A Whistleblower Shares a Racial Justice Lesson From Coca-Cola: 'Try to Be Less White'

If you’re white and fragile, I’ve got good news: There’s information to help you nip it in the bud.

In case you weren’t aware, 2018’s White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism has been a big hit.

During the riots and protests of 2020, in fact, the book claimed the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

Also best: the pay the author receives for delivering “antiracism” at public events.

Case in point: As I covered in August, Robin DiAngelo was set to receive $20,000 for a three-hour racial justice workshop at the University of Connecticut.

For 2019’s University of Kentucky appearance, she raked in a cool 12 G’s.

Really humbled and inspired to be in the presence of author Robin Diangelo, Dr. Espana, Dr. Herrera & Marianna today. Much to reflect on and will change my rhetoric from ELL to Emergent Bilingual Learners ❤️ Thank you to all #ALLIN4Equity presenters and friends! 🙌👏🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/a74ik3uxub

— Mara Wold (@CA5STEAM) February 13, 2021

DiAngelo’s website spells out her point of view:

Racism is the foundation of Western society; we are socialized into a racial hierarchy

All of us are shaped by the forces of racism; no one is exempt

All white people benefit from the racial hierarchy, regardless of intentions

No one chose to be socialized into racism (so no one is “bad”)

Racism must be continually identified, analyzed and challenged; no one is ever done

The question is not if racism is at play, but how is it at play?

The racial hierarchy is invisible and taken for granted for most white people

For those of you suffering from big-time bigotry, you’re in luck: As reported by The Daily Wire, a few slides (allegedly) from the course “Confronting Racism with Robin DiAngelo” turned up on Twitter Friday.

From the Wire:

In one of the latter sections titled, “What you can do,” DiAngelo claims that she doesn’t “think white people really want to know what to do, unless it’s the most simplistic thing, which is just keep being friendly.”

Here’s Robin:

“That question tends to function as a way to jump over the hard, personal work and just get to the answer or get to the solution. It’s a little bit arrogant for folks who have never in their life thought deeply about this and after an hour, they want to get the answer and go fix it,” DiAngelo continues. “At the same time, we can’t wait until we have it all figured out. And so I will offer a challenging question back. And then I will answer the what do we do?”

“What about your life has allowed you to be a full functioning professional, educated adult and not know what to do about racism?” she asks.

“How have you managed not to know?”

“Why is that your question?”

“The question I ask myself” she explains, “is how do I do a little less harm? And how do I know, right? Am I in any given moment behaving in antiracist ways?”

Are ya ready to learn?

The following is what it means to be “less white”:

Be less oppressive

Be less arrogant

Be less certain

Be less defensive

Be less ignorant

Be more humble

Listen

Believe

Break with apathy

Break with white solidarity

Unifying message from @CocaCola to its employees. “Try to be less white.” https://t.co/OEsTQgdGOK

— Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) February 19, 2021

So there ya go.

And due to the implication above, please — whatever you do — don’t be more white.

Meanwhile, as I relayed on Valentine’s Day, the Oregon Department of Education’s fighting whiteness, too.

As laid out in “A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction: Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction,” these are the manifestations of white supremacy:

Perfectionism

Sense of Urgency

Defensiveness

Quantity Over Quality

Worship of the Written Word

Only One Right way

Paternalism

Either/Or Thinking

Power Hoarding

Fear of Open Conflict

Individualism

Progress is Bigger More

Objectivity

Right to Comfort