is nobody reinforcing a racist ideology. Nothing that I personally have seen or heard.
Have I seen examples on television - yes - for example the police practices that affected George Floyd for example. But these examples were not in my local community. Is it possible that I have just not witnessed them - well anything is possible; but I have not seen this firsthand.
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Response:
Our teachers have core curriculums nowadays and they are very attuned to being "inclusive" in terms of the books in the classroom, how they incorporate the various students' culture into the lessons being taught and how they even teach English as a second language. There are very stringent policies in most schools that I am aware of - that are fostering equitable socialization activities "absent of race". Our teachers are doing a great job during some trying times.
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Response:
Being more aware of what is going on around you and not ignoring those things that might be "perceived" or are "real injustices" that you see or hear about.
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Shirley Chisholm, the first black congresswoman and a 1971 candidate for nominee for Presidency of United States in a historical political moment speaks at the Greenfield High School Auditorium in 1983. Introduction by Risky Case.
Link: https://youtu.be/NrN8N0dHMsc
Source: Youtube
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Link: https://youtu.be/Hp5SNpCtiWk
Summary: Lee Mun Wah is an internationally renowned Chinese American documentary filmmaker, author, poet, Asian folk teller, educator, community therapist and master diversity trainer.
He is the Founder and Executive Director of StirFry Seminars & Consulting, a diversity training company that provides educational tools and workshops on cross-cultural communication and awareness, mindful facilitation, and conflict mediation techniques.
His most famous film about racism, The Color of Fear, won the Gold Medal for Best Social Studies Documentary and in 1995, Oprah Winfrey did a one-hour special on the film and Lee Mun Wah's life.
In 2013, he will be releasing his latest film, If These Halls Could Talk, which focuses on college students speaking their truth about racism and other diversity issues in higher education and beyond. Lee Mun Wah talks about the power of cultural perspective and the need to reach beyond the superficial in making cross-cultural connections.
Source: Youtube, Ted Talk
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Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity. World Trust, 2013. https://world-trust.org.
Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954–1965. Season 1. DVD. Produced by Blackside for PBS, 2009. https://shop.pbs.org/eyes-on-the-priz....
In Whose Honor? Jay Rosenstein, dir. On POV (PBS), premiered July 15, 1997. http://www.pbs.org/pov/inwhosehonor.
Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible. World Trust, 2007. https://world-trust.org.
Race: The Power of an Illusion. Larry Adelman, exec. prod. San Francisco: California Newsreel, 2003. http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/0.... Reel
Bad Arabs. Jeremy Earp, dir. Media Education Foundation, 2006. http://freedocumentaries.org/document.... The Revisionaries. Scott Thurman, dir. Making History Productions, 2012. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/fi....
13th. Ava DuVernay, dir. Netflix, 2016. https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741. (this one is on Netflix)
Note: All of the Books in the Source area and the Films in the same part of the book have been added to this thread. We will still be adding the Chapter Note sources as we go through the book.
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The History and Geography of Human Genes
by
Luigi Luca Cavalli-SforzaSynopsis:
Hailed as a breakthrough in the understanding of human evolution, The History and Geography of Human Genes offers the first full-scale reconstruction of where human populations originated and the paths by which they spread throughout the world. By mapping the worldwide geographic distribution of genes for over 110 traits in over 1800 primarily aboriginal populations, the authors charted migrations and devised a clock by which to date evolutionary history. This monumental work is now available in a more affordable paperback edition without the myriad illustrations and maps, but containing the full text and partial appendices of the authors' pathbreaking endeavor.
-- "Science"
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TBA
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USER-CREATED CLIP - APRIL 13, 2020"Race is the child of racism, not the father - Ta-Nehisi Coates explains his quote which frankly I did not know what he was talking about either. He explains himself in this user clip which may be helpful.
Link: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c486819...
Ta-Nehisi Coates (no photo)
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. Did this user clip help you understand his literary quote? Also, did anyone else feel that he seems to have an edge when he is responding with an attitude issue? We have covered some of his books and he is a very gifted writer. What are your thoughts about Coates' quote?
More:
https://www.ir.ufl.edu/OIRApps/ethnic...
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/n...
https://www.census.gov/mso/www/traini...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(h...
https://www.iowadatacenter.org/aboutd...
https://www.livescience.com/differenc...
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/cu...
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/201...
https://www.britannica.com/topic/race...
Ta-Nehisi Coates talks about how he derived this concept from the book Racecraft - he mentions Barbara Fields but not Karen as the author.
My feelings on this - the fact is - there are different races of people. So the races at least for now (just filled out my census form) -are what they are.
Saying that race is the child of racism still to me does not make any sense whatsoever. I do not think there is any illusion of race; there are different races/ethnicities (some will say that these are constructs).
Regardless of how you check off the census box - what is too bad is that racism somehow has become a derivative of how you see yourself and how others see you.
Coates, to me, has a narrative and he reswizzles some of the basic facts together; some of these facts suit his narrative. That is fine.
Each person is entitled to judge how they interpret these constructs. Hopefully, these discussions will evolve over time bringing more clarity to these tough issues and breaking down barriers.
It is odd too how the author as well as Coates do not want to talk about "race relations"; they treat it as a bad thing. Everyone can decide what their own views are after reading this book - it is all up to you independently.
Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life
by Karen E. Fields (no photo)Synopsis:
Most people assume that racism grows from a perception of human difference: the fact of race gives rise to the practice of racism. Sociologist Karen E. Fields and historian Barbara J. Fields argue otherwise: the practice of racism produces the illusion of race, through what they call “racecraft.”
And this phenomenon is intimately entwined with other forms of inequality in American life. So pervasive are the devices of racecraft in American history, economic doctrine, politics, and everyday thinking that the presence of racecraft itself goes unnoticed.
That the promised post-racial age has not dawned, the authors argue, reflects the failure of Americans to develop a legitimate language for thinking about and discussing inequality. That failure should worry everyone who cares about democratic institutions.
Sources: C-Span, Youtube, NIH, Census Bureau, Wikipedia, Harvard, National Geographic, Live/Science, Iowa Data
Bentley, for more on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ quote about race and racism, and his attitude in general, may I heartily recommend his book Between the World and Me? It is excellent!Regards,
Andrea
by Ta-Nehisi Coates (no photo)
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And the author emphasizes this for the race she calls "white" with the title of her book. She focuses on the one race she calls "white" (caucasians as they used to be known).
What is the part of what they call a social construct - that is wrong and not just - and this part (I agree with Coates) is treating people "unequally", because of that fact alone - and that is the point that Coates should be making.
Yes, you are white, black, asian, Native American, Hispanic, Latino, Hawaiian, but it should not matter what race you are - all men and women should be treated "equally". That is the part that is a problem.
Not that you are white, black, purple, red, or whatever you happen to be. The color of your skin should not determine how you are treated.
Likewise, if you are white you should not be made to feel embarrassed - because you are white either or if you are Native American or any other ethnicity or race. I think that is the point that I am making. Of course, everyone is welcome to their differences of opinion.
So that is why (JMHO) I do not buy his premise totally; but in part. But I respect every other person's right to feel differently. Another point - that should be made - everyone should have a level playing field. I agree wholeheartedly with that. But what I do not agree with is devaluing/disparaging one race to elevate another. Let us just eliminate the false barriers to equality and change those "practices" - like eliminate the choke hold, fix the unequal police practices so that there is better training for our officers who are doing a tough, tough job, overhaul the criminal justice system, examine our jails, why is housing such an issue, make healthcare a universal right, maybe look at how De Soto has helped out in Peru. Protect everyone's right to vote.
When I watched the Chisholm videos, what struck me was something she said about the same problems never being addressed but continuing to be the same problems here in this country. By the way in these old videos - she "named them" - and "by golly" they are absolutely the same ones today! That is what is wrong - Congress needs to do its job; not just be caught up in only protecting their job for the next election. They need to tackle these issues head-on.
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Bentley, in Message #146, I think I more or less agree with you. The History Club must have read Coates’ book long before I joined — I’m sick I missed those discussions. They must have been eye-opening!Regards,
Andrea
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African-American museum removes controversial chart linking 'whiteness' to self-reliance, decision-making - The chart didn't contribute to the 'productive conversation' they wanted to see
Remainder of article:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/african-am...
Source: Fox News
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism (other topics)Just Mercy (other topics)
Between the World and Me (other topics)
How to Be an Antiracist (other topics)
Between the World and Me (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Drew G. I. Hart (other topics)Bryan Stevenson (other topics)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (other topics)
Ibram X. Kendi (other topics)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (other topics)
More...
Link: https://youtu.be/f2z-ahJ4uws
Jun 2, 2020 - being interviewed by Jimmy Fallon this month!
More:
Jane Elliott's "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" Anti-Racism Exercise | The Oprah Winfrey Show | OWN - televised in 1992
Summary: In this 1992 Oprah Show episode, award-winning anti-racism activist and educator Jane Elliott taught the audience a tough lesson about racism by demonstrating just how easy it is to learn prejudice. Watch as the audience, totally unaware that an exercise is underway, gets separated into two groups based on the color of their eyes. The blue-eyes group was discriminated against while the people with brown eyes were treated with respect. Jane says she first started this exercise in her third grade class back in 1968, the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For
Link: https://youtu.be/ebPoSMULI5U
Jane Elliott - A World of Difference - World Map - Blue Eyes Brown Eyes
Summary: In 1968, Jane was a third grade teacher in Iowa and the woman behind the “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” experiment. Our 80-minute interview took place at her home in California, during the interview, she became emotional three times: for her husband, her father, and Martin Luther King Jr. You may not agree with everything she believes in but you can absolutely agree with much of what she says. More behind the scenes here: https://oneiconmedia.com/jane-elliott
Link: https://youtu.be/m7-y8MNzJKI
Racism has a cost for everyone | Heather C. McGhee - May 8, 2020
Link to Ted Video: https://youtu.be/eaCrsBtiYA4
Summary: Racism makes our economy worse -- and not just in ways that harm people of color, says public policy expert Heather C. McGhee. From her research and travels across the US, McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential -- and offers a crucial rethink on what we can do to create a more prosperous nation for all. "Our fates are linked," she says. "It costs us so much to remain divided."
Sources: Tonight Show by Jimmy Fallon Show, Youtube, Oprah Winfrey Show, One Own Icon Media, Ted Talk