Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence (eBook)

Derald Wing Sue, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He was?Co-Founder and first President of the Asian American Psychological Association, and past President of the?Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues and the Society of Counseling Psychology. Dr Sue?serves on the Council of Elders for?Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. His current research explores the manifestation, dynamics, and impact of racial, gender, and sexual orientation microaggressions. He currently applies this research to strategies for facilitating difficult?dialogs on race in the classroom and public forums and conducts training sessions across the U.S. and Canada to help institutions improve relations among community members.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xvii

About the Author xix

SECTION ONE: THE CHARACTERISTICS, DYNAMICS, AND MEANING OFRACE TALK

CHAPTER ONE What Is Race Talk? 3

Race Talk Represents a Potential Clash of Racial Realities 7

Race Talk Pushes Emotional Hot Buttons 11

Race Talk Evokes Avoidance Strategies 13

Why Is Successful Race Talk Important? 16

CHAPTER TWO The Characteristics and Dynamics of Race Talk18

What Are Characteristics of Race Talk? 21

How Do Societal Ground Rules (Norms) Impede Race Talk? 23

Why Is Race Talk So Difficult and Uncomfortable forParticipants? 27

Conclusions 33

CHAPTER THREE The Stories We Tell: White Talk Versus BackTalk 35

Race Talk: Narratives and Counter-Narratives 37

Telling on Racism: Unmasking Ugly Secrets 38

SECTION TWO: THE CONSTRAINING GROUND RULES FOR RACETALK

CHAPTER FOUR "The Entire World's a Stage!"55

The Politeness Protocol and Race Talk 57

The Academic Protocol and Race Talk 64

CHAPTER FIVE Color-Blind Means Color-Mute 74

Color-Evasion: "We Are All the Same Under the Skin"78

Stereotype-Evasion: "I Don't Believe in ThoseStereotypes" 82

Power-Evasion: "Everyone Can Make It in Society, If TheyWork Hard Enough" 86

Myth of the Melting Pot 89

SECTION THREE: WHY IS IT DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR TOHONESTLY TALK ABOUT RACE?

CHAPTER SIX "What Are the Consequences for Saying WhatI Mean?" 95

Ethnocentric Monoculturalism 99

Power and Oppression 105

CHAPTER SEVEN "To Speak or How to Speak, That Is theQuestion" 112

Communication Styles 115

Nonverbal Communication 118

Nonverbal Communication in Race Talk: SociopoliticalConsiderations 121

Being Constrained and Silenced: Impact on People of Color123

Conclusions 127

SECTION FOUR: WHY IS IT DIFFICULT FOR WHITE PEOPLE TOHONESTLY TALK ABOUT RACE?

CHAPTER EIGHT "I'm Not Racist!" 131

Cognitive Avoidance--Racism Denial 133

Emotional Avoidance--Fear, Guilt, and Other Feelings138

Behavioral Avoidance--Helplessness and Hopelessness 142

Emotional Roadblocks to Race Talk 144

CHAPTER NINE "I'm Not White; I'mItalian!" 147

What Does It Mean to Be White? 148

The Invisibility of Whiteness: What Does It Mean? 152

The Fear of Owning White Privilege 154

Fear of Taking Personal Responsibility to End Racism: MovingFrom Being Nonracist to Becoming Antiracist 159

SECTION FIVE: RACE TALK AND SPECIAL GROUPCONSIDERATIONS

CHAPTER TEN Interracial/Interethnic Race Talk: DifficultDialogues Between Groups of Color 167

Interracial/Interethnic Relationship Issues 169

Race Talk: Fears of Divide and Conquer 171

Sources of Conflict Between People of Color 174

CHAPTER ELEVEN Race Talk and White Racial IdentityDevelopment: For Whites Only 186

Developing a Nonracist and Antiracist Racial Identity 189

White Racial Identity Development and Race Talk 202

SECTION SIX: GUIDELINES, CONDITIONS, AND SOLUTIONS FOR HAVINGHONEST RACIAL DIALOGUES

CHAPTER TWELVE Being an Agent of Change: Guidelines forEducators, Parents, and Trainers 209

Talking to Children About Race and Racism 213

Guidelines for Taking Personal Responsibility for Change 214

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Helping People Talk About Race: FacilitationSkills for Educators and Trainers 226

Ineffective Strategies: Five Things Not to Do 230

Successful Strategies: Eleven Potentially Positive Actions234

References 245

Author Index 261

Subject Index 267

"Talking about race - and especially about racism - is one of
the most contentious and complex elements of teaching. Its
rawness means that this kind of talk is often avoided.
Teachers call for time outs, or quickly move the discussion
on to another topic. In Race Talk and the Conspiracy of
Silence Derald Wing Sue not only illustrates the subtlety and
pervasiveness of racial micro-aggressions, but he also provides
seasoned advice on how to keep race talk going in a way that keeps
unwilling students and teachers participating. The book is
accessible and helpful and will be invaluable to teachers (like
myself) who struggle to make race talk a central part of their
work"--Stephen Brookfield, John Ireland Endowed Chair,
University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis-St. Paul