It's no secret that women in contemporary society are conditioned to be "nice," but did you know that an emphasis on being polite and an avoidance of conflict are characteristics of white supremacy culture? As the founders of Race2Dinner, an organization which facilitates conversations between white women about racism and white supremacy, Regina Jackson and Saira Rao have noticed white women's tendency to maintain a veneer of niceness, and strive for perfection, even at the expense of anti-racist work.In this book, Jackson and Rao pose tough questions such as, how has being "nice" helped Black women, Indigenous women and women of color? Has being "nice" helped white women in their quest to end sexism? Has being "nice" earned white women economic parity with white men? Beginning with freeing white women readers from a commitment to niceness that upholds oppression, Jackson and Rao deconstruct and analyze nine aspects of traditional white woman behavior--from tone-policing to weaponizing tears--that uphold white supremacy society, and hurt all of us who are trying to live an equitable life.With a radically honest, real-talk style, White Women is a call to action to white women looking to take the next steps in dismantling white supremacy. As Jackson and Rao state, yes, it may be triggering, but without a trigger we have no shot.
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
A no-holds-barred guidebook aimed at white women who want to stop being nice and start dismantling white supremacy from the team behind Race2Dinner and the documentary film, Deconstructing Karen
It's no secret that white women are conditioned to be "nice," but did you know that the desire to be perfect and to avoid conflict at all costs are characteristics of white supremacy culture?
As the founders of Race2Dinner, an organization which facilitates conversations between white women about racism and white supremacy, Regina Jackson and Saira Rao have noticed white women's tendency to maintain a veneer of niceness, and strive for perfection, even at the expense of anti-racism work.
In this book, Jackson and Rao pose these urgent questions- how has being "nice" helped Black women, Indigenous women and other women of color? How has being "nice" helped you in your quest to end sexism? Has being "nice" earned you economic parity with white men? Beginning with freeing white womenfrom this oppressive need to be nice, they deconstruct and analyze nine aspects of traditional white woman behavior--from tone-policing to weaponizing tears--that uphold white supremacy society, and hurt all of us who are trying to live a freer, more equitablelife.
White Women is a call to action to those of you who are looking to take the next steps in dismantling white supremacy.Your white supremacy.If you are in fact doingrealanti-racism work, you will find few reasons to be nice, as other white people want to limit your membership in the club. If you are not ticking white people off on a regularbasis, you are not doing it right.
About the Author
Saira (NOT Sara) Rao grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Indian immigrants. For forty years, she wasted her precious time aspiring to be white and accepted by dominant white society, a futile task for anyone not born with white skin. Several years ago, Saira began the painful process of dismantling her own internalized oppression. Saira is a lawyer-by-training, a former congressional candidate, a published novelist and an entrepreneur. Born in Chicago in 1950 Regina remembers an America where everything was in Black and white. Burned into her memory are; the beatings and horrific treatment of civil rights workers throughout the south, the Goodman, Chaney & Schwerner murders, the murder of Viola Liuzzo, the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the murders of President John Kennedy and his brother Robert. The violence perpetrated on innocent people going about their lives, by white people. It is these memories that drive Regina to push for real change in America. Which is why she co-founded Race 2 Dinner.
Industry Reviews
"This book dares to tell necessary truths. The kind of truths that can save lives, and if heard with an open mind and heart - may even help save the soul of this lost nation." -Frederick Joseph, author of New York Times bestsellers Patriarchy Blues and The Black Friend
"In their recent The New York Times bestseller White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How To Do Better, Jackson and Rao are clearly more interested in confronting and challenging the subtle yet devastating ways that racism shows up than soothing, coaxing and coddling individual egos." -- Forbes
"...what they're offering is an opportunity for white women to free themselves and their communities from the toxic ideals of white supremacy and white culture, amessage that's ultimately optimistic and even cathartic." -- Booklist
"WHITE WOMEN is not an easy read but is essential if you are dedicated to liberation for all and confronting white supremacy in all the parts of our lives where it hides so easily. This book is not an attack but an extraordinary gift, and I invite you to set your ego aside and approach it with humility and an open heart." -Anna Paquin, actress and producer
"[Jackson and Rao] are clear and concise, making their points with no room for argument... [they] are especially astute in their investigation of the language regarding White supremacy... [a] highly insightful, useful text." -Kirkus Starred Review
"I am excited for what this book means for us all. In a world where critical race theory is banned in classrooms across the USA, because the white people were not properly taught to think critically about their complicity in systemic oppression, this book is timely. We tend to tiptoe around whiteness, and this book rips the bandage off. This is the book many BIWOC have been needing to give to the white women in our lives; from our white co-workers to our white mother-in-laws, this book is no-holds-barred. This is the answer to many of our prayers." -Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez Author of For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love Letter to Women of Color
