Facing the White Shadow: How to Tame Your Racism and Become a True Ally to People of Color

by Marlene F. Watson, Laura Markowitz

Facing the White How to Tame Your Racism and Become a True Ally to People of Color is for White people who are just starting the work of understanding their racism and also for those who have been doing the work but still experience anxiety and wonder what they might be doing wrong. Many White people often feel feel overwhelmed, ashamed, and confused about how to be trustworthy antiracist allies to people of color. Facing the White Shadow is a self-help book that guides White readers to understand and manage their own racism. Readers learn how to be vigilant and talk back to their internalized racism---their White shadows--- so they can enjoy authentic and mutually satisfying relationships with people of color. No more tensing up at work when race is discussed. No more fear of being misunderstood by friends or called out or cancelled on social media. Filled with relatable stories, exercises, and solid advice, this book offers a compassionate framework for White readers without minimizing the devastating effects of racism on people of color. The book is a unique collaboration between a preeminent Black couple and family therapist who is also a longtime trainer in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a White journalist who has reported on issues of racial, social, and economic justice for decades.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2025

About the author

I was the first couple and family therapist ever to receive the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship, consulting to Congress on issues related to mental health and families. In my private practice in the Philadelphia area I work with individuals, couples and families, and I also serve as associate professor and former chair in the Couple and Family Therapy Department at Drexel University. FACING THE BLACK SHADOW is my first book, but I have published many magazine and journal articles, and was a columnist for Heart & Soul Magazine.

Raising awareness about issues of racism is my passion, and I also enjoy collecting African and African American art, and I delight in mentoring African American and multi-racial young adults. I try to live by the words of one of my greatest heroes, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr: “If I can help somebody as I pass along – then my living will not be in vain.” Thank you for reading my book!