What do you think?
Rate this book
Acting White: The Ironic Legacy of Desegregation
Commentators from Bill Cosby to Barack Obama have observed the phenomenon of black schoolchildren accusing studious classmates of “acting white.” How did this contentious phrase, with roots in Jim Crow-era racial discord, become a part of the schoolyard lexicon, and what does it say about the state of racial identity in the American system of education?The answer, writes Stuart Buck in this frank and thoroughly researched book, lies in the complex history of desegregation. Although it arose from noble impulses and was to the overall benefit of the nation, racial desegregation was often implemented in a way that was devastating to black communities. It frequently destroyed black schools, reduced the numbers of black principals who could serve as role models, and made school a strange and uncomfortable environment for black children, a place many viewed as quintessentially “white.”Drawing on research in education, history, and sociology as well as articles, interviews, and personal testimony, Buck reveals the unexpected result of desegregation and suggests practical solutions for making racial identification a positive force in the classroom.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1992
25 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 28, 2011
The thesis of this book is simple: “acting white” (that is, labeling educational achievement and success as a betrayal of a student’s African-American heritage) is a result of desegregation. Controversial but fascinating, Mr. Buck not only convinced me that he was onto something, he presented desegregation and the history of education in the African-American community in a way that was entirely new to me. For all that desegregation was morally right, he presents readers with numerous examples of the reality of desegregation, which is not quite the pristine victory most history books portray. The book has two weaknesses, although I didn’t find either of them to undermine the book’s strengths. For one, Mr. Buck is almost too timid. He repeatedly points out that this book is not intended to paint desegregation as a bad thing and that his thesis is based primarily on anecdotal evidence and not hard data. Glad he made that clear, but he fell back on both points too much – a mention in the introduction and conclusion would have been sufficient. Unfortunately, the last chapter journeys into sociology and suggestions that seem disconnected from the previous 140 pages. They are small quibbles, however, and the book is excellent even with them. Highly recommended.
September 6, 2022
I sought out this book after reading a recommendation for it by John McWhorter, the linguist, professor, and author. I have enjoyed his other writings, both on the topics of language and race, and have come to respect his opinions as being logical and well thought out.
The books reads a lot like an academic journal. So, it is not as engaging as more narrative non-fiction, but the topic was interesting enough to me that I didn't have trouble staying focused for the few hours it took to read the book. The author convincingly shows that cultural avoidance of "acting white" among the country's African American student population is real, that it is a natural result of the way that integration of schools was implemented, and that it is vital to figure out ways to overcome. The author also clearly shows how the idea that trying hard in school and doing well academically became seen as "acting white" among African American students.
Although the author doesn't explicitly make this claim, I came away from the book feeling strongly that school integration in the 1960s was overseen by people who were being forced to comply with a law they didn't agree with, and were intentionally trying to implement integration in a way that would be damaging to the black community. This conclusion is really not at all surprising if one reads about all the strife that surrounded advances in civil rights in the mid 20th century.
The author gives a few brief ideas of how to move forward, but the real purpose of this book is not to propose solutions, but to convince that the problem is real and to pinpoint its origin. A solution that will really help is not obvious, and will take some really brilliant thinking and implementation. As such, my inner cynic despairs that a solution will be found.
The books reads a lot like an academic journal. So, it is not as engaging as more narrative non-fiction, but the topic was interesting enough to me that I didn't have trouble staying focused for the few hours it took to read the book. The author convincingly shows that cultural avoidance of "acting white" among the country's African American student population is real, that it is a natural result of the way that integration of schools was implemented, and that it is vital to figure out ways to overcome. The author also clearly shows how the idea that trying hard in school and doing well academically became seen as "acting white" among African American students.
Although the author doesn't explicitly make this claim, I came away from the book feeling strongly that school integration in the 1960s was overseen by people who were being forced to comply with a law they didn't agree with, and were intentionally trying to implement integration in a way that would be damaging to the black community. This conclusion is really not at all surprising if one reads about all the strife that surrounded advances in civil rights in the mid 20th century.
The author gives a few brief ideas of how to move forward, but the real purpose of this book is not to propose solutions, but to convince that the problem is real and to pinpoint its origin. A solution that will really help is not obvious, and will take some really brilliant thinking and implementation. As such, my inner cynic despairs that a solution will be found.
January 21, 2021
Very interesting and insightful book that delves into the topic of the Acting White label and phenomenon that permeated and continues to permeate many integrated k-12 schools. It digs into the history and beginnings of the term (starting in the 1960s) as well as the history of segregated Black educational communities in the 50s and earlier (the latter part being something everyone should read more about).
Only major criticisms I have of this book is that virtually all of the evidence cited in the book is anecdotal (as the author regularly mentions. There is a lot of anecdotes, however, and citation notes to go along with them) and that it might present too rosey of a picture of how great segregated educational communities were for Blacks priors to the desegregation efforts of the 1960s, which might serve as an argument in favor of segregagion by some. Mr. Buck is very clear to say, however, that, despite the sense of community, pride and ownership that many pre-desegregation Black educational communities possessed, integration was a necessary step with regard to Blacks becoming an organic part of American society at large.
Regardless, for anyone interested in learning more about the history of segregated Black educational communities prior to desegregation efforts of the 1960s and the effect those desegregation efforts had on the confidence and racial identity of a whole generation of Blacks, this is a really good book to read.
Only major criticisms I have of this book is that virtually all of the evidence cited in the book is anecdotal (as the author regularly mentions. There is a lot of anecdotes, however, and citation notes to go along with them) and that it might present too rosey of a picture of how great segregated educational communities were for Blacks priors to the desegregation efforts of the 1960s, which might serve as an argument in favor of segregagion by some. Mr. Buck is very clear to say, however, that, despite the sense of community, pride and ownership that many pre-desegregation Black educational communities possessed, integration was a necessary step with regard to Blacks becoming an organic part of American society at large.
