Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm
By Robin DiAngelo, 2021, Beacon Press Books
Reviewed by Ken Warren
This book is a follow-up to Robin DiAngelo’s earlier book, White Fragility. In White Fragility, DiAngelo focused on white people in general. In this book she turns her attention specifically to white progressives. As the membership of Moses could easily be considered progressive and is also overwhelmingly white, this is a perfect book for us to read and take to heart.
In the first chapter, DiAngelo lays out her definition of a white racist. She points out that she is not talking about people who espouse hatred of BIPOC individuals, but rather people who unintentionally commit racial microaggressions. She gives many examples of this from her years of conducting seminars. She also does not spare herself, but points out her own microaggressions.
The author points out that one particular problem in the United States is our reverence for individualism. White progressives often challenge the idea of being generalized as a part of the white race. They feel that they should be viewed as individuals rather than as a member of a racial group. The problem with that, of course, is that we live in a society which supports and encourages white privilege. Whether we recognize it or not, and regardless of our economic status, our life in this country is made easier as a result of our whiteness.
This entire book has valuable information for anyone trying to be an anti-racist. I am, however, going to focus on Chapter 5, which is titled “The Moves of White Progressives.” In this chapter, DiAngelo lists 19 different moves by white progressives to argue against any suggestion that they may have done or said something racist in nature. She focuses particularly on credentialing.
By DiAngelo’s definition, credentialing describes the ways in which white progressives attempt to prove that they are not racist. She indicates that there are two broad categories of credentialing, which she labels color-deny and color-celebrate. In the category of color-deny, the person claims to not even notice race and therefore could not possibly be racist. An example of color-deny credentialing is: “I was taught to treat everyone the same.” The color-celebrate category says that the person welcomes, enjoys, and seeks out racial difference, thus the person is comfortable with racial difference and could not possibly be racist. An example of color-celebrate credentialing is: “My best friend is Black.”
Another move is “out-woking.” Examples of this are publicly criticizing other white progressives for their racism and complaining in seminars that they are not learning anything new. While some workshops may be more valuable than others, there is always something to be learned, DiAngelo says. Publicly complaining is just an attempt to show oneself as “woke.”
Another move of white progressives is “Downplaying our Advantages.” When asked to talk about their white privilege, white progressives often point out how terrible they feel about having those privileges. We may not have liked all the food at the table, but we were “all at the table, and that table was whiteness,” she writes.
The last move that I will highlight is “Lecturing BIPOC People on the Answer to Racism.” The example DiAngelo uses here was taken from a panel discussion in South Africa. When the event was opened to questions and comments, a Black woman expressed pain and anger about racial inequality in South Africa. In response, several white people stood and lectured on the solutions to racism that included personal responsibility, personal relationships, and not pointing fingers. None of them expressed any understanding of that woman’s pain.
As I previously opined, this book has important teaching messages from beginning to end, but what I found most revealing was my own response to the book. When DiAngelo would give examples of microaggressions or white moves, I would think, “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that!” As I progressed through the book, though, I realized that I was looking at other progressives’ shortcomings but shielding myself. I started putting myself into those examples and began to understand how far I still have to go to become a true adherent of anti-racism and a consistent white ally. I encourage everyone to read Nice Racism. Use it to honestly assess your own work, yet to be done.