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1-Page Summary of So You Want To Talk About Race
Overall Summary
So You Want to Talk About Race is a book that offers insight into the many issues surrounding race in America. It was written by Ijeoma Oluo, an American author of Nigerian descent whose columns and news articles on race have appeared in The Guardian, The Stranger, and Jezebel, among other places. This guide refers to the first edition published in 2018 by Seal Press. In her introduction, she frames each chapter as a question which she explains and unpacks with personal experiences interweaved with critical terms and issues.
The introduction is about the author’s recollections of growing up in a racially marked body. She was constantly being subjected to microaggressions, but at the same time she also celebrated Black culture through music and art. The first chapter discusses how we can’t avoid talking about race by focusing on class instead. Chapter 2 defines racism as prejudices reinforced by systems of power and defends her broad use of it, refusing to reserve it for extreme examples like Nazis or lynchings. Chapter 3 addresses why there are fears associated with discussing race, pitfalls to avoid when having conversations about race, and strategies for having productive conversations in general. Chapters 4-8 focus on the issues surrounding White privilege, intersectionality (the idea that different aspects of our identity intersect), police brutality (particularly toward people who aren’t White), affirmative action (a policy designed to address past discrimination against certain groups), and the school-to-prison pipeline (where students get pushed out of schools into prisons).
In Chapter 9, Oluo explains why it is never appropriate for white people to use the “n” word. Chapters 10-15 focus on problems with cultural appropriation, bodily autonomy, microaggressions and youth activism. The book closes with how to confront one’s own racism and actions that combat systemic racism. Oluo answers questions many Americans have about race but are too scared to ask while touching on key aspects of racism.
Introduction: “So you want to talk about race”
The introduction gives a brief summary of how race has affected the author’s life. The author discusses the negative aspects of being Black, such as being followed in stores and having to deal with microaggressions at work. However, she also talks about how positive it is to be Black because she loves jazz music, rap and R&B songs from black artists, and the accomplishments of black activists.
Racial tension has been an issue in America for a long time. Some people, like Oluo, have tried to do something about it by speaking up and fighting against the status quo. However, racism is still very prevalent today. For example, there are many videos of police brutality towards African Americans on social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube that help spread awareness of this issue to more people than ever before. Thanks to these videos and other similar events that have occurred recently, we’re starting to see a shift in how society views race relations; however there’s still much work left to be done before racial equality can be achieved in America
Chapter 1: “Is it really about race?”
Chapter 1 argues that the issue of race is often displaced by the issue of class. Many believe that improving the plight of poor people will improve racial minorities as well, but this isn’t true. Poor Black people are affected differently than White people because they face different challenges and aren’t helped by some solutions for poverty alleviation.
Race is a social construct that was created to justify racial inequality. It locks Black people at the bottom of society and bars them from opportunities, while benefiting White people. Class inequality needs to be addressed, but it won’t get rid of racism. Racism is also about class or gender or sexuality because they’re all connected in some way. If something impacts Black people more than others, then it’s racially influenced.
