Nice Racism

May 24, 2021
DiAngelo follows White Fragility with a fierce critique of the “culture of niceness” that prevents the hard work of dismantling racism. She identifies many problematic behaviors associated with white progressives, such as showcasing one’s “credentials” (“I don’t see color”; “my best friend or partner is Black”) to establish one’s “goodness,” co-opting nonwhite culture under the guise of spirituality, and expressing disingenuous guilt over the privileges afforded by whiteness. DiAngelo, who is white, has particularly harsh criticism for diversity initiatives that address “every other possible form of oppression” in order to make white people feel included; she also asserts that many “woke” white people mistakenly believe that unintentional acts can’t qualify as racist, and that they are not truly open to the perspectives of people of color, and fail to recognize that a belief in “individualism” (“if we all just saw ourselves as individuals, racism would go away”) upholds white supremacy. Defending herself against accusations that she’s taking the spotlight away from BIPOC authors, DiAngelo asserts that her work is meant to be read in conjunction with theirs, and includes a study guide to help readers “go deep and grapple.” Though DiAngelo’s defensiveness is more exhausting than inspiring, she dismantles unconscious biases with precision. Readers will feel compelled to hold themselves more accountable.