#30DayEducationChallenge: Day 22 White Fragility

Welcome to Week 4 of the #30DayEducationChallenge! This week we are focusing on Current Concepts: ideas, notions, perceptions that we need to be fluent in to combat racism. We are kicking off this week with "white fragility" because understanding this concept and learning to identify it in ourselves and others is a first step in having tough conversations about race. White fragility is "discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice" and often prevents progress, upholding white supremacy.

 Author Robin DiAngelo coined the term "white fragility" in a 2011 academic paper, and you've likely heard of or read her book (e-book versions being made available at most libraries) by the same name that has sat on the NYT best sellers list for 85+ weeks. DiAngelo has been a facilitator, educator, and consultant for 20+ years on racial issues and is an Affiliate Associate Professor of Education at the University of Washington, Seattle.

I recognize the controversy that surrounds this book in having a white woman seemingly profiting off of racial inequity, and still think it's an important concept to grasp before we get into some of the tougher issues this week.

If you've already read the book, feel free to skim the article below or use today to catch up on past assignments!

🔗Links
📖"White Fragility: Why It's So Hard to Speak to White People About Racism" Robin DiAngelo via Compact (20 minute read)

Reflection Questions (join the conversation on Instagram, journal, discuss with your groups)

1. What is something new you learned (either today or when you first learned about white fragility?) 
2. What is something surprising?
3. Why is it important to understand this concept? 
4. How has white fragility helped uphold white supremacy?

If you just joined us, 👋🏼welcome! You can pick up today and follow this live through the end. After we finish Day 30, please start from the beginning and complete the first two weeks in order.