Teacher Summer Reading: Backlash: What Happens When We Talk Honestly about Racism in America by George Yancy

I typically get to read more during the summer (especially now that I'm done with grad school), so I have been making use of the Libby service offered through my public library to do some reading. Backlash by George Yancy came up as a suggested read for me based on my history, so I figured it was worth a try while I waited for a few other books to become available.

I found it interesting that this book about race was written specifically for white people. Of course, white people are the ones who need books to help them further understand race, but the use of Dear White America as a chapter subtitle was still rather jarring to me. Yancy's letter to white America is brilliant, full of clear explanations of the societal-level workings of racism rather than individual accusations or jargon. Yancy refutes many of the common whataboutisms and arguments against his points in a clear way.

One of Yancy's major suggestions for white people is to listen openly rather than listen to respond. Of course this wasn't a new principle for me, but hearing it in the context of racism was a new take and a different criticism of white privilege than I had heard before. To truly understand the experiences of those who have been hurt by racism, we have to listen and understand rather than becoming defensive.

Throughout the book, many of Yancy's points are made clear through hypotheticals posed to the reader. For example, one particularly striking passage asks the reader to imagine their child was black. Such a simple statement can spark so much emotion in a reader, and makes it easier for one to recognize their unconscious biases and the effects of racism on a societal and structural level.

I would recommend this book, and think it is an important read for white Americans who are trying to do better in regards to confronting their privilege.