First Steps Toward an Antiracist Practice and Culture Witnessing Whiteness
Why now? Author of Witnessing Whiteness Says, “We Need to Adopt a New Way to be White” Los Angeles, CA—Author and anti-racism activist, Shelly Tochluk, says our country faces more hurdles than ever regarding racism as our country’s first black president takes office on January 20, 2009. “How many of us heard racial remarks from our friends or family during the election, knew they were offensive, but didn’t speak up?” questions Tochluk. “We need to acknowledge that white-skin privilege does exist, and then adopt a new way to be white in the U.S.” She says many white people believe they are transcending racism, but in reality they’re often ignoring or masking the problem because they don’t know how to confront racial issues. In her book, Witnessing Whiteness: First Steps Towards an Antiracist Practice and Culture, Tochluk explains why racism continues to be a powerful issue, demonstrates how race affects our daily lives, and then focuses on teaching white people skills and tactics they can use to combat race issues in their own lives, such as how to: • Successfully navigate racially loaded situations; • Learn from people of color without reenacting white privilege; and • Start real and honest conversations in their communities about race. Tochluk’s long-term vision is that white folks will become comfortable using these practices in their daily lives, and ultimately inspire an antiracist society. “With the upcoming Inauguration we have a tremendous opportunity right now to reach across race and continue our country’s healing process,” states Tochluk. “But for many white, Obama supporters like myself, there remains a great deal of work to accomplish within ourselves and our white communities before further progress can be made.” A message from the author Living in Hope Requires Us to Face Challenges There is no doubt that we are living in a truly historic time, a moment in which millions in the United States are proud of our capacity to see beyond previously constraining racial barriers. We are right to be proud. We are right to celebrate the election of our country’s first African-American President as a message to the world that we have made tremendous gains. And, we still have a long way to go. Evidence of this fact also surrounds us. We witnessed incidences of obvious racism that emerged throughout the campaign. (For a documented account, visit www.doubletake08.org.) Yet, the results of this election demonstrate that this obvious racism may no longer be our greatest challenge. What we are called to do now is recognize the subtleties and nuances of racism and the ways racial conditioning retains power and divides us. For many white, Obama supporters like myself, there remains a great deal of work to accomplish within ourselves and our white communities. This is a wonderful time to take this work seriously. We have a tremendous opportunity to reach across race and continue our country’s healing process. But, we must know and understand the terrain we will have to traverse. Race issues are not as neat and tidy as we would like. Issues of whiteness and white privilege are especially challenging to understand for many of us. As a white person, I believe that we are called to investigate the subtle ways our racial placement has shaped the way we see the world. Witnessing Whiteness: First Steps Toward an Antiracist Practice and Culture invites us, especially those of us of European ancestry, to consider our relationship to white privilege and the lingering shadows of racism. In an easy to read style, this book helps us understand why race is still a relevant issue, how race affects our daily lives, and how to develop the beginnings of an antiracist practice. It includes personal testimony from well-respected cultural workers across race to offer dialogues that illustrate how whiteness embeds itself in our psyche, lingers through continued social conditioning, and affects cross-race interactions. Across the country, people are gathering to read and discuss this book together. People of all backgrounds are finding it a valuable tool for relationship building and personal investigation. In the spirit of collaboration, dialogue, and healing…let us take up this opportunity to get to know ourselves and each other more deeply.http://witnessingwhiteness.comhttp://www.doubletake08.orgshapeimage_6_link_0shapeimage_6_link_1
Read more about this book (Click here) What%20and%20Why.htmlshapeimage_7_link_0
A WORD OF CAUTION: This website is optimally viewed using Mozilla Firefox and Safari browsers. With Internet Explorer, you may have trouble reading the available links.
 Who is this book for?           Why is it worth my time?
    Three Reader’s Recommendations
 
"Witnessing Whiteness is a rare and precious gem in the national literature on race and privilege. Shelly Tochluk provides readers of this comprehensive volume with a well-crafted blend of personal and analytical material, which will prove helpful for anyone lucky enough to read it. Unraveling the knot of privilege and unawareness that so often binds white Americans and weakens the struggle for racial justice is a crucial task; and Witnessing Whiteness is a brilliantly honed tool for helping with that unraveling process."
                                                         -Tim Wise, author, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, and Between Barack and a                
                                                           Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama
 
“This book is perfect for people who have begun self-identifying as white. It says all the thoughts you've had, but just didn't know how to say them. It takes the damage of studying white privilege and the guilt out of you by explaining it. It's one of those non-fiction books that reaches into your heart with a rag and wipes away the scorched tissue to reveal new life. It's well written. It's definitely for the critical thinking lay reader!“
                                                         - Thomas P. Vance, Journalism Student
 
“If we as a society are going to move forward and fully embrace the ideas in the Constitution, I think that it’s critical to address the wounds of white supremacy and racial trauma. As a black woman, I read this book to develop a greater understanding of white people who’ve grown up in a system that has historically oppressed black people. I think it helps develop empathy for whites and their struggle to heal from our collective history. This is critical if we are going to truly build cross-race alliances and social and racial equality.”
                                                          - Salina Gray,  4th Grade Teacher
 
Buy the book (Click here)