The first discussion of “White Fragility” went so well that members have asked for a part two discussion of the book. Sandy has arranged for Joseph Barndt to come up to WESPAC and facilitate the discussion which will take place on Tuesday, February 5th at 7pm at WESPAC. You do not need to have read the entire book but please make sure you read at least part of it so that you can participate in the discussion.
Joseph Barndt is an American
Lutheran pastor and anti-racism activist. He is the co-founder of the
Chicago-based
racial justice advocacy group Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training (formerly Crossroads Ministry), and formerly served as its executive director.
[1]The ministry offers anti-racist training sessions to religious and community groups.
[2] He has been a pastor at Lutheran churches in Chicago,
[3] New York City,
[4][5] and
Arizona.
[6] He is known for advocating for white people to dismantle the institutions that perpetuate racial inequality in America, rather than directly helping minorities. In 2008, Matt Miller of the
Chicago Reporter wrote that Barndt “has put forth what some consider some of the most revolutionary anti-racism work of the day.” Barndt is the author of Dismantling Racism: The Continuing Challenge to White America and is also a trainer with the Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond:
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
WESPAC Book Club Discussion – Tuesday, February 5th at 7pm at WESPAC
77 Tarrytown Rd, Suite 2W
White Plains, NY 10607
Plenty of free parking on site – upper level
Discussion to be facilitated by Joseph Barndt
The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.
In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
