Memoir of a Race Traitor
by Mab Segrest
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In 1994, Mab Segrest first explained how she "had become a woman haunted by the dead." Against a backdrop of nine generations of her family's history, Segrest explored her experiences in the 1980s as a white lesbian organizing against a virulent far-right movement in North Carolina. Memoir of a Race Traitor became a classic text of white antiracist practice. bell hooks called it a "courageous and daring {example of} the reality that political solidarity, forged in struggle, can exist across show more differences." Adrienne Rich wrote that it was "a unique document and thoroughly fascinating." Juxtaposing childhood memories with contemporary events, Segrest described her journey into the heart of her culture, finally veering from its trajectory of violence toward hope and renewal. Now, amid our current national crisis, driven by an increasingly apocalyptic white supremacist movement, Segrest returns with an updated edition of her classic book. With a new introduction and afterword that explores what has transpired with the far right since its publication, the book brings us into the age of Trump-and to what can and must be done. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
What a great book! Segrest is a clear and perceptive thinker and an eloquent writer, and her story is definitely worth telling and remembering.
Most of the book tells us about Segrest’s work combating the Klan, the White Patriot Party, and other racist forces in the South. Alongside this is her own family’s story. She describes their history, their contradictions, and their adoption of the racist beliefs of their Southern community. And she details her own reaction to the dramatic events of the Civil Rights struggle, her turning away from her family’s beliefs, and her sense of herself as both insider and outsider.
When she came out as a lesbian, the outsider status became more defined, and she started working to bring all the show more different parts of herself together – as Southerner, as privileged white person, as invisible lesbian. It was then she began to join with others, and to take an active role in the struggle against hate crimes.
Segrest follows these personal and political histories with an essay, “A History of Racism in the US”, which describes the way racism has enabled a small elite to hang on to power throughout different economic models. It’s interesting to read how being “white” became an identity. Basically, it was a way of dividing up the underclass so they wouldn’t get together and fight the owning class. It was a privilege conferred, and it was shored up with lots of “us vs. them” propaganda. Definitely a clever diversion, and it hasn’t stopped working – at least not yet.
My favorite part of the book is the last essay, “A Bridge, Not a Wedge”, in which Segrest tells a gay and lesbian audience why we need to pay attention to racism – both in our community and outside it. It’s passionate, exciting, and beautifully written, and I think I will be referring to it for many years. show less
The south in the US is infamous for its racism and homophobia. As a white lesbian, Segrest decided to go against the grain and stand up against racism. There’s history woven in with the memoir, and exposes a lot of history that I’m sure many would like to keep buried. An interesting read overall, even if it felt a bit disjointed at times.
Please see my review on Amazon.com under C. Wong. Thank you.
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26 works; 2 members
Author Information
7+ Works 375 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1994
- People/Characters
- Mab Segrest
- Important places
- North Carolina, USA
- Epigraph
- Racism is so different from prejudice; it would be helpful if people could begin to use words precisely, giving them their actual meaning .... We have scarcely begun to probe this illness. Let's call it what it is: evil. I'... (show all)m not sure it is an illness, it may simply be evil. -- Lillian Smith, How Am I To Be Heard?
- Dedication
- for Wilson W. Lee and John Fletcher Segrest, Jr.
for Christina Davis-McCoy (from Part One: Memoir of a Race Traitor)
for Jacqui Alexander (from Part Two: On Being White and Other Lies: A History of Racism in the United States)
for Leah Wise (from Part Three: A Bridge, Not a Wedge) - Blurbers
- Zinn, Howard; Rich, Adrienne
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, LGBTQ+, Sexuality and Gender Studies, Anthropology, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 305.800973 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Social group - Age, Gender, Ethnicity Ethnic and national groups standard subdivisions / Ethnic and national groups with ethnic origins from more than one continent, of European descent standard subdivisions Biography And History North America United States
- LCC
- F220 .A1 .S38 — Local History of the United States, Canada and Latin America United States local history The South. South Atlantic States
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 186
- Popularity
- 175,924
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.56)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
