What Does It Mean to Be White in America? Breaking the White Code of Silence

by Gabrielle David

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? BREAKING THE WHITE CODE OF SILENCE, A COLLECTION OF PERSONAL NARRATIVES, is a collection that asks just that. While the literature on whiteness has long been dominated by an academic point of view, editors Gabrielle David and Sean Frederick Forbes came to the realization that there was an unmet need for an anthology of personal narratives about race and culture from the perspective of white Americans. In this conception process, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? was born.The first of its kind, this collection of 82 personal narratives reflects a vibrant range of stories from white Americans who speak frankly and openly about race, not only as it applies to people of color, but as it applies to themselves. In answering the question, some may offer viewpoints one may not necessarily agree with, but nevertheless, it is clear that each contributor is committed to answering it as honestly as possible.With an introduction by racial justice educator and writer, Debby Irving, and an afterword by award-winning poet, author and scholar, Tara Betts, the purpose of WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? is to, as Irving points out in her introduction, break the code of silence so that we can engage in frank conversations about race. An invaluable starting point that includes a glossary and a bibliography of suggested reading, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA? is highly recommended for students, teachers and anyone else interested in seeking a deeper and richer understanding of race in America. Visit the book's website at whiteinamerica.org to learn more about the book and the contributors.

Genres: Anthropology, Essays

682 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2016

About the author

GABRIELLE DAVID is a multidisciplinary artist and the publisher of 2Leaf Press, a Black/Brown female-led nonprofit press based in New York that promotes multicultural literature and literacy, and is distributed by University of Chicago Press. She is also the author of the six-volume series, TRAILBLAZERS, BLACK WOMEN WHO HELPED MAKE AMERICA GREAT, AMERICAN ICONS/AMERICAN FIRSTS.

Reviews

[Jan Priddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are over 80 essays in this anthology. I have read most of them, though I still have front and back material to read. A Jewish friend told me when she finished it that she was "glad they left the racists in." Yes, I suppose that was a good choice. No flaming bigotry, just the ordinary white entitlement and resentment. More essays by people struggling to find justice and fair play, describing personal experiences and hopes for a more open and fair America. The essays are almost all very short, just a few pages long. Some are written by white people of faith, by white social activists, many by ordinary white people who risk speaking candidly about race, a few by white people atoning for their personal sins, and a few white people claiming that none of this is their fault.

I wish it were shorter (though had I been the editor charged with making such a decision, I would have had the same difficulty these editors did). What essays to exclude? There are many essay about growing up in a racist household and then having a come-to-Jesus moment with race, or being the while childhood friend of another child of color and still wish they could apologize to—do I need to read a dozen of these narratives? Might one of them or two or even three have made the same point? Essays that begin with the announcement that the writer thought the task would be easy, but then . . . Riffs on titles that have already been riffed on too many times. Yeah, even I did that.

I suspect that devoting a full-time-month-plus-overtime effort would have yielded a far more reader-friendly and useful volume. I wish I had not had to wade through essentially the same (excellent) essay again and again without learning anything new. I wish this book were about 240 pages instead of 651. I wish it were not listed on Goodreads twice. I wish *not being* white meant more than being black or jewish. I wish the formatting were standardized instead of using a mix of footnotes and chapter endnotes. I wish the subtitle were not "Breaking the White Code of Silence." I wish the book were not print-on-demand so that more bookstores would carry it. These things did not happen and that is the reason I am inclined to take a star off this review.

There is very little to find distressing in this collection—perhaps that is a problem too. The regretful and sentimental essays are familiar and not surprising. The accounts of lifelong advocacy are heartwarming but not surprising. The self-justifying and mildly racist essays are irritating though not surprising. We have heard much of this before. Yes, it is awful. Racism is a bald, unwarrantable usurpation of human civil rights. We agree.

I do not like the length or the cover, but it is a useful book with important things to say, and I am grateful to be included. ("White Noise" by Jan Priddy, pages 23-26)

[I.G. Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

For many this will be an eye-opening book and I strongly recommend it for any white person who a) still doesn't get how they can be considered privileged or b) wants to work against the systemic racism that creates that privilege.

Unfortunately, the book would have benefited from a good editor who selected fewer essays and was more discriminatory about what was included. It reads as if every submission was stuffed in, no matter how little it added to the excellent quality of the overall work. Too many of the essays rambled along enough to put the reader to sleep and there was a lot of unnecessary repetition. And why include essays by people who still don't understand the concept of white privilege and have nothing to contribute to the conversation?

Still, the book includes some powerful, thoughtful, and well-written essays and it was interesting to see how some white people came to understand and, in some cases, even try to mitigate their privilege.

What Does it Mean to be White in America? also offers some concrete steps that can be taken to to challenge racism and misconceptions about whiteness, especially in the helpful appendixes which include a reading list and "Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race".

[Carter Sung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting despite being rather fragmented. A good collection.