Nicholas Mathis

“We make sense of perceptions and experiences through our particular cultural lens. This lens is neither universal nor objective, and without it, a person could not function in any human society. But exploring these cultural frameworks can be particularly challenging in Western culture precisely because of two key Western ideologies: individualism and objectivity. Briefly, individualism holds that we are each unique and stand apart from others, even those within our social groups. Objectivity tells us that it is possible to be free of all bias.”
― Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

“shared and unavoidable: television, movies, news items, song lyrics, magazines, textbooks, schools, religion, literature, stories, jokes, traditions and practices, history, and so on. These dimensions of our culture shape our group identities.”
― Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

“Boo, before I know that body, I want to know your bookshelf .”
― Nicholas I Mathis

“Naming white supremacy changes the conversation in two key ways: It makes the system visible and shifts the locus of change onto white people, where it belongs. It also points us in the direction of the lifelong work that is uniquely ours, challenging our complicity with and investment in racism. This does not mean that people of color do not play a part but that the full weight of responsibility rests with those who control the institutions.”
― Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism