Home / Quotes / Quote by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Quote by Beverly Daniel Tatum

“What if I make a mistake?' you may be thinking. 'Racism is a volatile issue, and I don't want to say or do the wrong thing.' In almost forty years of teaching and leading workshops about racism, I have made many mistakes. I have found that a sincere apology and a genuine desire to learn from one's mistakes is usually rewarded with forgiveness. If we wait for perfection, we will never break the silence. The cycle of racism will continue uninterrupted.”

Book:Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Work

Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

The book delves into the reasons behind the common observation of Black students grouping together in school cafeterias, examining the social and psychological factors that contribute to this behavior. It provides insights into the complexities of racial identity and the impact of racial segregation in educational environments. more

Author

Beverly Daniel Tatum

Beverly Daniel Tatum is an American psychologist and educator, born on September 27, 1954. She is renowned for her research in the fields of race relations and multicultural education, particularly her work on racial identity and racial bias. Professor Tatum teaches psychology at Boston University and has held administrative positions in several academic institutions. more

“Many unlearning racism workshops focus on helping white individuals to see that they too are wounded by racism and as a consequence have something to gain from participating in anti-racist struggle. While in some ways true, a construction of political solidarity that is rooted in a narrative of shared victimization not only acts to recenter whites, it risks obscuring the particular ways racist domination impacts on the lives of marginalized groups. Implicit in the assumption that even those who are privileged via racist hierarchy suffer is the notion that it is only when those in power get in touch with how they too are victimized will they rebel against structures of domination. The truth is that many folks benefit greatly from dominating others and are not suffering a wound that is in any way similar to the condition of the exploited and oppressed. Anti-racist work that tries to get these individuals to see themselves as "victimized" by racism in the hopes that this will act as an intervention is a misguided strategy. And indeed we must be willing to acknowledge that individuals of great privilege who are in no way victimized are capable, via their political choices, of working on behalf of the oppressed. Such solidarity does not need to be rooted in shared experience. It can be based on one's political and ethical understanding of racism and one's rejection of domination.”

Anti Racism Allyship

Book:Black Looks: Race and Representation

Source: Black Looks: Race and Representation

“Remember, and feel free to remind white allies, that you don’t need permission from anyone to pursue self-care. Invite them to spend less time policing POC behavior and more time investigating long-standing systems of oppression and their impact.”

Wellness Decolonization Allyship Bipoc

Book:Decolonizing Wellness

Source: Decolonizing Wellness

“One of the hardest lessons I have learned social justice work is that, even when oppressive systems are confronted and dismantled, those responsible will- more often than not- take hold of the narrative to mitigate responsibility. As a result, the oppressed still tend to bear the brunt of the fallout. And what makes that even harder to process is that many people who would declare themselves "allies to the cause" will passively or actively buy into that false narrative because it is far easier and less costly than to walk in genuine solidarity. I don't say this so that people will feel hopeless about their commitments to justice. Quite the opposite. If you know that this happens, you won't be as crushed when it does.”

Justice Social Justice Oppression Solidarity Gaslighting Allyship Transformative Justice

Author:Jamie Arpin-Ricci

“White people must show up and be willing to step out of the safe shelter that whiteness and the lack of direct impact can afford them. . . . For white people, in addition to all the reasons described earlier, risking is a form of solidarity.”