"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A… (edition 2003)

PC library Dec 2012

This is an excellent book on racism and racial identity. It's very readable and would a great first book for someone just learning about the concepts of white privilege and institutional racism.

The author walks the reader through the development of one's racial identity (both black and white) from pre-school through adulthood, with every point backed up with research. I think her section on "white identity" will be truly eye-opening to a lot of white people who read it. I've taken quite a few workshops related to white privilege and racism and the author did a nice job of compiling everything I've learned all into one book. She writes objectively, without anger and without trying to make the white reader feel guilty about being white.

Although most of the book deals with black people and white people, there is a chapter that deals with other people of color. However, this book was written pre-9/11 - I think the section on people of Middle Eastern descent would have been different and perhaps longer if she had written it post-9/11.

I wish I could make this book required reading for just about everyone. I originally bought it because I thought it would help me in raising my daughter (who is African American) but actually this book has valuable information that I can use with ALL of my kids to help them grow up to be conscientious citizens of the world. ( )

A Psychologist explains the development of racial identity ( )

"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverley Daniel Tatum is a quick, accessible introduction to race and racism in the United States and how these intersect with adolescent development and search for identity. I finished it in a few hours over a couple of days, and I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to explore questions of identity and racism, whether as parents, teachers, or concerned citizens. One of the largest barriers to effectively addressing social problems is figuring out how to talk about them. This book looks at the psychology of developing self identity from the perspective of race, largely addressing the African American experience.

The author is a clinical psychologist who has taught many antiracism workshops in schools and communities, facilitated group discussions on race, and conducted research on children's racial identity development. This book is an extension of these activities, with the goal of meeting the needs of larger audiences who have not had the opportunity to attend her workshops or read her scholarly publications. She draws on her own life experiences as student, teacher and parent, as well as the experiences of many people she has interviewed and taught over the years. These examples drawn from real-world situations help define the subject matter and engage the reader, just like personal anecdotes from many self-help books.

This work could be considered the FAQ of racism in America, hence the title. Every chapter also has a commonly encountered question as the subtitle. The book consists of ten chapters organized into five sections: 1) definitions of racism and identity, 2) understanding blackness in a white context, 3) understanding whiteness in a white context, 4) beyond black and white (overview of other people of color), 5) breaking the silence (opening conversations on race). There's also an appendix of resources (largely additional reading material) sorted according to specific audiences and their needs (children, parents, older adults, educators, potential activists, and general audience learning about historical roots and current legacy of racism in the United States).

In essence, this book is a gentle introduction to a difficult topic that can be easily understood by a general audience. It addresses many of the commonly encountered questions and attitudes around race and racism in the United States. I would like lots of my friends to read at least the first couple of chapters discussing basic definitions and where they are coming from. Some of them might humor me in the coming months. So this might be a keeper, or I might end up passing it along as needed, but it won't be discarded. ( )

Required reading. ( )