Regardless, for anyone interested in learning more about the history of segregated Black educational communities prior to desegregation efforts of the 1960s and the effect those desegregation efforts had on the confidence and racial identity of a whole generation of Blacks, this is a really good book to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
I can't say that this is a bad book, but it was certainly not what I was expecting. Buck's thesis is that the "acting white" phenomena arose due to school desegregation in the 60s when black kids were sent to white schools that didn't welcome them and put them in lower tracks. This is an interesting theory, and I was excited to read more about it, but it left me disappointed.
He points out that there is scant evidence of students' attitudes dating back to that time, and so he's forced to resort to anecdotes. The book is just that, a collection of testimonies from people now in their 70s looking back at how they felt about school before and after desegregation. It is definitely surprising to see people looking back fondly to their segregated schools, but it doesn't meet the usual standard of evidence that I'm used to in social science.
I think this is a good book if you know what you're getting into; if you're looking for an analysis that mentions more than a handful of (contradicting) papers, you should look elsewhere.
He points out that there is scant evidence of students' attitudes dating back to that time, and so he's forced to resort to anecdotes. The book is just that, a collection of testimonies from people now in their 70s looking back at how they felt about school before and after desegregation. It is definitely surprising to see people looking back fondly to their segregated schools, but it doesn't meet the usual standard of evidence that I'm used to in social science.
I think this is a good book if you know what you're getting into; if you're looking for an analysis that mentions more than a handful of (contradicting) papers, you should look elsewhere.
November 29, 2010
Buck argues that many African-American students intentionally downplay academic performance, especially in highly-integrated schools, for fear of being accused of "acting white." More politically correct scholars have lambasted this theory and with the exception of a study by John McWhorton, accuse Buck of racism by claiming that acting white even exists, much less that it was a consequence of desegregation. I don't understand how anyone under age 50 could say that acting white is not a real thing. I heard this label thrown at some of my classmates growing up, and my school was pretty traditional, so I assume kids in other schools used it, too. Instead of arguing with Buck about whether acting white is a real thing, dissenters should really be asking, "Does acting white have any measurable, statistical impact on academic performance?"
Buck devotes most of the book to answering this. But instead of examining past studies he provides anecdotal evidence, because no serious research has ever been done on this subject. The constraints of political correctness have kept 'serious scholars' from looking at a subject that everyone knows about but no one talks about. Buck sometimes goes too far to placate his potential critics. He points out on every other page that yes, segregation was evil and that he's not trying to argue for its reinstatement.
He handily supports his theory by tracing the coinage of the term "acting white" to desegregation in the 1960s. Well over 90 percent of the black schools were closed and black students were separated from their friends and shipped to white high schools, where they were taught under white teachers and administrators. Black schools, which were considered the hub of the black community along with the church, were shut down and most black teachers were either fired or placed in low-level administrative jobs. In the rare case where a black high school would stay open, it would be fumigated and all the toilet seats would be changed to "de-colorize" it. Is it any wonder black students suddenly felt that academia belonged exclusively to whites, and that they were not welcome?
Though times have changed since the mid-20th century, much of the distrust still remains. So does the soft racism of lowered expectations, according to Buck, who shows numerous examples of black teachers who pushed and drove their black students to work twice as hard as a white person because that's who they would be competing against for a job someday. No teacher could get away with saying that today- even though it's still true. Buck closes by suggesting that since some school systems are barely afloat as it is -- Washington D.C., for example -- why not give students the option of attending an all-black high school? I think he really does have a point, that black students could better develop in a school that was all their own, under the tutelage of teachers who were part of their community. Just as long as the schools truly were separate but equal.
Buck devotes most of the book to answering this. But instead of examining past studies he provides anecdotal evidence, because no serious research has ever been done on this subject. The constraints of political correctness have kept 'serious scholars' from looking at a subject that everyone knows about but no one talks about. Buck sometimes goes too far to placate his potential critics. He points out on every other page that yes, segregation was evil and that he's not trying to argue for its reinstatement.
He handily supports his theory by tracing the coinage of the term "acting white" to desegregation in the 1960s. Well over 90 percent of the black schools were closed and black students were separated from their friends and shipped to white high schools, where they were taught under white teachers and administrators. Black schools, which were considered the hub of the black community along with the church, were shut down and most black teachers were either fired or placed in low-level administrative jobs. In the rare case where a black high school would stay open, it would be fumigated and all the toilet seats would be changed to "de-colorize" it. Is it any wonder black students suddenly felt that academia belonged exclusively to whites, and that they were not welcome?
Though times have changed since the mid-20th century, much of the distrust still remains. So does the soft racism of lowered expectations, according to Buck, who shows numerous examples of black teachers who pushed and drove their black students to work twice as hard as a white person because that's who they would be competing against for a job someday. No teacher could get away with saying that today- even though it's still true. Buck closes by suggesting that since some school systems are barely afloat as it is -- Washington D.C., for example -- why not give students the option of attending an all-black high school? I think he really does have a point, that black students could better develop in a school that was all their own, under the tutelage of teachers who were part of their community. Just as long as the schools truly were separate but equal.
April 17, 2014
The majority of this book was references, which was slightly disappointing as it was promising from the beginning and was able to give good insight into the history of education in regards to black people. The comparison between the value of education now compared to the times of desegregation within certain members of the black community is eyeopening. The book however does generalise quite a lot, but gives good structural reasons as to why some members of the black community may not participate as fully as they could in the education system, compared to those before them. The book brings in accounts of education in relation to slavery and the view points of black people during the time of segregation and their experiences after desegregation, which is helpful in allowing the reading to draw their own conclusions.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews