What’s My Complicity? Talking White Fragility With Robin DiAngelo

For well-intentioned white people doing anti-racist and social justice work, the first meaningful step is to recognize their fragility around racial issues—and build their emotional stamina. ‘White Fragility’ author Robin DiAngelo breaks it down.When it comes to her well-established career as an anti-racist educator, Robin DiAngelo says, “I kind of fell into it.” Years of deep learning, research and mentorship from colleagues of color led her not only to understand that her whiteness has meaning—but also to become really good at explaining this to other white people. 

The New York Times bestselling author of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism sat down with Teaching Tolerance to discuss why working against one’s own fragility is a necessary part of white anti-racist work—and why good intentions don’t matter.