So You Want to Talk about Race

This is a powerful book about the systemic oppression of people of color in the USA (and other predominantly white countries). Ijeoma Oluo talks about the hardships people of color face, and the danger (and harm) caused by white people caring more about their comfort than the safety and lives of people of color.

She is eloquent in her explanation and stern when standing up to her ideas. The book is honest and unapologetic, yet the author never tells you what to do. According to her, you can do whatever you want, as long as it's legal. She does, however, offer guidelines to those who honestly believe in racial equality and want to change things for the better.

I learned a lot from this book. Not only about the struggles people of color face, but also some biases of my own thinking.

Ever since I was twelve years old, which was the first time I'd ever heard of racial oppression in the US, I've considered myself an ally in black rights activism. But that kind of thinking can easily turn into self-righteous patting yourself on the back, if left without self-analysis. Because of my self-perceived “innate goodness”, I always thought I couldn't possibly be racist, even at the times when I were.

Us well-wishing white folks should always remember that we can (and probably do) act or think in a racist way without intending. We must understand that our good intentions mean nothing if our actions hurt people of color. We should stop focusing on being “good people” in the eyes of the public and just do good things.

Do NOT tone police black people in a heated argument on race. Do NOT talk over them. Do NOT make them prove to you that a racist experience they'd recently gone through was actually racist.

Racists are not just some bad seeds, some single individuals acting our of pure malice. The whole system is racist, and since we, white people, benefit from that system, it is inevitable for us to do or say racist things. The question is - are we gonna waste our time defending the wrong doing, trying desperately to prove to the world we're not racist, or do we actually listen to the people of color we'd hurt, learn from our mistake, and take effort into making sure we never do that again?

If you don't want to contribute to the oppression of millions of people - this book is for you. And don't give yourself the excuse of “I'm not from the US, we don't have racism in my country!”. Chances are that you do. I'm from Lithuania and we have very little black people living here (to my knowledge). I have no idea what it's like for black people to live in my country and what difficulties they face, because I have no one to ask.

I do, however, know a whole ethnic group that has been suffering injustice in Lithuania for ages - the Roma people. And even then I only know the tip of the iceberg of the difficulties they face! So if you are not from the US, and its oppressive system (to your knowledge) does not exist in your culture, think about what does exist. Which ethnicity was always made fun of when you were a kid? Who do your parents and grandparents make jokes about? Which ethnic group is often linked to crime and poverty on your local news? This is the group to start thinking about, whose issues you should read about and, ultimately, whom you can try to help to the best of your ability.