Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods

by Otegha Uwagba

In this powerful and timely personal essay, best-selling author Otegha Uwagba reflects on racism, whiteness, and the mental labour required of Black people to navigate the two.

Presented as a record of Uwagba’s observations on this era-defining moment in history – that is, George Floyd’s brutal murder and the subsequent protests and scrutiny of institutional racism – Whites explores the colossal burden of whiteness, as told by someone who is in her own words, ‘a reluctant expert’.

What is it like to endure both racism and white efforts at anti-racism, sometimes from the very same people? How do Black people navigate the gap between what they know to be true, and the version of events that white society can bring itself to tolerate? What does true allyship actually look like – and is it even possible?

Addressing complex interracial dynamics and longstanding tensions with characteristically unflinching honesty, Uwagba deftly interrogates the status quo, and in doing so provides an intimate and deeply compelling portrayal of an unavoidable facet of the Black experience.

‘An important, timely personal essay’ OBSERVER BEST BOOKS OF 2020

‘Not taking any bullshit…sharp and stylish…brutal’ GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Essays, Audiobook, Politics, Social Justice, Anti Racist

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2020

Reviews

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Black people cannot ourselves abolish whiteness - white people will need to relinquish it.”

So many uncomfortable truths all “well-meaning white people” attempting to be allies to the Black community need to hear. Blunt yet kind, Uwagba encourages the reader to continue on the path to true allyship; to choose to do more than the status quo.

“This is not to dismiss their efforts (…) but it’s also time to acknowledge that those efforts aren’t going to get us where we need to go.”

A deeply thought provoking read that I will be sharing with the other white people in my life.



Trigger/Content Warnings: police brutality, racism, micro aggressions, slavery, mention of rape

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[Annikky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and very short. What I do wish, though, is that someone would write about racism in the context of countries that are not US or UK, that are overwhelmingly white and have no history of colonisation or slavery (in the case of my country we in fact have that history, but in reverse - us being oppressed by larger neighbours). This doesn't mean racism doesn't exist in those countries, quite to the contrary, but the challenges are different.

I understand that Uwagba cannot write that book and I'm not holding it against her:) Reading her essay simply reminded me of this issue that has been on my mind for years.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confrontational in the best possible way - a powerful essay about whiteness in the aftermath of George Floyd

[Dannii Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book so short, so well-penned, and so clear in its message, I found this startlingly difficult to digest. It made me confront many things about myself, which is never a comfortable position to be put in, but is a necessary one in order for true growth to occur and further alterations, in my thoughts and actions, to be made.

Uwagba begins this essay with a focus on a recent and tragic event, which horrified the world and was one of the many catalysts for protests crying out for racial equality - the murder of George Floyd. But, just what was it about this unjust act that so enraged and appalled the world, when so many similar crimes are committed at a disgusting and heart-breaking frequency?

It may not be the growth of humanity or purely altruistic actions that were the reasons. It may, in fact, be the current pandemic and imposed quarantine, instead. In Uwagba's own concise words:

Cut off from friends and family, without the usual trivialities to distract and comfort and sometimes only the endless scroll of the internet for company, we were a captive audience, an already raw nerve primed to absorb the sheer wickedness of what had happened to this man. Our phones stood poised to deliver on-demand horror at any time of day... Combine all this with a population already furious at the almost criminally incompetent politicians charged with protecting us, and on high alert for injustice of any kind, George Floyd's murder would be the kerosene on an already volatile situation, igniting an unprecedented reckoning that extended far beyond the frequently lethal bias of the criminal justice system, abruptly ripping back the bedcovers from the many systems and institutions that have anti-Blackness at their core.

The months following this murder saw many hate crimes committed and many more Black individuals suffer at the hands of racist institutions and individuals, just as they had before, it also saw a rise in the movement of anti-racism, to work towards counteracting this. But this sudden concern over racial injustice, by White people, was long overdue and, again, heralded a question over its authenticity. It was an awakening for many, but was it also a reckoning?

