Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 6: White Fragility, DARVO, and Accepting Feedback
QUICK EPISODE OVERVIEW
April and Tracie discuss Robin DiAngelo's book, White Fragility. They unpack some of the courage and vulnerability it takes to both give and receive feedback around racism, and imagine a world in which it is safe to do both.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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Tracie begins the episode describing what white fragility is. If you are White, can you think of a time when you’ve reacted in this way? Moving forward, what do you intend to do differently if in a similar situation? If you are a person of color who has witnessed white fragility, how was it similar and different to what Tracie is describing?
Tracie shared a story offered by Robin DiAngelo in which Robin received feedback from a Black colleague. In reflecting on this story, Tracie and April reflect on how vulnerable it is to both give and receive feedback. How do I react when I receive feedback? How do I give it? What power dynamics may be at play that I don’t realize in that interaction?
Tracie mentions that Robin DiAngelo no longer has a Twitter presence and has faced criticism for her book, about which you can read here. Linguist John McWhorter, while he finds DiAngelo is well-intentioned, describes how he feels that her proscriptions she offers are actually racist themselves and do not respect the resilience of Black people. How does his analysis land with you? How can we both be aware of white fragility and take concrete, anti-racist actions in our institution to advance equity and justice?
April describes in depth the internal questioning that she, as a Black woman, goes through when engaging in conversations with White folks and what their reaction might be to her. How can White folks do better at creating environments that alleviate these fears?
April and Tracie mention a binary that has developed in White community where “bad people” are oppositional from the “good people”; it is these “bad people” who are racist. When April and Tracie say that this isn’t helpful, why do you think that is so?
Tracie asks you to identify an accountability partner for this work. Who is that in your life?
INSIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE
“What would the world look like if white people were just able to hear feedback and say, ‘thank you and I’ll work on that.’ That would be revolutionary.”
“It takes a lot of courage for white folks to confront white supremacy. And it takes a lot of courage and hope among People of Color to decide to speak out, even though I know I’m saying the right thing - and God willing history will bear it out. I don’t fully know at any given moment when I’m going to be lauded, when I’m going to be treated respectfully, when I’m going to be attacked. Or, am I going to be praised to the point of tokenization?”
“While I also know that none of us are perfect, my ideal relationship with white folks
is not when they’re perfect; it’s that I know that we have a shared commitment to equity and justice, and that we have a good pattern of communication, such that when things do arise, they don’t operate with as much white fragility and we’re actually able to navigate it.”
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
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