Breaking the Deadly Dance of Racism

DERALD WING SUE, PHD, Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University.LISA BETH SPANIERMAN, PHD, Professor in the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology at Arizona State University.

• Preface xiPART ONE: INTRODUCTIONCHAPTER ONE The Dance of Racism: Perpetrators, Targets, Bystanders, and White Allies 3Challenge, Change, and Transformation: The Racial Revolution 5The Rise of Whiteness and White Supremacy 6Addressing Racism 9Critical Consciousness 10Self-Reckoning 16Anti-Racism (Words and Deeds) 19The Dance of Racism 25The Dance Metaphor 25Final Words 28PART TWO: THE DANCERSCHAPTER TWO Barriers to Perpetrator Awareness and Reparative Action 37Overcoming Perpetrator Unawareness 39Cognitive Barriers 40Affective/Emotional Barriers 50Behavioral Barriers 58When Perpetrators Are Called Out 61Strategies For Perpetrators To Break The Deadly Dance Of Racism 63CHAPTER THREE Target Survival and Resilience: Overcoming Racism 73The Prevalence of Racism Experienced by Targets: Who Are People of Color? 74Discrimination Against African Americans 75Discrimination Against Asian Americans 77Discrimination Against Latinx (Hispanic) Americans 79Discrimination Against Native Americans 81Discrimination Against American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (AMENA) 83Impact of Racism on People of Color 85Microaggressive Harm to People of Color 86Macroaggressive Harm to People of Color 87The Consequences of Racial Trauma 89Target Survival and Coping 93Consciousness Raising 94Self-Care Coping 95Empowering for Action 98CHAPTER FOUR Barriers to White Bystander Awareness and Anti-Racist Action 107Forces Shaping Bystander Inaction or Action 108The Bystander Effect: Silence and Inaction 109Diffusion of Responsibility 110Social Proof 111Evaluation Apprehension 112Costs/Benefits Explanation 113Similarities and Relationships 114The Racialization of Bystander Interventions 118Conformity and Obedience to Authority 119Isolation, Group Loyalty, Power, Secrecy, and Racism: Societal Implications 124Everyday Racism and Microaggressions: Impact on Bystanders 128CHAPTER FIVE Barriers to Ally Awareness: A Call for Courage 143Aspirational Characteristics of White Allies 144Demonstrate a Nuanced Understanding of Structural Racism and White Privilege 144Enact a Continual Process of Self-Reflection About Their Positionality and Privilege 145Experience a Sense of Responsibility to Use Their Racial Privilege to Facilitate Equity 145Engage in Actions to Disrupt Individual and Structural Racism in Their Own Communities 146Participate in Coalitions and Work in Solidarity with POC 146Encounter Resistance, Prepare for Backlash, and Shore Up Resources to Persist 146Potential Hazards of White Allyship: Reinforcing the Status Quo 147Engaging in Superficial and Performative Gestures 147Acting Paternalistically 148Overidentifying with People of Color 149Performative Allyship as a Starting Point? 150Motivations for Ally Work 151Childhood and Family Background 152Critical Incidents or Turning Points 153POC Perspectives of White Racial Justice Allies 154White Allies Are Few and Far Between (Structural Barriers to Becoming an Ally) 156The Emotional Labor of Allyship 158Hesitancy to Act: White Ally Paralysis 160Response Uncertainty 160Fear of Punitive Consequences 161Summary and Synthesis: The Hazards of White Racial Justice Allyship 162How to Be an Effective White Ally: Strategies to Break the Dance 165Educate Yourself 165Engage in Continual Reflexivity and Personal Growth 166Work in White Communities 166Develop Meaningful Relationships with POC 167Amplify POC Voices, Listen, and Decenter Whiteness 168Move Beyond Intention to Action 168Develop Self-CareStrategies to Persist 169Visualizing Sustained and Accountable White Allyship 170PART THREE: SOCIAL, SYSTEMIC, AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES THAT FACILITATE RACISMCHAPTER SIX The Deadly Dance of Racism: Symbiotic Roles, Scripts, and Ground Rules 181Unintended