One of the new 'woke' trends to emerge was that of sharing lists of Black authors in order to educate oneself. I myself was guilty of poring over these lists and sharing them on my own social media accounts without ever querying if there was anything wrong in doing so. Here is where this author really made me assess this action, as "the value of writing by black authors becomes determined by its ability to be of service to white writers." I had never assessed it in this light and found it sickeningly true.

Uwagba states she acknowledges the importance of education in order to understand the past and grow for the future, but performative activism has many White individuals reading a handful of books on Black suffering, which is the extent of their activism, and still heralding themselves as the perfect ally. The work does not stop there. Especially when praise is heaped on to you, via social media shares, for doing the bare minimum.

In order to truly back the anti-racist movement and prove yourself as an ally to marginalised communities you must put yourself in the position of challenging institutions, systems, and individuals who are actively destructive and prejudice against the Black community and who you, in turn, advantage from. There is still much to be done and we can all play more of a part in ensuring the names of individuals like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmuad Arbery are never forgotten but that racial murders like theirs becomes firmly something of the past.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Otegha Uwagba, and the publisher, Fourth Estate, for this opportunity.

[Lucy Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest reflection on the murder of George Floyd and all the thoughts and feelings it triggered for her, Otegha’s essay speaks directly about the damage white people are still doing, even if the conversation initially appears more nuanced in 2020. Uncomfortable in places, but what I and many others needed to hear.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this essay was written after the murder of george floyd and during this global pandemic we’re all still in. it’s short but of substance and reflects on performative allyship in the resurgence of the black lives matter movement, the UK’s hypocritical views on racism in the US, and the problem of whiteness. a must read for those of us who consider ourselves aware and “woke” — we have a lot of *real* work to do.

[Imane · Rating 5 out of 5]

she said it all

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an incredibly poignant essay that talks about racism in 2020 following the death of George Floyd and the protests and mass outrage that followed. This essay delves a little deeper into white allyship and whether white people are actively being allies or just saying that black lives matter in private. As said in this essay, would you brush off a racist comment from your boss over the fear of losing your job? If you would, are you really an ally? Otegha Uwagba says that for white people to be real allies then they must be willing to lose the rights that their whiteness grants them, and I couldn't agree more. Progression isn't just white people reading a few books and sending a few tweets. It's action.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um yes this was really fucking good and surprisingly empowering.
“When push comes to shove even the most high minded white progressives often aren’t willing to enact the self-sacrifice that true ally ship requires.”
“Black people cannot ourselves abolish whiteness - white people will need to relinquish it.”

[❀ annie ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

really insightful little book full of a lot of big ideas. uwagba’s writing is super personal, dotted with anecdotes, which makes these kind of discussions even more poignant.

the latter part of the essay introduced me to some new ideas which haven’t come up to me before and which i’m really interested to look into further!

[Jadey (the Bookish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a (fellow) white person who considers themselves an ally when it comes to anti-racism, this read will be uncomfortable; but it's oh-so necessary.

Uwagba writes about the events of last summer (2020) with the most eloquent and succinct writing. If the topic wasn't what it was, I'd describe their writing as a joy to read.

I think this does an excellent job of bringing together all of the criticism of white 'allyship' I've seen on various threads by various Black people on Twitter. Topics are covered such as how anti-racist reading lists on their own aren't enough, how only buying Black books when there's been a traumatic incident furthers Black pain, how treating every piece of work by a Black person as a kind of 'medicine' for your own anti-racist education even if it has nothing to do with race isn't okay. And that's just the bookish examples of what's covered in this tiny essay! There must be some Doctor Who type TARDIS magic going on because Uwagba fits so much in such a small volume.

Reading this won't take up much of your time but it will be so worth it I promise.

[alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much more to say about this book that I do not have the “know how” to say, so please if you’re interested in it and in discussing it, go find what black people have to say about it, my voice isn’t the one you need to be listening to.

with that being said, i don’t want to be one of the people that this book talks about that says “you need to read this book because it is important” with no backing to my statement, simply because the book exists, so i will not say that to you. What i will say then, is that this book gives an unflinching perspective on the horrors that black people experience daily and gives a reflection to the killing of George Floyd (and the subsequent uprisings) to discuss racial injustice in our world and what must be done to negate it. I especially appreciated the things this book told me about myself, about white “allyship” and what that actually means. This was under 80 pages of reading and the essay took every inch of that space to tell you what the author has to say, every word is perfectly, purposefully placed.

