Book Review: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
You’ve likely heard some version of the old saying: If one person calls you a horse’s ass, just ignore them; if several people call you a horse’s ass, get a saddle. Eddo-Lodge artfully speaks for the millions of people of color worldwide in relating her experiences with willful white ignorance about white racism.
The author provides first hand accounts of encounters with white people—progressive white people—who are not only unaware of how they are being hurtful to people of color, but also who display a determined unwillingness to entertain any possibility that they are doing something that is rightfully robbing their non-white interlocutors of their dignity and agency.
Although this book is by a Briton of color addressing issues from a UK perspective, the author notes this same whiteness culture is also manifested in North America and other parts of the world. Eddo-Lodge pulls no punches from start to finish.
If you’ve been a recipient of the “educate yourself” admonition without any further pointers, this book is a great place to start—it’s well worth the read.
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