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...But I'm Not Racist!: Tools For Well Meaning Whites
Deepen your Resolve to Live as a Change Agent for Racial Justice
Who would you be if you were no longer afraid someone would call you racist? What impact could you have if you had proven tools and techniques to create greater racial justice in your organization? For the past two decades as a speaker and an executive coach, Dr. Kathy Obear has helped thousands of whites find the courage to challenge and change the dynamics of racism in their organizations. ~ Do you stay silent and hold back for fear of making a mistake? Or making things worse?
~ Are there times you want to speak up, but don’t know how to interrupt racist dynamics or organizational practices?
~ Do you sometimes feel alone, like you are the only one raising issues about racial justice in your organization? Through engaging stories and concrete examples and tools, Kathy shares her own personal struggles and the common challenges many whites face as they work to create more equitable, inclusive organizations.
Find practical skills and strategies to move through your fear of being called racist and learn ~ Speak up with greater confidence and clarity
~ Engage racist comments to deepen learning and facilitate change
~ Stop feeling so alone and isolated
~ Respond effectively when colleagues call you racist or criticize your efforts
~ Develop powerful partnerships to create meaningful change in your organization Read this book and find the inspiration and tools to deepen your resolve to live your values every day as a change agent for racial justice.
Who would you be if you were no longer afraid someone would call you racist? What impact could you have if you had proven tools and techniques to create greater racial justice in your organization? For the past two decades as a speaker and an executive coach, Dr. Kathy Obear has helped thousands of whites find the courage to challenge and change the dynamics of racism in their organizations. ~ Do you stay silent and hold back for fear of making a mistake? Or making things worse?
~ Are there times you want to speak up, but don’t know how to interrupt racist dynamics or organizational practices?
~ Do you sometimes feel alone, like you are the only one raising issues about racial justice in your organization? Through engaging stories and concrete examples and tools, Kathy shares her own personal struggles and the common challenges many whites face as they work to create more equitable, inclusive organizations.
Find practical skills and strategies to move through your fear of being called racist and learn ~ Speak up with greater confidence and clarity
~ Engage racist comments to deepen learning and facilitate change
~ Stop feeling so alone and isolated
~ Respond effectively when colleagues call you racist or criticize your efforts
~ Develop powerful partnerships to create meaningful change in your organization Read this book and find the inspiration and tools to deepen your resolve to live your values every day as a change agent for racial justice.
260 pages, Paperback
Published January 9, 2018
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46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2019
I'm not white. I read this book, thinking it would help me anyway, as anyone has room to grow when it comes to prejudice against other races. And it did, as she made some good points. However, I was put off by Obear's insistence that racism is only significantly directed towards people of color by whites. It is true that for the institutional definition of racism she uses, it makes more sense to focus on the white race, which holds more overall societal power at this point, but the book itself talks largely about bias and prejudice, not institutional structures. As for racial bias and prejudice, these can be and most definitely are held by members of every race, not just white, and every race is the victim of racial microaggressions and racially-motivated violence.
I believe Dr. Obear is doing the community at large an injustice by separating "whites" and "POCs" so distinctly. In order to solve the problem of racism in our society, we must ALL work together to overcome our biases. As a white person, perhaps Dr. Obear does not understand that POCs (at least those of us who are self-aware) don't want to be identified only as victims of racism. Dr. Obear mentions being a "white ally". But I don't want a "white ally". I just want an "ally"! It is as if Obear sees whites and everyone else on two sides of a fence, and white people have to reach over and help POCs. Isn't that a bit racist in itself? Why can't we just focus on helping each other in general?
I believe Dr. Obear is doing the community at large an injustice by separating "whites" and "POCs" so distinctly. In order to solve the problem of racism in our society, we must ALL work together to overcome our biases. As a white person, perhaps Dr. Obear does not understand that POCs (at least those of us who are self-aware) don't want to be identified only as victims of racism. Dr. Obear mentions being a "white ally". But I don't want a "white ally". I just want an "ally"! It is as if Obear sees whites and everyone else on two sides of a fence, and white people have to reach over and help POCs. Isn't that a bit racist in itself? Why can't we just focus on helping each other in general?
June 29, 2018
informative, but i'm not the target audience for this. it seems like obear is writing to people in her position (other diversity/social justice facilitators), which means some of her practical suggestions don't transfer as well to the workplace or other situations in which hierarchical power dynamics will make calling out others more difficult/potentially hazardous (not that it shouldn't be done, there's just more to navigate there than others' feelings, which is what she focuses on).
i did appreciate obear's many examples in the latter half of the book; seeing the language she used to intervene helpfully rather than aggressively is v useful to me, especially in more casual interpersonal situations. i also appreciated how obear explains that whites need to really listen up when people of color call them out (instead of getting defensive, excessively apologetic, or trying to explain their intent), yet she also insists that whites need to turn to each other to learn how to be better allies instead of placing that burden on poc.
i can see myself suggesting this to others, but i'm interested in reading more about different approaches to white allyship.
i did appreciate obear's many examples in the latter half of the book; seeing the language she used to intervene helpfully rather than aggressively is v useful to me, especially in more casual interpersonal situations. i also appreciated how obear explains that whites need to really listen up when people of color call them out (instead of getting defensive, excessively apologetic, or trying to explain their intent), yet she also insists that whites need to turn to each other to learn how to be better allies instead of placing that burden on poc.
i can see myself suggesting this to others, but i'm interested in reading more about different approaches to white allyship.
December 9, 2017
Deeply reflective. The models are a bit underdeveloped. It took until Chapters 5 and 6 to really become a useful tool, though.
February 25, 2018
A lot of food for thought; definitely a start for white people trying to unlearn the racism we were raised with.
March 29, 2018
Found this book interesting, liked the links but Idk, it just was lacking somewhat. I want to read more on this subject and discuss it with others for sure.
August 14, 2018
4.5/5 stars
March 22, 2018
Kathy Obear is inside my head. Or, rather, the insides of my head are in her book. This book is a great place to start when coming to grips with being raised in a white-dominant culture, being blind to the implications of that, and figuring out that being well-meaning is not the same as helping. She systematically identifies and knocks down all my mental defense mechanisms. She also has a couple of great chapters on how to identify and disrupts systematic racism in workplaces. You can download a PDF of her book for free from her website. I like having the paperback because I have dog-eared so many pages.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews