Antiracism as Daily Practice: Refuse Shame, Change White Communities, and Help Create a Just World

Harvey (VP, academic affairs, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary; Raising White Kids) argues that systemic racism infused throughout American institutions needs to be dismantled by white people, not just by calling it out and protesting but also through transformational changes in their everyday lives. Her thesis shows the importance of recognizing the role race plays for people of color their entire lives and how they’re impacted by white socialization. She relays her own experiences as a white woman, including mistakes she made and the lessons she learned, which led her to assemble a guide to being an ally. It took years, she conveys, to decenter herself and shed what she describes as the armor of racial entitlement. Her book’s holistic approach to antiracism includes refocusing volunteer, shopping, and donor habits to Black organizations and businesses and supporting Black political candidates who advocate for their communities. Harvey doesn’t just prescribe actions; she also urges readers to take inventory of their own feelings about race and ancestry and to reflect on the history of racism in the United States.