As always, you are on point with this article. My only edit would be that unfortunately, there are some very popular antiracist voices out there that have purported that whites are inherently racist. That narrative has done great damage to enhancing meaningful and forward-moving conversations and learning about racial equity.

For example, in Robin DiAngelo's NYT best-selling book, White Fragility, she states on page 149:

"There are many approaches to antiracist work; one of them is to try to develop a positive white identity. Those who promote this approach often suggest we develop this positive identity by reclaiming the cultural heritage that was lost during assimilation into whiteness for European ethics. However, a positive white identity is an impossible goal. White identity is inherently racist; white people do not exist outside the system of white supremacy."

I was horrified when I first read this paragraph and sickened that it would be swallowed as truth by its many readers (come to find out through inquiries with many fans of the book that they had not either read the entire book or didn't recall that paragraph). I found many, many flaws with this book and have written about it in my own blog posts. However, I was more concerned that this work and its tenets would end up being the bullets for the gun that conservatives were firing to discredit antiracist education.

Sadly, I was right as this is the book and the very passage that Christopher Rufo, of the conservative think tank, The Manhattan Institute, used to invent and fuel the critical race theory controversy. https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-a-conservative-activist-invented-the-conflict-over-critical-race-theory.. Rufo used the sources DiAngelo and other popular authors like Ibram X. Kendi (who does not assert that whites are inherently racist) cited and especially liked that the term Critical Race Theory actually had the word race in it. That was all he needed to be able to start what has been a successful campaign to derail or interrupt race education in our schools, universities and even some organizations.

My point here is that in order for us to have the kind of nuanced conversations this topic requires, we have to acknowledge that some popular (overfunctioning and overzealous) antiracist educators have put these claims about whites being inherently racist out there.

It doesn't change the narrative or move us forward if we simply say, "DiAngelo is not an antiracist educator," which is the response frequently given when Rufo and others cite her work. I think we have to say, "Yes, there are some in this field who represent that thinking and it is grounded in their perspective and experiences; however, those of us who understand the complexity of the racial identity understand that acts of racism are tethered to behaviors and not inherent in any particular race. Unfortunately, American history has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate that in the United States, these behaviors have been and are most often exhibited by White people against BIPOC. This is a hard fact that doesn't sit well with most of us. However, we can draw some hope in the belief that because people can make choices to change behaviors and those who demonstrate racist behaviors or attitudes will do so. I have personally and professionally experienced people who have done so. Yet, we also know that systemic racism does not have a individual identifiable perpetrator and racism is baked into our educational systems, housing patterns, voting practices, how wealth is created, our criminal justice system, and health care systems. It affects the quality of all of our lives so I invite you to be on this learning journey with me for how we can eliminate racism."