Yeong’s required reading on racism
Educating people about racism is hard work, and yet it is labor requested often by the white people in my life. Unless I have communicated otherwise, the following is required reading for whites, specifically, to engage with me on topics of race. It is also good reading material for non-white people beginning to explore their racial identity.
Unless you have my express consent, do not engage with me on topics of race unless you have performed the below minimum requirements.
This serves to filter my time for whites willing to learn and share in the labor for their own growth, and as a way to reduce the harm I experience in having these conversations.
I am not willing to discuss my reasoning for this any further other than to state that if your first reaction to this basic minimum ask is to question it, you’re not ready to talk about racism without harming people of color.
Read all of these essays (20min total)
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni-Eddo Lodge
- No, We Won’t Calm Down — Tone Policing Is Just Another Way to Protect Privilege by Robot Hugs
Read one of these books, in its entirety
They are listed in order of ‘difficulty’ (from ‘easy’ to ‘hard’) as communicated to me by White allies who have read them. I have included Amazon links for ease; please support your local bookstore
- “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” by Reni Edo-Lodge
- “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
(My White allies have named this, unanimously, as the read that was most impactful to their understanding of race issues in this country. This book also was the most polarizing; they lost many collaborators to this book. These lost collaborators had already read “White Fragility” and other material) - “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X Kendi
(This is a fairly new book at time of compilation, and I am not sure where it sits on the ‘difficulty’ scale)
Bonus points: complete the “Me and White Supremacy” workbook
I will prioritize my time with the people who have demonstrated their own effort. This shouldn’t be extra credit, but here we are…