[Désirée · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio. Very important thoughts on white allyship from a black perspective. As a white person, this showed me how little I do even if I think I do something.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up on recommendation from booksandlala and this morning I’ve been reading through it. It’s a short piece that Otegha Uwagba wrote following the murder of George Floyd in June of last year.

This book made me uncomfortable, and I should feel uncomfortable. I am white and I exist in a society that inherently values whiteness above all else. The preamble states how “navigating racism is really a matter of navigating white people”, and that couldn’t be more true.

Uwagba’s discussion of white guilt on social media resonated with me. In the months since George Floyd’s murder, white people everywhere have taken to social media in attempt to express their allyship using black squares and cute infographics with surface level information that are readily shared. Uwagba explains how this performative allyship is a product of white people “grappling with the reality of racism for the very first time”, and wanting to separate themselves from *those* white people. I too am guilty of exactly this and unfortunately, did not think much of it until this morning. Social media campaigns can definitely be a great tool for spreading information at an alarming rate however, sharing something to your story a few times is a disturbingly passive action that a lot of folks use to absolve themselves of responsibility. If your antiracist action remains in the isolated (and performative) bubble of social media in order to prove that you do not remain indifferent, there is a lot of work to be done.

Unlike Uwagba’s other book, “Little Black Book: A Toolkit For Working Women”, which was placed on antiracist reading lists despite having no relation to race in any way, “Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods” is a necessary place for white people to start in order to give ourselves the reality check that we so desperately require.

[Maria]

What a wonderful and very thought-provoking read!!

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and unflinching, Otegha Uwagba's Whites takes a critical lens to the surge of white allyship that erupted this summer in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. The crux of Uwagba’s argument is anti-racist reading lists (which she suspects her book will end up on) and social media infographics aren't enough, white people have to be willing to actively disrupt the status quo. Much of what constitutes white allyship is performative, harmful or just not enough, says Uwagba, writing about the Instagram black square and the white friends who reached out to her in June looking to alleviate their white guilt. The short length of this book makes it all the more powerful, you'll likely read the paperback or absorb the audiobook in one setting, and step away with Uwagba's words ringing in your ear. Thought-provoking, and hopefully, action-inducing.

[Rachel Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Otegha really went there with this essay which is impressive in its concise, brutal honesty. Reading it, I thought what a great companion piece it would make to Reni Eddo-Lodge's book 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' only to discover in the acknowledgements that Reni was an early reader for this work which makes so much sense. 'Whites' is a much-needed nudge to the white readers of Eddo-Lodge's book that the work is not finished. It is bold and unflinching ending with a mic drop of a sentence that puts it utterly in the hands of white people to determine whether they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to dismantle the racist systems that have afforded them unearned privilege for centuries.

[Jenny Cooke (Bookish Shenanigans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly astute and challenging read about the shortfalls of white allyship in our modern times.

[Emily Hayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking, shedding insight on the differences between performative and true allyship.

[Annika Unterberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Whites made me extremely uncomfortable but it was such an important and eye-opening read.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

When i lived in London I used to work for a British multinational bank which was also the largest pan-African bank and had recently purchased the largest bank in South Africa. Arriving at work every morning I was greeted by two black South African porters at the building entrance, and working late into the evening I would overlap with the black - sometimes South African, sometimes Caribbean - cleaning crew. During the day, however, our analytics team was periodically joined by white South Africans from our South African subsidiary. Every now and then a white British colleague would make a comment about how we had to be nice to them, help them fit in and develop their career in the London HQ because things were really difficult for whites now in South Africa. When pressed they would make a reference to BEE and quickly end the conversation. BEE, I discovered, was the South African government's policy of "Black Economic Empowerment," which stated that given the choice of two equally-qualified candidates for a job, one must give preference to the black candidate, as part of a series of slow antidotes to decades (centuries?) of apartheid.

