Quotes by Educators

Although racism does, of course, occur in individual acts, these acts are part of a larger system that we all participate in. The focus on individual incidences prevents the analysis that is necessary in order to challenge this larger system. Robin DiAngelo
Racism Challenge Focus Analysis System Prevents Individual Part Participate Course Although Does Occur Order Acts Larger Necessary
Like a nontechnical user trying to understand a technical problem, our racial illiteracy limits our ability to have meaningful conversations about race. Robin DiAngelo
Problem Our Ability About Like Understand Limits Trying Conversations Race Meaningful Racial User Illiteracy Technical
If I have no idea how my race shapes me, I am probably not going to be open to any feedback about how your race shapes you. Robin DiAngelo
Me You Feedback No Idea About Shapes Open Idea How Am Any Going Race Your
People of color understand what it means to be white more than I ever will. Robin DiAngelo
People Will White More Color Understand Than Means Ever
White fragility doesn't always manifest in overt ways; silence and withdrawal are also functions of fragility. Robin DiAngelo
Silence White Ways Also Withdrawal Always Manifest Functions Fragility
We have always policed the bodies of people of color, and black people in particular. The Jim Crow South is a classic example. White flight in the North. School segregation. Gerrymandering. Robin DiAngelo
People School Black Example White Jim Jim Crow Classic Classic Example Crow Segregation Color Particular Always South North Bodies Flight
While everyone has racial bias, I reserve the word 'racist' to describe the bias that white people have - our collective bias is backed by institutional power. Robin DiAngelo
People Word Collective Power White Everyone Our Backed Institutional Bias While Racial Describe Reserve
As a social concept, 'white' is profound in its meaning. It means people who either come from or appear to come from Europe, but it's necessarily a construct of oppression. Robin DiAngelo
People Oppression White Construct Come Concept Either Social Meaning Means Who Europe Appear Necessarily Profound
Whites have not had to build the cognitive or affective skills or develop the stamina that would allow for constructive engagement across racial divides. Robin DiAngelo
Build Would Constructive Divides Allow Develop Had Affective Stamina Racial Across Skills Engagement Whites Cognitive
The language of violence that many whites use to describe anti-racist endeavors is not without significance, as it is another example of how white fragility distorts reality. Robin DiAngelo
Reality Language Example White Significance Another Without How Endeavors Use Whites Many Describe Violence Fragility
One way that whites protect their positions when challenged on race is to invoke the discourse of self-defense. Through this discourse, whites characterize themselves as victimized, slammed, blamed, and attacked. Robin DiAngelo
Self-Defense Positions Way Characterize One-Way Blamed Attacked Through Invoke Protect Discourse Victimized Race Themselves Whites Slammed Challenged
Mainstream dictionary definitions reduce racism to racial prejudice and the personal actions that result. But this definition does little to explain how racial hierarchies are consistently reproduced. Robin DiAngelo
Racism Result Consistently Definition Definitions Hierarchies Mainstream Does How Reduce Dictionary Personal Explain Little Racial Prejudice Actions
Most white people cannot answer the question, 'What does it mean to be white?' with any depth or complexity. Robin DiAngelo
People White Complexity Most Answer Does Question Any Cannot Mean Depth
I have found that the only way to give feedback without triggering white fragility is not to give it at all. Robin DiAngelo
Feedback White Way Give Only Without Found Fragility
White fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. Robin DiAngelo
Stress White Defensive State Intolerable Range Minimum Becomes Moves Which Racial Even Amount Fragility
Whiteness is dynamic, relational, and operating at all times and on myriad levels. These processes and practices include basic rights, values, beliefs, perspectives and experiences purported to be commonly shared by all but which are actually only consistently afforded to white people. Robin DiAngelo
Rights People Values White Consistently Only Myriad Shared Operating Practices Times Afforded Experiences Dynamic Which Processes Commonly Perspectives Whiteness Include Beliefs Actually Basic Levels Basic Rights
Most people, certainly faculty, believe that if they're for social justice, it's automatically integrated into whatever they do. Robin DiAngelo
Justice People Whatever Believe Faculty Most Integrated Automatically Social Social Justice Certainly
I do atypical work for a white person, which is that I lead primarily white audiences in discussions on race every day, in workshops all over the country. That has allowed me to observe very predictable patterns. And one of those patterns is this inability to tolerate any kind of challenge to our racial reality. Robin DiAngelo
Work Day Me Reality Every Day Challenge Country White Every Our Those Kind Lead Allowed Observe Primarily Over Audiences Very Person Discussions Any Predictable Which Inability Patterns Race Racial Tolerate Workshops
White people in North America live in a social environment that protects and insulates them from race-based stress. This insulated environment of racial protection builds white expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress. Robin DiAngelo
Time People Protection Stress White Live Ability Environment Comfort Protects Insulated Builds North Expectations North America America Same Same Time While Social Them Racial Lowering Tolerate
The default of our society is the reproduction of racial inequality. I mean, that's what it does; that's what it's been doing for hundreds of years. Robin DiAngelo
Society Our Hundreds Hundreds Of Years Inequality Does Doing Been Years Reproduction Mean Racial Default
While individual whites may be against racism, they still benefit from the distribution of resources controlled by their group. Robin DiAngelo
Racism Group Benefit Resources Distribution Individual Still Controlled May While Against Whites
One cannot understand how racism functions in the U.S. today if one ignores group power relations. Robin DiAngelo
Today Racism Power Group Relations Understand How Cannot Ignores Functions
Whites often respond defensively when linked to other whites as a group or 'accused' of collectively benefiting from racism, because as individuals, each white person is 'different' from any other white person and expects to be seen as such. Robin DiAngelo
Racism Seen White Group Other Defensively Benefiting Respond Collectively Individuals Because Linked Person Expects Accused Any Often Different Whites Each
When we are flat on our backs there is no way to look but up. Roger Babson
Our Way Backs Look Up Flat
When I tell people I work to stop hazing in high schools I am almost always met with shocked expressions. 'High school? Really? I thought that was something that only arrogant frat guys do in college.' But it's true - as long as I have worked on preventing bullying in high schools, I have worked to prevent hazing. Rosalind Wiseman
Work Bullying People School Thought College Long Met Arrogant Tell High High School High Schools Something Guys Only Prevent Preventing True Almost Schools Always Am Shocked Stop Worked Really Expressions
Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls. Rosalind Wiseman
Girl Important Become Clothes Boy Issue Just Body Body Image Image
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