Book Review: Uprooting Racism

Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice by Paul Kivel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book for white people. It is about what they can and should be doing to further an America that is truly about liberty and justice for all. If you think that we're already there, then read no further. You ain't ready.

The book itself is structured in short chapters and is meant to be used as a workbook or guide for someone who is committed to working through his/her own prejudices and living and acting as an ally for people of color. The central point of the book is that the continued existence of a white supremacist structure to our country and its institutions is real, and can only be rectified through the actions of people of all colors, which necessarily includes white people.

The structure of white supremacy includes areas as diverse as business, culture, religion, politics, housing, education, the justice system, and environmental policy. As a white man, it was not an easy book to ready – despite the fact that I have been married to a black woman for 30 years, have four biracial children, have lived with their experiences, and live in a relatively racially diverse community in Los Angeles. While I am encouraged with the progress on racial issues that I've seen in the course of my lifetime, it is clear that there remains much work to do.

This book addresses an area that is rarely considered in the fight for racial justice: what white people need to do and how they need to change if we are to make any more progress on the toxic levels of racism that still exist in this country. If you're white (and you're still reading this) you will be tempted to discount what I'm saying. Because it is uncomfortable to deal with the idea that a system that you think of as normal and fair and merit-based is in fact harmful to people because they are not considered "white."

Our culture has fully embraced a set of practices and structures that keep white people from being made uncomfortable by their racist actions. It is the responsibility of white people and not anyone else to fix the problem. It is not the task of our black or brown friends, neighbors, or coworkers to explain it to us. In fact, we are blessed to have people of color who have pointed out the issues that flow from racism and white supremacy, often at no small risk to themselves. As white people, we must remove the beam that is firmly embedded in our eye so that we can see what's really happening, and begin to change it for the better.

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't hate the fact that I'm white, nor do I hate white people. I don't hate America. I can recognize that it has provided me with certain privileges that I didn't earn and still look myself in the mirror every morning. But I can't be content doing nothing about the injustices that remain. If you share a similar point of view, or if you want to do something about racism that you've witnessed or been confronted with (whether it's your own or someone else's), then this book is worth your time.

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