So You Want to Talk About Race Book Summary - So You Want to Talk About Race Book explained in key points

So You Want to Talk About Race summary

Name: So You Want to Talk About Race
Rating: 4.4 (66 reviews)
Author: Ijeoma Oluo

Ijeoma Oluo

An examination of the complex system of racism in the United States

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4.4 (66 ratings)

31 mins

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What is So You Want to Talk About Race about?

So You Want To Talk About Race (2018) examines the complex system of racism in the United States, from police brutality to cultural appropriation to the school-to-prison pipeline. It offers clarity on ways we can approach conversations about race and take action against structural injustice.

About the Author

Ijeoma Oluo is a writer and speaker. Her work on race has been published in the New York Times, Elle, the Guardian, and the Washington Post. In 2018, she was awarded the Feminist Humanist Award from the American Humanist Society.

Table of Contents

Key idea 1 of 9

Racism is inextricably woven into – and reinforced by – systems of power.

After Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, many people speculated that the Democratic Party had lost because America’s societal problem was about class, not race. They felt the Left had been too focused on the needs of Black people, Latinx people, women in general, and trans people while leaving out working class white men. If you improved things for the lower classes, they argued, things would improve for minorities.

Author Ijeoma Oluo found herself exhausted from constantly having this debate – after all, the injustices that keep an able-bodied Black woman poor are not the same as those that keep a disabled white man poor. So she started directly asking people: “Why do you think Black people are poor? Do you think it’s for the same reasons white people are poor?”

The truth is, race is one of the largest variables determining your success in the United States – a point that often goes unacknowledged.

The key message here is: Racism is inextricably woven into – and reinforced by – systems of power.

Today, more than half a century after the civil rights movement, the racial wealth gap is just as large. This is no accident; racism was built into the US economic system. It has long justified white supremacy, which offers those deemed superior the promise that “you will get more because they exist to get less.”

This promise can’t be undone purely by addressing class, so we need to start talking about race. But often, the first hurdle to clear is the question of whether or not something is in fact about race.

To begin, consider these three points:

First, if a person of color thinks it’s about race, it is. Their racial identity is a part of them, and it’s interacting with the situation.

Second, if it affects people of color differently or disproportionately, it’s about race.Finally, if it fits into a larger pattern that differently or disproportionately affects people of color, it’s about race.

Before we continue, it’s helpful to establish a clear definition of racism. Two common ones are: “any prejudice against someone because of their race” and “any prejudice against someone because of their race, when those views are reinforced by systems of power.”

The second definition is more applicable here because, in the United States, racism is typically reduced to the actions of the individual. “How so?” you may wonder. Well, in an environment where racism is systemic, its maintenance is fueled by the complacency of individuals. And so the only way to fight systemic oppression is by personally, actively dismantling it.

Having uncomfortable conversations about race is a necessary first step toward progress.

Oluo was 34 the first time she had a serious conversation about race with her mother, who is white. Her mom explained that she’d told her coworkers a joke with a “Black punchline.” One of them – a Black man – asked her, “What do you know about being Black?”

Oluo’s mother was angry at her coworker at first – after all, she had three Black children! But she restrained herself. She told Oluo that she intended to let him know that she understood where he was coming from because members of her own family were Black.

We must examine our privilege and adopt intersectionality to stop personally perpetuating oppression.

A common phrase in social justice language that’s often met with an eye roll is “check your privilege.” Very few people actually know what privilege is, though – or how exactly they should go about “checking it.”

Checking your privilege means questioning when you receive benefits denied to others, even if that means giving up those benefits. It requires you to stop and consider not only how your perspective and actions have been shaped by the advantages you’ve had in life, but also the struggles you’ve avoided.

Implicit bias informs policing in the US; to effect change, we need to cultivate trust.

In 2015, Oluo was driving with her two brothers when a cop pulled her over for being 1 mph over the speed limit. Witnesses are the main defense Black people have against police brutality, so Oluo fearfully tweeted, “Just got pulled over for driving while Black. Here’s hoping I get out of it safely.”

In the end, she was only issued a ticket – but in response to the tweet, she received a flood of messages. These ranged from people sharing their own stories of “driving while Black” to others questioning why she assumed it was about race in the first place.

Expanded affirmative action can mitigate some of the impact of historical oppression.

