Robin DiAngelo, who coined and authored “White Fragility,” joins the #VelshiBannedBookClub

Robin DiAngelo’s work spans decades. She is an academic, currently at University of Washington, and an expert in the fields of critical discourse analysis and whiteness studies. She is, of course, best known for her bestseller and must-read “White Fragility”. The book explores the phenomenon of, well, white people's fragility. When white people are confronted with the racist structures of our society they respond with, “…emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and withdrawal from the stress-inducing situation.” It’s almost impossible to capture every nuanced moment in “White Fragility” – you just have to read it. Unsurprisingly, “White Fragility” has faced numerous calls for ban. In one case, it was successfully banned from Choctaw High School in Florida. The teacher who assigned the book as required reading said she received calls from several parents who - in what could be seen as a perfect example of "white fragility" -- argued racism is “not an issue”. The mania over anti-racist school curriculum and the frequent citing of a student's apparent or potential discomfort to justify banning a book – any book – fits in perfectly with DiAngelo’s definition of “fragile” and perfectly on the #VelshiBannedBookClub.May 8, 2022