It is not the job of Black people to educate white people about racial injustice. It is our own responsibility. 

And just to be clear: It is not the job of Black people to educate white people about racial injustice. It is our own responsibility. 

Our goal with the book, this website, this entire endeavor is to give White people the tools they need to educate themselves and their communities.  We certainly hope people from all backgrounds will find this information helpful and informative.  But it is unfair of us to ask Black people to take on the emotional and mental labor of continually educating White communities.

We’ve done the best we can to ensure the communities we’re educating on have been fairly represented.  This book has been edited and vetted by representation from the included marginalized communities.  Our website recommends the works of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

We can absolutely use the resources already provided to us by BIPOC individuals, but, again: It is not the job of Black people to educate white people about racial injustice. It is our own responsibility. 

And, one last note, part of the business plan we have created does state a portion of profits – when and if we do make them – WILL be donated to the operations and organizations that represent or aid marginalized communities.  We are self-published authors.  So that also means we did not get a book advance or a contract with a publishing company AND we paid for publication costs through fundraisers and money out of our pockets. So, at this time, there are no profits in anyone’s pocket at all.

Before we address the “cash” we are getting, let’s first define Critical Race Theory:

Critical race theory (CRT), the view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color.  (Source)

Great. Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s talk about how much money you make on book sales: almost nothing.

According to INC.com, A typical book author barely makes more than minimum wage. They receive an advance and 10% royalties on net profit from each book. If a book retails at $25 per copy, it would need to sell at least 4,000 copies to break even on a $5,000 advance.

Additional fun fact: We are self-published authors.  So that also means we did not get an advance AND we paid for publication costs through fundraisers and money out of our pockets.

We’re totally getting that cash. That’s why we do this work.

Well, as mentioned above, we ARE bringing in the cash, just making bank.

But, actually, yes. Part of the business plan we have created does state a portion of profits – when and if we do make them – WILL be donated to the operations and organizations that represent or aid marginalized communities.

You can’t tackle racism without tackling privilege.

White privilege exists because of historic, enduring racism and biases. Therefore, defining white privilege also requires finding working definitions of racism and bias. 

Both racism and bias rely on what sociologists call racialization. This is the grouping of people based on perceived physical differences, such as skin tone. This arbitrary grouping of people, historically, fueled biases and became a tool for justifying the cruel treatment and discrimination of non-white people. Colonialism, slavery and Jim Crow laws were all sold with junk science and propaganda that claimed people of a certain “race” were fundamentally different from those of another—and they should be treated accordingly. And while not all white people participated directly in this mistreatment, their learned biases and their safety from such treatment led many to commit one of those most powerful actions: silence. 

And just like that, the trauma, displacement, cruel treatment and discrimination of people of color, inevitably, gave birth to white privilege. (Source)

There are many different types of privilege, not just skin color privilege, that impact the way people can move through the world or
are discriminated against. These are all things you are born into, not things you earned, that afford you opportunities others may not have. 

Nobody’s saying that Straight White Middle Class Able-Bodied Males don’t work hard for what they have. Recognizing Privilege simply means being aware that some people have to work much harder just to experience the things you take for granted (if they ever can experience them at all).

Read more about “explaining white privilege to a broke white person…”

White privilege is not the assumption that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned; most white people who have reached a high level of success worked extremely hard to get there. Instead, white privilege should be viewed as a built-in advantage, separate from one’s level of income or effort.

We like to use the race example – the foot race.  If you’re already running  when the coach yells, “GO” who do you think would win?  If the society in which we live is already built and tailored to benefit the White race over other races, who is more likely to be successful?

Read more about What is White Privilege, Really?

(For context: This comment was made with FULL sarcasm.)

At face value, you are right. Kids DO deserve to know.  It is our jobs as parents to set our kids up for success and hiding or sheltering them does not promote those values.

Addressing the tough stuff makes your kids feel safer, strengthens your bond and teaches them about the world. And when you show them how to gather and interpret information, ask questions and cross-check sources, they become critical thinkers. It’s always sad to confront the issues the world hasn’t been able to solve. But by investing our kids with knowledge, compassion and strong character, we can give them all the tools they need to make things better.

Read more about talking to kids about difficult topics.

By definition, Indoctrination means teaching someone to accept a set of beliefs without questioning them. 

The entire premise of this book, this website, is to encourage critical thinking skills and open, honest discussion and communication.

So, no. To your entire statement.

We never said apologize for the color skin with which you were born.

We encourage you to acknowledge your whiteness and do something productive with it.

Actually, that’s partially correct.

A 2017 survey from Fidelity Investments found that 88 percent of millionaires are self-made. Only 12 percent inherited significant money (at least 10 percent of their wealth), and most did not grow up in exclusive country club neighborhoods. The majority of millionaires went to college and are married or partnered.

The article referenced above also says, “[millionaires] don’t take long-shot gambles. Instead, they examine opportunities and analyze risk, and often test out ideas before they invest a lot of time or money. “

So if we all have a college education, a partner, the time, the money, and the resources to test out investments, you’re right. Anyone can be a millionaire.

Well, if you’re making your kid read it themselves, you’re doing it wrong.  It sounds like you might need it for yourself.

Yeah, so, this is us – acknowledging that we do benefit from White Privilege, using that Privilege to inform and educate the communities we live in, so in turn, we can encourage and inspire change in the policies and institutions that establish the spectrum of Privilege, to create more equity and equality.

You got it.

Virtue Signaling, by definition, is the sharing of one’s point of view on a social or political issue, often on social media, in order to garner praise or acknowledgment of one’s righteousness from others who share that point of view, or to passively rebuke those who do not. (Source)

This book is not an opinion piece.  It is a straight statement of facts, definitions, and societal structures.  It opens with a letter from the two of us, admitting that we are in need of a historical education of racial inequality.  We are seeking individuals who also want to learn themselves and to teach their children to do better than generations before them.

We’re not here for praise.  We’re here to do work.  You’re welcome to join us.

I’m interested in these achievements.  Please enlighten us as to how far we’ve come out of the “racial divide.”

“Green Privilege” is defined on Urban Dictionary.  We couldn’t find it from Merriam and Webster or Britannica.

So, you tell us what’s real.

A few points on that methodology:

• The idea of a color blind society, while well intentioned, leaves people without the language to discuss race and examine their own bias.
• Color blindness relies on the concept that race-based differences don’t matter, and ignores the realities of systemic racism.
• Color blindness winds up denying the lived experiences of other people.

So if you really want to teach your kids to judge soley on character, you might want to click here to learn how to work through accepting that color DOES need to be acknowledged.

Correct.

Blame-shifting is an emotionally abusive behavior or tactic, so I’m sure Hitler was a fan of using that method.

Acknowledging Privilege is not shifting blame, it’s taking ownership of who we are.  It’s not your fault you were born with white skin and experience these privileges. These are all things you are born into, not things you earned, that afford you opportunities others may not have. Whether you realize it or not, you do benefit from it, and it is your fault if you don’t maintain awareness of that fact. We own that fact.  This is us maintaining our awareness and helping others (not you, clearly) to find theirs.

Read more on privilege as described above, here.

So, what you’re saying is we need to have a discussion on both race privilege and gender privilege.  You, sir, have both.