Was That Racist?
How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life
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- 11,99 €
Descripción editorial
Practice a new framework for dismantling racial bias in our society, our workplaces, and ourselves: by learning to detect it as well as people of color do.
How do we combat racism in a world determined to tell us it doesn’t exist?
To hold the line against racism, we need to know it when we see it. And as the dominant racial group in our society, White people must take up the charge. The problem, says researcher, DEI leader, and organizational consultant Dr. Evelyn Carter, is that White people haven’t been socialized to detect racial bias in the way people of color do. Racism is more than using racial slurs or overt, hateful speech, and it’s more than unintentional slights; it's about an entire system that upholds Whiteness as the preferred standard.
Fortunately, detecting it is a skill that can be learned.
Was That Racist? is a re-education, call to action, and practical guide, full of research-backed strategies including how to: cultivate a growth mindset about bias, unlearn colorblindness and practice color consciousness, talk to kids about race and racism - and bring others along for the journey.
At a time when DEI is under coordinated attack, Was That Racist? is the essential toolkit for anyone who believes we all have a role to play in creating a more equitable world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Social psychologist Carter's encouraging debut how-to helps readers understand "the ways you have been socialized to see (or not to see) racial bias, how to unlearn those impulses, and how to bring others along on that journey." Drawing on her experiences as a corporate DEI consultant, Carter presents actionable steps for talking to colleagues, friends, family, and children about racial bias, with a particular emphasis on how to broach the subject with white people, who typically learn about racism later in life, detect it less often, and feel ill-equipped to discuss it. Carter suggests some of this reticence can be countered by fostering a more general "growth mindset" that includes "shedding an ego-protecting façade and embracing... vulnerability." She also provides helpful tools for identifying and calling out microaggressions and decentering whiteness in everyday interactions. While Carter's tone is sometimes reminiscent of corporate HR training, she makes several antiestablishment points, including debunking the notion that each generation is naturally becoming less racist (she cites studies showing that, without education on the topic, white children are more likely to learn racism socially) and arguing against the "business case" for diversity—i.e., that a diverse workplace is better for the bottom line. Instead, Carter refreshingly declares that "even if ‘doing diversity' was bad for business, I would advocate for it anyway." Readers will feel galvanized.
