Chapter 45 of Waking Up White: and finding myself in the story of RACE by Debbie Irving
Make a list of five ways to shut a conversation down. Next make a list of five ways to keep a conversation going.
- What a rude thing to say!
- Remarks like that are offensive to me.
- I’m very uncomfortable when people use racially charged words.
- I thought we were supposed to be nice to each other!
- Please don’t talk like that around me.
- Can you say more about that?
- I’ve never experienced things like that.
- Do you personally know a person of color who has behaved like that?
- Tell me about why you think so.
- Can you help me understand where you’re coming from?
If you would like to join me as I blog about my experiences with race, please read the book. It was life changing for me.