The goal of my work is to make visible the inevitable racist assumptions held, and patterns displayed, by white people conditioned from living in a white supremacist culture.
Robin DiangeloRead
White consciousness is deeply anti-black, and that's for progressives and conservatives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the pervasive nature of anti-black sentiment within all segments of society, including those who consider themselves progressive.
Robin DiAngelo's quote emphasizes that racial biases, particularly anti-blackness, are ingrained in the consciousness of both progressive and conservative individuals. It challenges the notion that only certain groups hold prejudiced views, suggesting instead that these biases are a collective societal issue that exists across the political spectrum, thus calling for a deeper examination of one's own beliefs and attitudes toward race.
Themes
RacismAnti-BlackSocietyConsciousnessBias
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on racial equity, this quote could be used to illustrate the need for self-reflection among all groups.
More from Robin Diangelo
All quotes βWhites 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 DiangeloRead
One of the most important misunderstandings for white people to get over to move forward is this idea that racism is a good-bad proposition - that if we're good we can't be part of it, that being uncomfortable means you're a terrible person. We have to let go of that and understand it as a system we all live in.
Robin DiangeloRead
You have to be in accountable relationships across race. Accountable means that they're authentic, they're sustained, and that you do talk about racism, and you are able to be given feedback.
Robin DiangeloRead
This is what I have learned: Any white person living in the United States will develop opinions about race simply by swimming in the water of our culture. But mainstream sources - schools, textbooks, media - don't provide us with the multiple perspectives we need.
Robin DiangeloRead
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 DiangeloRead
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