Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won't Tell You Kindle Edition

by Fatimah Gilliam (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1523004487

“A valuable tool for navigating an increasingly diverse world.” —Wellesley Magazine

“Those looking to move beyond performative allyship will find this an excellent resource.” —Publishers Weekly

“Well-informed, hard-hitting advice for antiracists.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A powerful book that could have been titled ‘Tough Love for White People’ …. [Gilliam’s] unflinching candor [is] an expression of love and commitment to the betterment of individuals, communities, and our country.”
—New RoAR News

What if there were a set of rules to educate people against race-based social faux pas that damage relationships, perpetuate racist stereotypes, and harm people of color? This book provides just that in an effort to slow the malignant domino effect of race-based ignorance in American communities and workplaces to help address the vestiges of our nation's racist past.

Race Rules is an innovative, practical manual for white people of the unwritten rules relating to race, explaining the unvarnished truth about racist and offensive white behaviors. It offers a unique lens from Fatimah Gilliam, a light-skinned Black woman, and is informed by the revealing things white people say when they don't realize she's Black.

Presented as a series of race rules, this book has each chapter tackling a specific topic many people of color wish white people understood. Combining history and explanations with practical advice, it goes beyond the theoretical by focusing on what's implementable.

Gilliam addresses issues such as:
Racial blinders and misperceptions
White privilege
Racial stereotypes
Everyday choices and behaviors that cause racial harm
Introducing a straightforward universal three-step framework to unlearn racism and challenge misconceptions, this book offers readers a chance to change behaviors and shift mindsets to better navigate cross-racial interactions and relationships. Through its race etiquette guidelines, it teaches white people to become action-oriented racism disruptors instead of silent, complicit supporters of white supremacy.