Consequences of Silence and Inaction 183False Consensus Effect 184Social/Bias Contagion Effect 186The Role Relationships in the Dance of Racism 189Communication and Intervention Styles 191Sincerity, Authenticity, and Trust 193Cultural Scripts and Ground Rules in the Dance of Racism 197Cultural Narratives (Storytelling) and Racial Scripts 198Protecting Racism: Ground Rules for Racial Interactions 202CHAPTER SEVEN Overcoming Cultural, Systemic, and Institutional Racism 215Cultural Racism and White Supremacy 216Whiteness and White Racial Superiority 217Systemic, Structural, and Institutional Racism 219Microaggressions and Macroaggressions: Distinctions and Focus 220Microaggressions and Macroaggressions: The Myth of Meritocracy 224Microaggressions and Macroaggressions: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) 225The Interlocking Relationship of Racism 226Institutional and Cultural Change 228Disarming Institutional Racism: General Guidelines 229Cultural Racism and Societal Change: General Lessons 234Conclusions—Looking Ahead 237PART FOUR: ANTI-BIAS STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS TO CHALLENGE INDIVIDUAL, INSTITUTIONAL, AND CULTURAL RACISMCHAPTER EIGHT Microintervention Strategies to Disrupt, Diminish, and Dismantle Racism: Arming Targets, Bystanders, and White Allies 245Microinterventions: What Are They? 247Microinterventions 248Strategies and Tactics to Combat Individual Microaggressions 253Strategic Goal #1: Making the “Invisible” Visible 255Strategic Goal #2: Disarm the Microaggression 264Strategic Goal #3: Educate the Perpetrator 268Strategic Goal #4: Seeking Outside Support and Validation 273CHAPTER NINE Microintervention Strategies to Disrupt, Diminish, and Dismantle Systemic Racism (Macroaggressions): Arming Targets, Bystanders, and White Allies 281The Current Political Climate and the Rise of Overt Racism 282Systemic Racism and Macroaggressions: Threat, Intimidation, and Silencing of Dissent 283Civil Courage: Resistance and Social Change 286Strategies and Tactics to Combat Macroaggressions (Systemic Racism) 288Strategic Goal #1: Making Macroaggressions Visible 289Strategic Goal # 2: Challenging Macroaggressions through Education 294Strategic Goal # 3: Challenging and Disarming Macroaggressions 297Strategic Goal #4: Seeking External Support in Fighting Macroaggressions 304CHAPTER TEN Racial Socialization and the Microprotections that Shape Antiracist Development 315Applying Racial Microprotections: A Framework for Prevention 317Learning Race: How Children Are Taught to Reproduce Social Hierarchies 318Developmental Pathways for Understanding Race 318The Myths that Undermine Antiracist Socialization 319The Myth of Racial Colorblindness 319The Myth of Exposure as Enough 320The Myth That Talking About Race Causes Bias 320Moving Beyond the Myths 320The Science of Racial Socialization 321Youth of Color: A Rich Tradition of Ethnic-Racial Socialization 322White Racial Socialization: What We Know 323The Urgency of Intentional WRS 324Enacting Racial Microprotections: Foundational Practices for Antiracist Socialization 325Foundational Practice 1: Be Purposeful—Commit to Your Own Racial Learning 326Foundational Practice 2: Break the Silence—Don’t Avoid Race Talk 330Foundational Practice 3: Make Race Talk Normative—Incorporate It Naturally 331Foundational Practice 4: Practice and Role-Play—Build Racial Dialogue Fluency 333Foundational Practice 5: Anticipate and Prepare—Script Responses to Common Racial Incidents 335Foundational Practice 6: Take the Lead—Instigate Everyday Race Lessons 337Foundational Practice 7: Recover from Mistakes—Model Imperfection and Growth 339Foundational Practice 8: Validate and Reinforce—Reward Antiracist Actions 340Summary 342Systems-Level Opportunities: Extending Racial Microprotections Beyond the Home 343Schools 343Community Institutions 345Media and Technology 345Peer Networks and Youth Spaces 346Conclusion: Reimagining the Future of Racial Socialization 347References 347Author Index 353Subject Index 361