Book Study: “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism”

Join Rev. Susan Boegli of Mason United Methodist Church in a 12-week book study and discussion group: “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo. All are welcome. Please RSVP to Rev. Boegli at 360-342-7913 or at pastor.boegli@gmail.com. Attendees must bring their own book (available at all major book sellers, including Better World Books).

Meetings, starting on January 17^th and January 18^th, will be every week on:

Wednesdays (1/17 – 4/3) from 5:30-7:00 pm

…OR…

Thursdays (1/18 – 4/4) from 12:00-1:30 pm

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Book description:

“White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo

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.