Words Between Worlds discussion

Hey everyone! How did you all enjoy our March book WHY I’M NO LONGER TALKING TO WHITE PEOPLE ABOUT RACE. I feel like it really incited some deep thoughts for me especially around my personal experiences.

We’ve been trying to figure out the best way to talk about race in a safe and honest way. Instead of going deeper into what Reni Eddo-Lodge spoke of in her book, we thought it might be best to just talk. Let’s talk about race and what this book taught you. Or talk about a story you are willing to share.

We want to make sure that this is a safe place, so if you do share here, please keep in mind the other folks who will be reading and sharing as well. We don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable, so let’s make sure to respect one another.

I just finished the book yesterday, but I really enjoyed it! I have to admit, it was a challenging read for me and I was unsure if it was because I don't usually read non-fiction or if it was the content itself. As a mixed race person myself, half Canadian and half Thai, I could really relate with what Eddo-Lodge discussed surrounding mixed race and this questioning of whether you're Asian enough or Black enough, etc. and whether you are receiving the cultural needs that you desire from one or both of your parents. I also learnt a lot from this book, which is also why I gave it such a high rating, because even though I'm mixed, I feel like most times I can pass for white without people even noticing that I'm also Asian, which in turn, gives me white privilege despite having a different background. I never quite acknowledged this to myself and recognized the privileges and advantages I have been given based on my appearance. But with that being said, when I walk somewhere with my mother (who is Thai) then I can see the lines blur a bit. There have been so many moments where people would stare at me and my family or I would be asked whether my mom was my nanny or something like that, and as a kid I didn't understand this at all. I also learned a lot of new terminology in this book which I think is really important, such as colour blindness. I knew this concept before when I heard people say "well, we shouldn't talk about race anymore because we are all human with blood in our veins so we can't move past racism if we keep talking about it all the time", but I didn't know there was a term for it so I'm glad I learnt that now. Moving forward from this book, I realize that race is important to talk about especially when recognizing one's position. What are your thoughts, Simone? :)