I now live in Madrid and one of my acquaintances is a white South African who regularly comments about how hard it is for whites in South Africans now. He sometimes also says inflammatory things like "the only problem they made was using the word apartheid. People don't know what it really means. The word comes from the policy of trying to separate the black tribes from one another because they were killing each other so much." As if the beneficent white colonists invented apartheid to save the poor black savages of their land from their primordial black-on-black violence.

I am not black. But I am an exile from a country that enshrines a type of white supremacy, jewish supremacy, over its natives, who are racialised as non-white. I often daydream about some future South Africa- style one rainbow state solution to Zionist colonisation of Palestine, and I find much resonance with Uwagba's questions here about white privilege. How to tell white people "they stand to lose the privileges that are as integral to their lives as breathing?" Ali Abunimah has a great line about being unable to find white South Africans who will acknowlege that they had participated in and supported apartheid. "Who were those horrible people?!" he asks in fake exaggerated indignation. And, at the same time, if in 2022 white South Africans are lamenting the end of their privilege and engaging in apartheid denial, what hope is there for the rest of us?

I think of how the West's answer to the Holocaust was not to make the world a safe and equal place for Jews, gays, gypsies, the disabled, and communists - everywhere a place of equality and integration; but rather to maintain and reinforce ethno-nationalisms, creating a colonial Jewish ghetto-cum-ethnically cleansed state. I think of the two state solution as a mirror to Zionism's Jewish supremacy, the way it offers a place of Palestinian ethnic purity and ethno-nationalism as an answer to Israel's, instead of dismantling the impossible and dangerous idea of ethno-national purity itself. And I find a lot of resonance with Uwagba citing Noel Ignatiev saying "to oppose monarchy does not mean killing the king; it means getting rid of crowns, thrones, royal titles, etc." When we ask the colonists to become immigrants they scream to the mommy metropole "the natives want to throw us into the sea!!" No, honey, we want to end your supremacy over us. Ending you was what your now European patrons tried to do to you in their final solution.

I find a lot of resonance in Uwagba's depiction of those whites, who are neither white traitors, white abolitionists, nor white supremacists but rather languish somewhere along white benefit and white confessional - people who "will not speak/act in solidarity publicly, because they are benefiting through whiteness in public." I have met many Jews who do not seem to be rabid anti-Palestinian racists, but who nonetheless will sit happily on the sidelines at the same time as they benefit from contemporary anti-Palestinian racism and reproduce cultural products that centre Jewish victimhood, asking questions like would you save your Jewish wife if you were in Nazi Germany.

Uwagba, speaking about blackness, captures my rage at the spectrum of deliberate ambiguity of non-zionists or those who skirt around and play with some kind of implied sympathy for Palestinians without having the journalistic (for it is often journalists) or moral (for it is often others from a political milieu) fortitude to name things specifically. When trying to explain to someone that they are engaging in or being subject to pinkwashing I am often told "oh yes, I am aware of that [concept/argument/whatever]" as the substance of the argument fails to penetrate or even generate response, and they carry on being racist.

I am, among many other things, also Canadian. And I find great resonance in the way Uwagba describes how the British use the overt and ugly image of American racism as a foil or counterpoint to position themselves as non-racist or of not requiring examination and wholesale reform. Canada is expert at this as well.

I could go on and on. There is so much in this tiny little book that resonates. That reminds us that we are not alone. The black and Palestinian experiences are unequivocally not the same. Arabs used to be slave traders and, on the whole, remain tremendously anti-black racists. This is not a case of appropriating the black experience a la Pierre Vallières. Rather, it feels more like James Baldwin when he said "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read." Or, to reference Uwagba directly, "what are your whites like, he seemed to be asking me. I didn't have the heart to disappoint him by saying the same as yours."

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5stars

For a book that is barely 80 pages long, this sure does give a lot to ponder over. If you come from a privileged part of the society this book is gonna make you uncomfortable. A lot. And that is exactly the point. this book questions allyship, especially white allyship and how it turned into a checkbox list after the George Floyd murder. The infamous black box, the outpour of black people being mentioned by companies on social media to prove their allyship, the readings lists being circulated and being read frivolously- and how all of that despite being important is NOT ENOUGH.

