Your Master Class in allyship and recognizing privilege: attempt once you’ve read Ta-Nehisi Coates

A few weeks back, I was engaged in a discussion on Pajiba about a certain American administrator’s relationship to black people and racist assumptions. One of the comments recommended a book: Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson. I was immediately intrigued. I’m trying to read more diverse work in order to be better informed and a more effective ally. This is a highly recommended book, though I will say this: if you haven’t read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, stop reading this review, don’t pass go, and read Coates first. This book is a master class for when you’ve done some work.

Dyson frames his book about personal and systemic racism in the United States as a worship service. Each part of the book is split up into various parts: “Call to Worship”; “Hymns of Praise”; “Invocation”; “Scripture Reading”; “Sermon” (the longest part of the book); “Benediction”; “Offering Plate”; “Prelude to Service”; and “Closing Prayer.” Each of these parts develops Dyson’s argument well and connects his overarching theme to rich traditions and liturgy.

This is a powerfully written, incisive book. Dyson unpacks systemic racism well, and he also helps explain white privilege in a way that’s easy to understand and take ownership of. If you have had questions about white privilege and inequity in the United States, Dyson answers them well with logical arguments and personal experiences. If you read it with an open mind, you can potentially learn a lot. I certainly did.

Cross-posted to my blog.