What Does It Mean to Be White?
Developing White Racial Literacy – Revised Edition
Series:
Robin DiAngelo
Chapter 7: What Is Racism?
Extract
| 107 →
· 7 ·
WHAT IS RACISM?
Until about 4 years ago, literally everybody in my neighborhood was white. I’ve read and learned that most people are subconsciously at least mildly racist, they just don’t outwardly express it. But there was basically no diversity in my life until college so I’ve never really had it affect my life. (ASR)
When I was growing up and still to this day, my neighborhood was not very diverse. Race was not really talked about in school, but through friends and family I was always taught that certain races can be very stereotypical. Race does not really mean much to me. I treat everyone equally. (ASR)
What it means to me to be white. To me it means that (at least where I live) I’ll never be subjected to any negative racial stereotyping or foul words/racism. I’ll also never benefit from any affirmative action grants/school acceptance etc. … I grew up in a school system where you could count the kids who were not white Americans on your fingers. Growing up in a small town like I did also means that I do have some of the “good old boy” mentality though I do not consider myself “racist” per se. (ASR)
Racism is a form of oppression in which one racial group dominates others. In the United States, whites are the dominant group and people of color are the minoritized group. Thus in this context,...
You are not authenticated to view the full text of this chapter or article.
This site requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books or journals.
Do you have any questions? Contact us.
Or login to access all content.