In order to succeed in our society, marginalized people must clear hurdles unimaginable to others. Oluo experienced this firsthand, growing up poor and attending underfunded schools.

When she overcame the challenges those disadvantages brought and got her first job after college, Oluo volunteered for special projects and worked overtime without pay to learn new skills. Her supervisor acknowledged her efforts with a promotion – but then abruptly rescinded it. Strange.

Punitive practices that target students of color are a major contributor in the school-to-prison pipeline.

Oluo’s brother Aham wasn’t as lucky as she was in school. As an emotional and energetic child, he was targeted by teachers who misinterpreted his energy as aggression. After one teacher implemented a misguided classroom reward system that required students to “pay rent” on their desks, Aham – who was constantly being disciplined for his bursts of energy – couldn’t “afford” it. So he sat on the floor, and the other students taunted him. At school, he became known as “the homeless kid.”

Perhaps the teacher didn’t know Aham had actually been homeless at times. But after this episode, he didn’t make friends for years, had daily panic attacks, and eventually dropped out of high school.

The n-word, cultural appropriation, and microaggressions are all tools of oppression.

Many people don’t understand why they shouldn’t use the n-word. A central, flawed argument on the topic asks: “Since many Black people use it, why can’t people of other races do so, too?”

A foundational response to this question is that all oppression begins with words. Language is how we process the world, and from the 1700s on, the n-word was used as a slur to dehumanize and express hatred of Black people. It was shouted at enslaved people, it was uttered when people spat at lynched Black bodies, and it helped establish and perpetuate oppression and inequality.

Tone-policing and the “model minority” myth harm the struggle toward equality and justice.

In school and popular culture, Americans are taught that there are two ways to approach the struggle for racial justice: the “nonviolent” approach favored by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., and the “by any means necessary” approach advocated by Malcolm X. The perception is that if you’re a “Martin,” you promote love, equality, and pacifism – so your cause is acceptable. If you’re a “Malcolm,” you’re too angry and bitter – and your cause is unacceptable.

In her earlier writings about race, Oluo’s style was deemed more Malcolm than Martin. She was often told that the reason race relations had become a discursive topic in the first place was because of people like her, who were too “loud” and “inconvenient.”

Young people are combating systemic oppression and fighting for justice.

Oluo grew up in the 1980s with the Cosby family on TV and the promise that racism was outdated. The message was, if you kept your head down and worked hard, you wouldn’t be denied opportunities based on the color of your skin. Then came the crack epidemic and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which accelerated the criminalization and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people.

One of the effects of this is that young people are now denouncing a system so focused on exceptionalism that it allowed for the criminalization, incarceration, and murder of those deemed “less exceptional.”

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Citizens who care about social justice
People who want to improve their understanding of racism
Anyone who wants to learn how to discuss race

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So You Want to Talk About Race summary

Listen to the first key idea

What is So You Want to Talk About Race about?

About the Author

Racism is inextricably woven into – and reinforced by – systems of power.

Having uncomfortable conversations about race is a necessary first step toward progress.

We must examine our privilege and adopt intersectionality to stop personally perpetuating oppression.

Implicit bias informs policing in the US; to effect change, we need to cultivate trust.

Expanded affirmative action can mitigate some of the impact of historical oppression.

Punitive practices that target students of color are a major contributor in the school-to-prison pipeline.

The n-word, cultural appropriation, and microaggressions are all tools of oppression.

Tone-policing and the “model minority” myth harm the struggle toward equality and justice.

Young people are combating systemic oppression and fighting for justice.

Key ideas in So You Want to Talk About Race

Racism is inextricably woven into – and reinforced by – systems of power.

Having uncomfortable conversations about race is a necessary first step toward progress.

We must examine our privilege and adopt intersectionality to stop personally perpetuating oppression.

Implicit bias informs policing in the US; to effect change, we need to cultivate trust.

Expanded affirmative action can mitigate some of the impact of historical oppression.

Punitive practices that target students of color are a major contributor in the school-to-prison pipeline.

The n-word, cultural appropriation, and microaggressions are all tools of oppression.

Tone-policing and the “model minority” myth harm the struggle toward equality and justice.

Young people are combating systemic oppression and fighting for justice.

Who should read So You Want to Talk About Race

Categories with So You Want to Talk About Race

Books like So You Want to Talk About Race

What our members say

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