So you want to talk about race
by Ijeoma Oluo · first published 2018
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An accessible introduction to race and systemic racism in the US, explained in clear terms. It opens eyes to issues many readers were unaware of and suits those who are curious and open-minded.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today's racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide. In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment, Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans s
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…When people talk about systemic racism they're talking about how the system operates as a whole. As I've commented elsewhere, people need to educate themselves about systemic racism in this country. "So You Want to Talk about Race" by Ijeoma Oluo or "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla Saad are good places to start.
on “CNN reporter arrested live on air while covering Minneapolis protests [video]” ↗…resume study showing discrimination against black people. [3] And there are plenty of evocative books. E.g., Julie Lythcott-Haims's memoir Real American about growing up biracial. [4] Or Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race. [5] And I don't think an understanding of American racial dynamics is complete without a look at white fragility. DiAngelo recently did a talk about her excellent book that's a good intro. [6] I agree…
on “Talent Is Everywhere, Opportunity Is Not” ↗If you are legitimately curious and open minded about digging more into this topic, I highly recommend the recently published book "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo. https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Talk-About-Race/dp/158005677...
on “A Tale of Two Columbia Classes” ↗So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. It really opened my eyes to many issues about race I was not aware of and did a great job explaining the real problem is systemic racism. It had a pretty profound impact.
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…race, it is still systemic racism because it falls into a pattern of systematic, nationwide discrimination which is irrefutable and that disproportionately affects people of color. Recommend you read "So You Want to Talk about Race" by Ijeoma Oluo or "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla Saad to learn more about racism as actual experts on the subject understand it. (Edit: typo)
on “CNN reporter arrested live on air while covering Minneapolis protests [video]” ↗…https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0679763880/ Sister Citizen: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0300188188 Pushout: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1620973421 This Bridge Called My Back: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1438454384 So You Want to Talk About Race: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1541647432 Killing the Black Body: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0679758690 How to be an Anti Racist: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Be-Antiracist-Ibram-Kendi-ebook... Racecraft:…
on “July 10 Discussion Board: Don't Buy “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo” ↗It is not complex and doesn't require much background knowledge ("critically" reading a couple books like So You Want To Talk About Race is enough, or you can just skip those and read Cynical Theories). This "critical sense of the term" is basically a political wedge. There are two almost completely unrelated issues at play: 1) Institutions,…
on “Black couple ‘erases themselves’ from their home, its value goes up by $500k” ↗…incompetence, but I cannot help but wonder if tying essentially class-based activism against "systemic racism" where class correlates with race based on past non-systemic racism (I base this on reading So You Want To Talk About Race and New Jim Crow and taking copious notes - the former actually says that even if every single person became genuinely non-racist the systemic racism would still not budge, among other things) is a ploy…
on “Coca-Cola says 'Be Less White' learning plan was about workplace inclusion” ↗