What Does It Mean to Be White?: Developing White Racial Literacy

382 Pages·2016·32.726 MB·English

by  Robin DiAngelo

What Does It Mean
to Be White?
<<GVAm Rt>0l/VtS ►>
Studies in the
Postmodern Theory of Education
Shirley R. Steinberg
General Editor
Vol. 497
The Counterpoints series is part of the Peter Lang Education list.
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PETER LANG
New York • Bern • Frankfurt • Berlin
Brussels • Vienna • Oxford • Warsaw
Robin DiAngelo
What Does It Mean
to Be White?
Developing White Racial Literacy
REVISED EDITION
PETER LANG
New York • Bern • Frankfurt • Berlin
Brussels • Vienna • Oxford • Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: DiAngelo, Robin ]., author.
Title: What does it mean to be white?: developing white racial literacy /
Robin DiAngelo.
Description: Revised edition. | New York: Peter Lang, 2016.
Series: Counterpoints: studies in the postmodern theory
of education; vol. 497 | ISSN 1058-1634
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016005919 | ISBN 978-1-4331-3110-3 (paperback: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4539-1848-7 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Whites—Race identity. | Race relations. | Racism.
Classification: LCC HT1575.D53 2016 | DDC 305.809—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016005919
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
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The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.
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Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
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Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to Deborah Terry-Hays and Darlene Flynn, two of the
most brilliant and committed leaders in the cause for racial justice I have ever
known* You have been my mentors and guides on the most profound intellec­
tual, emotional, and political journey of my life. Thank you for never giving
up on me and for your immeasurable trust, patience, love, and support. To
stand by your sides as a white woman in the struggle is the greatest of honors.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. Race in Education 13
Chapter 2. Unique Challenges of Race Education 19
Chapter 3. Socialization 27
Chapter 4. Defining Terms 45
Chapter 5. The Cycle of Oppression 83
Chapter 6. What Is Race? 97
Chapter 7. What Is Racism? 107
Chapter 8. “New” Racism 125
Chapter 9. How Race Shapes the Lives of White People 157
Chapter 10- What Makes Racism So Hard for Whites to See? 193
Chapter 11. Intersecting Identities—An Example of Class 215
Chapter 12. Common Patterns of Well-Meaning White People 223
Chapter 13. White Fragility 245
Chapter 14. Popular White Narratives That Deny Racism 255
VIII WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE?
Chapter 15. Stop Telling That Story! Danger Discourse
and the White Racial Frame 277
Chapter 16. A Note on White Silence 283
Chapter 17. Racism and Specific Racial Groups 299
Chapter 18. Antiracist Education and the Road Ahead 329
References 343
Glossary 353
Index 357
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I extend my most heartfelt thanks to the numerous friends and colleagues
who supported me in this project. Jason Toews, for the hours of astute and
vigilant editing you generously donated; my colleagues Anika Nailah, Ozlem
Sensoy, Holly Richardson, Carole Schroeder, Malena Pinkam, Lee Hatcher,
William Borden, Kelli Miller, Ellany Kayce, Darlene Flynn, Deborah Terry,
Jacque Larrainzar, Darlene Lee, Sameerah Ahmad, Nitza Hidalgo, and Kent
Alexander for your support, insight, and invaluable feedback. Thank you Amie
Thurber for your perceptive and detailed reading of the final draft and help
with the discussion questions. Thank you Brandyn Gallagher for your insight
and patience in working to raise my awareness of cis-supremacy. Thank you to
Dana Michelle, Thalia Saplad, and Cheryl Harris for all I learned from you in
the beginning of this journey.
Thank you to all of the scholars whose work has been foundational to
my understanding of whiteness, particularly Peggy McIntosh, Richard Dyer,
Charles Wright Mills and Ruth Frankenberg. Any errors or omissions in inter­
preting or crediting that work are my own.
A special thank you to Robin Boehler—a fellow white ally—for the
countless hours we spent debriefing our training sessions and working to put
the racial puzzle together. Your support and brilliance were invaluable.
X WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WHITE?
Thank you Todd LeMieux for all of your design and graphic work, Andrea
O’Brian for your Frames of Reference illustration, and Katherine Streeter for
the beautiful cover art.
This text addresses whiteness within the context of what is now known
as the United States, originally known as Turtle Island by some Indigenous
peoples. The theft of Indigenous lands was the starting point of our current
racial system. A key argument of this book is that we must know where we
came from in order to understand where we are now. For a powerful overview
of this history, see Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and A People's History of the
United States. In honor of the Indigenous peoples whose ancestral territories 1
stand on and write from, I offer my sincerest respect.