Review: So You Want to Talk About Race
So You Want to Talk About Race
Ijeoma Oluo
Synopsis: Ijeoma Oluo walks us through many different aspects of the conversation surrounding race.
Rating: R- Language.
If you are looking for a straight forward, no holds barred guide to understanding issues among different races, look no further than So You Want to Talk About Race!
Race is an incredibly hard thing to talk about. White people fear being called “racist”. Black people are forced to deal with microaggressions from white people. It’s a tense subject, and a difficult one to broach.
So You Want to Talk About Race goes through several different conversation points and breaks them down. From micro-aggressions to intersectionality to being a Black woman in a feminist movement, the book pretty much covers it all.
What I found particularly interesting is that Ms. Oluo doesn’t stop with racism against Black people. She includes bias between lighter skinned and darker skinner Black people, as well as Asian and Indigenous peoples. Oluo took great care to break down different stereotypes on various backgrounds and explains how these stereotypes came to be.
So You Want to Talk About Race was fascinating, educational and humbling. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. The book also includes various calls to action. Ways that white people can show up for People of Color, beyond just talking about it; the questions to ask, and the ways to help. I deeply appreciated that.
Ms. Oluo is not here to coddle white people. So, when you pick up this book (and I strongly urge you to do so), get ready to come face to face with some hard truths! And hard truth is exactly what white people need to hear. She is unflinchingly honest in her writing. We would do well to listen to her.