This book raises some real and important questions of what allies are actually willing to do to eradicate racism, is the mere acceptance of privilege enough, to what lengths are whites willing to go risking their jobs/lives to call someone out for their racist ideas. Questions about how joining BLM marches isn't enough but they need to start questioning things at the local level, say their company having a low Whites to BIPOC people ratio and asking them what they're doing to change that.

There is a lot that is packed in this small essay and I would highly recommend this, especially if you come from a privileged section of the society. You need to re-introspect your allyship and do better. MUST MUST MUST READ, HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

[Becks]

While this is very short (really one essay), it manages to have be incredibly impactful in few words. Otegha Uwagba has always struck me as a writer and commentator who really has her finger on the pulse of the moment. She speaks about the times we live in with a clarity and confidence that makes you want to keep reading.

At one point in speaking about the murder of George Floyd she writes, "I feel compelled by the sense that I am living through history to see everything, to take it all in and document it for posterity." Not only will many people relate to the sentiment, this book feels like a realisation of that in some ways. It's deeply relevant right now but also reads as something we could return to in 5 or 10 years and remember what this time was like.

Her examples of experiences with white people in liberal circles are both thought-provoking and all too common. She doesn't shy away from calling on white allies to be more proactively useful, to question the willingness to give up what it takes to progress. It makes for a challenging read but in all the right ways.

All told, it's a bit of essential reading that I'd recommend to anyone. Thanks so much to 4th Estate for allowing me to read it.

[Amy Biggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just fantastically done. Collecting my thoughts and will revisit — read this, please.

A booktuber recommended this book and, I'll admit, I went into it a little worried. For one I knew it wouldn't be a light read, and I have complicated feelings around white guilt that I knew would come up with this one. I also had scanned the Amazon reviews and there were quite a few white people up in arms about it (unsurprising, I guess).

So this one took me a bit by surprise, in the best way. I am really grateful that she took the time to write this essay to offer her experience and explain the righteous rage she's been feeling since 2020 (and actually, even before that).

This is the sort of book that could get your seemingly woke friend (yep I used the word), to reveal that they've just been paying lip service. But I think this is powerful and I wish more people around me would read this.

And to those people who are upset that Uwagba is writing "anti-white racism," dear god sit down and shut up.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated this eloquent and sharp personal essay on racism. The essay describes personal feelings and Uwagba's experiences within social groups with white people and discusses the backlash after Geroge Floyd's death. I think everyone should take the time to pick this up, because it pushes you to think of behaviours of yourself and others and this critical thinking is definitely long overdue. Posting black squares on social media is not enough..it is necessary to start to leave the comfort zone. Exceptional essay.

Thank you for my e-copy Netgalley and 4th Estate.

[Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I know it will have offended some people to read the words ‘abolish whiteness over and over again, and that such a statement might be interpreted as a desire to abolish white people or something similarly genocidal, which of course, it isn’t (and that would be an unforgivable sentiment either to feel or express). Noel Ignatiev himself offered up the following useful analogy as clarification, comparing the abolition of whiteness to anti-monarchism: ‘to oppose monarchy does not mean killing the king; it means getting rid of crowns, thrones, royal titles, etc.’”

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…distinctly American images are what dominate the popular conception of racism, allowing Britain to position itself as the kinder, more progressive, all-round nicer relation to its delinquent American cousin - as though Britain itself had not played an essential role in the transatlantic slave trade, did not profit enormously from the practice of treating Black people as chattel, had not until 2015 been siphoning off taxpayers money to compensate formerly slave-owning families for the loss of income they incurred when slavery was abolished.”

[Helene Fosse · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Allyship, almost by definition, involves actively divesting from the structures that oppress Black people and unfairly elevate white ones. It is the surrendering of racialised privileges. The turning down of the advantages your skin colour affords you. In the moment that white privilege offers itself up to you, can you, will you, say no?”

[I'mogén · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Details:
Narrated by the author
Unabridged

This took a far sombre tale on the on racial justice and social commentary, but it was no less thoughtful, well depicted and had strong arguments. It was definitely a more emotive piece of journalism/commentary.

Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Katelyn Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was extraordinarily well done and as a white woman, everything.

"...if [we] take allyship seriously, [we] stand to lose the privileges that are as integral to [our] lives as breathing."