Book Report -- Review of the book Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Summary

This book is premised because adults from both races: white and black, aren't free to speak to their children about racism. They fear that such a move will create problems, yet they aren't even sure that such problems will arise. They fear that they will make the children who are not conscious of their race, conscious of the same, unnecessarily. Beverly Daniel Tatum, the book's author, tries to respond to such questions through her educational experiences and research. She clarifies daily discourse about the subject in a useful way. She educates the reader on the long history of racism and dismisses the post-racial American myth, yet the latter is only but the tip of the iceberg.

The second important aspect is how each of us fits into a society identified for its racial divisiveness and how such a scenario shapes our lives. The author dissects the psychological analysis of why we feel painfully awkward and uneasy when someone raises race. It turns out that most people were trained not to broach the subject, right from the tender ages. When we began realizing the differences and started questioning, mortified adults gagged us. Although the train is way off the rail, we still hope that we shall improve. To empower us to start engaging in such conversations, the author provides comparisons that shed light on our thinking paths. For instance, the most striking one is the deconstruction of the myth that racism is an individual's isolated action. Daniel Tatum argues, convincingly, that racism affects all of us because we are enshrouded in it. He says it is like the smog that spreads messages of ignorant superiority and inferiority across the races. He says that everyone inhales the smog. There are also times when we exhale.

Another comparison is that we are like travelers on the same pathway: the racism cycle. Racism could be actively acted out or remain passive. Indeed, if we turned the other way or even decided to stop when headed somewhere does not alter where we are ultimately destined. Racism is by our side, and we end up with the same outcome, given our reaction to the phenomenon over time. We must actively racist racism to gain against its decimating effects and spread (Hive Learning, 2018).

Thesis and Main Points

Defining Racism

According to o Dr. Tatum, she would rather racism were known and defined as a system of advantage powered by race. While this is a rather uncomfortable statement, it captures what the whole phenomenon is all about: advantage oritse lact. Therefore, with such a definition, American society and others in a racist situation should contend with the idea of white power and privilege. The author explains that most white people have never been conscious of the idea of white privilege. They have never regarded that being white provides them with certain privileges. Dr. Tatum says `` In my view, reserving the term racist only for behaviors committed by white people in a white-dominated society is...…concerns. It is also not possible for teachers to initiate such conversations if they do not practice what they intend to tell the children. Such a point is where professional development creeps in. Learning opportunities can arise from book clubs, watching TED Talks, or even attending seminars and race conversations. Engaging in honest conversation will start the healing process.

The author advises us to encourage conversation. There are times when people seek to avoid conversation. The reason for the latter is unfounded fear that there will be conflict. The irony is that conflict will arise because we do not talk. We have failed to prepare young people to interrupt the racism cycle. There are challenges, of course. We all need to have the will to accommodate some discomfort, though. Leadership would help create space where such programs can be made part of the curriculum or run under special programs and aligning them with the institutional mission.

Several independent schools use affinity groupings as a method of extending social support for children of color. There have been positive outcomes with these programs. While we see the importance of creating spaces in school where children of color understand their identities positively, acquire a buffer against racism and feel affirmed, it is also equally important to create avenues for children from both white and black races to engage and bond across the differentials, to encourage an in-depth understanding of issues surrounding race and racism in society, and how such issues affect everyone. Ways in which the children in their perspectives and positions become actively…