Straddling White and Black Worlds
A white male professor reflects on the formation of his own racial consciousness, vicarious understanding of Blackness, and resulting commitment to racial justice, through relationships with young Black people in school and personal life.
How does a white man understand what it’s like to be Black? How can he start to form a sense of racial consciousness, and take action for racial justice?
For Dr Paul Reck PhD, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ramapo College, this journey was sparked and informed by the interactions and relationships he has, and has had, with his Black godchildren and Black students he has taught. To use one’s privilege for the benefit of those less privileged means first understanding that privilege and the needs of those you are trying to help: this honest and reflective autoethnography recounts Reck’s developing sense of racial consciousness from his childhood through to his work as a university professor.
Ideal reading for students of Black Studies or African-American Studies and similar courses, this book will be of interest to anyone who is beginning to explore how to de-centre their own whiteness in their understanding of race.
How does a white man understand what it’s like to be Black? How can he start to form a sense of racial consciousness, and take action for racial justice?
For Dr Paul Reck PhD, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ramapo College, this journey was sparked and informed by the interactions and relationships he has, and has had, with his Black godchildren and Black students he has taught. To use one’s privilege for the benefit of those less privileged means first understanding that privilege and the needs of those you are trying to help: this honest and reflective autoethnography recounts Reck’s developing sense of racial consciousness from his childhood through to his work as a university professor.
Ideal reading for students of Black Studies or African-American Studies and similar courses, this book will be of interest to anyone who is beginning to explore how to de-centre their own whiteness in their understanding of race.
Chapter 1 Seeds of my racial consciousness
Chapter 2 My miseducation regarding race and racism
Chapter 3 My re- education regarding race and racism
Learning objective Understanding how experiences shape racial consciousness
Chapter 4 Racially skewed expectations of intellectual ability
Chapter 5 Manufacturing Black threat
Learning objective Recognizing the variability of racial meanings
Chapter 6 Presuming Black guilt
Learning objective Recognizing expectations associated with Blackness and Whiteness
Chapter 7 Protecting White innocence
Chapter 8 Reflections on race privilege, power, and treatment
Learning objective Developing critical awareness of race privilege
Recommended projects and assignments
Notes
References
Paul Reck PhD is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ramapo College. His research interests focus on the social construction of race, class, and gender, and how such constructions contribute to structural inequality, particularly within the context of the criminal justice system. During his tenure at Ramapo College, Dr Reck has created and supervised the Diversity Action Student Group, a student organization dedicated to promoting diversity and social justice on campus, and has spearheaded the establishment of a chapter of the NAACP.
All are invited to a related seminar in our Topics in Black Studies series:
This seminar features LPP author Paul Reck, who explores what anti-Black racism involves and the contexts in which it is ripe, the assumptions about Blacks in contrast to Whites that undergird these racist practices, and why it is often difficult for people to identify and challenge these practices. He will be interviewed by Dr. Chris McAuley, the Black Studies Collection Editor at Lived Places Publishing.
Session Details: Sept 25, 2024 at 12-1 pm ET >> REGISTER HERE
THIS SESSION IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL WHO WISH TO ATTEND
