So You Want To Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo, ISBN 978-1580058827, Hatchette Books, 2019, 272 pages, $16.99 paperback.
We are living in challenging times in 2020. While COVID-19 is ravaging our healthcare systems and our vulnerable populations, and changing every aspect of our everyday life, the murder of numerous Black Americans by police during the pandemic has called to the forefront once again the deep social, political, and institutional structures that function to keep racism alive. Many Americans have taken to the streets this summer in protest of the complex, ingrained practices that have operated to suppress people of color, including use of force by police on Black Americans. This is not the first time we have seen such an uprising. And yet, there is something very different about the current national conversation about racism; finally, we are naming and centering White supremacy in our understanding in a manner that has not been done previously in the widespread American consciousness.
Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race has contributed to this changed conversation. Oluo outlines how understanding the pervasive nature of White supremacy is key to impacting social justice. The New York Times bestseller breaks down a variety of race-based topics and provides direct commentary as well as specific strategies about changing current norms. Using her personal and professional experiences, Oluo is effective in providing historical context as it has shaped and impacted our daily lives, the institutions we encounter, and the lens through which we view one another.
Addressing White privilege, intersectionality, police brutality, affirmative action, the school-to-prison pipeline, cultural appropriation, microaggressions, the model minority myth, amongst other topics, Oluo shies away from nothing, including the sensitive issue of “why can’t I touch your hair.” Her direct style is both inviting and confrontational, challenging even those of us who thought we knew a lot about race-related topics to expand our thinking and understand more deeply.
For example, in the chapter on police brutality, Oluo states, “There has not been a time in American history where the police force has not had a contentious and often violent relationship with communities of color…. Our early American police forces existed not only to combat crime, but also to return Black Americans to slavery and control and intimidate free Black populations….Our police force was not created to serve Black Americans; it was created to police Black Americans and serve White Americans.” The historical context provides the lens through which we can understand the complicated relationship between communities of color and the police. Further, this lens moves the conversation from improved training of officers to an understanding of the systemic controls that are in place to keep Black Americans oppressed.
The power of Oluo’s work is in its simplicity and complexity, and her ability to break down concepts and shine the light under what we may have always understood. For social workers, some of what she describes is familiar – we often have significant experience with the institutional systems that do not behave in a manner that leads to positive outcomes for our clients of color. However, even the most experienced among us can go deeper, go further, understand more holistically, as Oluo challenges us: “When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else’s oppression, we’ll find our opportunities to make real change” (p. 65).
Reviewed by Lisa Eible, DSW, MSW, LCSW, a consultant, writer, and educator with more than 28 years of social work experience. Lisa has advanced certificates in cultural competence and trauma. Professional interests include social work in healthcare, administration, leadership, supervision, Relational-Cultural Theory, and diversity issues.
