Thanks for issuing this June challenge. After reading “Waking Up White,” I was intrigued enough to realize I needed to read more. I am now participating in a group discussing the book “White Fragility” as well. While I was not raised in a racist home, I was certainly socialized in a racist community. I have never considered myself a racist, but this book absolutely has made me consider my privilege and how it has come at the cost of someone else’s oppression. Removing those blinders, blinders I didn’t even know I was wearing, has led to so many emotions. Some of those emotions have been overwhelming, but all required to take this journey towards awareness. These books have been well worth my time. Thank you for asking me to step out of the boat. I am looking forward to becoming a better citizen and helping make this community better for all citizens. As the author of “White Fragility” states, it is time to “bear witness to the pain of racism on people of color and to be held accountable for any pain we personally cause.”
– Anna Jackson