Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2020

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction

Part 1, Chapters 1-6

Part 2, Chapters 7-11

Part 3, Chapters 12-15

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Index of Terms

Affirmative Action

Introduced in the 1960s by President Kennedy to address extreme racial gaps in federal employment and higher education, Affirmative Action now describes policies and practices designed to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, creed, ability, and national origin in a wide range of domains. Affirmative Action aims to redress systemic inequalities resulting from centuries of racism. Because it gives preferential treatment to racial minorities, some decry Affirmative Action as a form of reverse racism (racism against White people). As Acho explains, however, the unfairness Black people experience is the goal of systemic racism. By contrast, the unfairness White people experience as a result of Affirmative Action is the byproduct of efforts to promote equality. In other words, the aim of Affirmative Action is not discriminate against White people. Acho maintains that, in this case, intention matters.

Cultural Appropriation

The term cultural appropriation refers to the adoption of an element or elements of one culture by members of a dominant culture. A well-known example is the appropriation of rap music by White artists. Acho compares cultural appropriation to plagiarism, arguing that White people who borrow from Black culture should, at the very least, understand the history of the thing they are borrowing. He explains that so long as racial inequality exists, all forms of cultural appropriation run the risk of being exploitative.

Systemic Racism

Systemic racism refers to racial biases interwoven into the very fabric of American society. Acho defines it as “the legitimizing of every dynamic—historic, cultural, political, economic, institutional, and person-to-person—that gives advantages to white people, while at the same time producing a whole host of terrible effects for black people and other people of color” (74). Acho argues that while racism has changed over time—slavery is a thing of the past, and the KKK has been reduced to a fringe group—more subtle forms of racism remain pervasive in American society. Systemic racism manifests itself as “inequalities in power, opportunities, laws, and every other metric of how individuals and groups are treated” (74). In other words, systemic racism makes the unequal treatment of Black people the norm.

White Fragility

Robin DiAngelo coined the term “white fragility” in 2011 and further explored it her 2018 book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. White fragility refers to a range of reactions White people have when placed in situations that challenge their identity. DiAngelo explains that White people “withdraw, defend, cry, argue, minimize, [and] ignore” (86) in order to regain their racial position and equilibrium. Acho provides a simpler definition: White fragility is when White people react to challenges defensively and engage in White talk (or straw-man arguments about race)—for example, calling Affirmative Action reverse racism. Indeed, reverse racism is a myth because oppression relies on power imbalance, and no group wields more power than White people.

White Privilege

White privilege refers to sets of advantages White people have that Black people and other people of color do not. The ability to go shopping without being followed by suspicious store clerks exemplifies White privilege, as does receiving a higher salary than an equally qualified Black coworker. The scholar Peggy McIntosh sparked conversations on White privilege in a 1988 essay titled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” referring to it as “an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious” (33). The fact that some White people experience hardships, such as poverty, is a separate issue from White privilege: It is even possible to face discrimination (say, for being disabled or elderly) while simultaneously benefiting from White privilege. As Acho points out, White privilege is about race, not wealth, so the difficulties White people experience have nothing to do with their skin color.