About Waking Up White and the regional read
Waking Up White by Debby Irving
From the author's bio ... Waking Up White is the book Debby Irving wishes someone had handed her decades ago. By sharing her sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, she offers a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As she unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. She also explains why and how she’s changed the way she talks about racism, works in racially mixed groups, and understands the racial justice movement as a whole. More on Debby Irving. |
Read what La Crosse Community members are saying about the impact of Waking Up White in their own lives.
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Regional Read Components
1. Public Presentations were free events on a variety of antiracism topics with local relevance.
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2. Book chats were free, 90-minute, small group, theme-based facilitated discussions based on a topic raised in the book Waking Up White.
| wuw_book_chat_list.pdf |
3. Access the Book:
- Western Wisconsin residents, check out a book through the Winding Rivers Library System
- Individual paperback books
- Book kits (10 books plus guided discussion) available for check out to be used for hosting book discussions
- Eastern Minnesota residents, check out a book through the Southeastern Libraries Cooperating System
- Purchase a book at Barnes & Noble in Onalaska or online big box stores
2021 Regional Read Summary
- 1,243 public presentation attendees
- 1,000+ books distributed
- 209 book chat attendees
- For a grad total of 2,550+ interactions with the 2021 Waking Up White Regional Read
“I gained a lot of knowledge about the racism happening in our community that I was not aware of.”
“I was given new strategies to discuss the complexity of race and racism.”
“I will bring back what I learned at today’s session to our districts DEI committee. I also will do my part to put into practice being bold with coworkers, family, friends to interrupt racism and whiteness.”
“I have been so hesitant to speak to children about race for fear of causing harm. So now I understand that avoiding these conversations is what is causing more harm. I feel I now have the motivation to do more research and to broach the topic of racism with kids.
“I am new to the community and am a woman of Color. I know that there are people who are doing the work and trying to make La Crosse a more welcoming place. I am learning about the community.”
“When it comes time to vote, I will look harder at the candidates’ positions and past actions regarding diversity and representation of diverse voices in the community.”
“Will incorporate in my work as a teacher, parent, grandparent, and citizen of this community.”
Resources To lead a regional read in your area
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Waking up White Regional Read Sponsors
Harrington Fund - La Crosse Community Foundation
Nancy & Paul Mueller
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Wisconsin Humanities Council GrantBooks generously funded, in part, by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment of the Humanities. The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports and creates programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in Wisconsin.
This program is brought to you in part with funds from the Minnesota Arts, Culture, Heritage Fund and SELCO Legacy dollars
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Why use Waking Up White for the Regional Read?
In 2017, a reading and discussions of the book Waking Up White profoundly influenced a small group of white people in La Crosse, WI. The text was a provocative call to action which eventually resulted in the formation of the La Crosse Waking Up White Collaborative and its multi-year anti-racism community work. The Collaborative is sometimes asked why they chose a book that centers on a white woman’s experience when there are so many other books by BIPOC authors who are, arguably, more well versed on the topics of race and racism. This book was selected for several reasons, the most compelling of which are outlined below:
Books that Center the Experiences of Persons of Color:
In 2017, a reading and discussions of the book Waking Up White profoundly influenced a small group of white people in La Crosse, WI. The text was a provocative call to action which eventually resulted in the formation of the La Crosse Waking Up White Collaborative and its multi-year anti-racism community work. The Collaborative is sometimes asked why they chose a book that centers on a white woman’s experience when there are so many other books by BIPOC authors who are, arguably, more well versed on the topics of race and racism. This book was selected for several reasons, the most compelling of which are outlined below:
- The book is intended and written for white people “who are beginning their journey or don’t even know they have a journey to take” (People, Hodges, Ph.D.). Because the La Crosse community is 91% white and the surrounding communities are even “whiter”, this relatable book is a way to invite our residents to learn about how racism lives in our homes, communities, and nation. The common read across multiple areas opens accessibility and provides an energized opportunity for engagement. This book speaks to “good white people” who do not fully see or understand how they contribute to racism. “She wrote the book to address and expose explicit, implicit and all other latent biases and systemic racial practices of whites by whites who enjoyed the benefits of being white” (Ferguson, 2020).”
- The book contains both historical research and a compelling personal story of one white woman’s journey of discovering whiteness and understanding its impacts on people of color. “Debby Irving comes from a [WASP] family and has a history that is the ultimate representation of white superiority. As a white person of privilege, who can trace her heritage back as far as the first colonists, she uses these advantages in her book to appeal to her contemporaries” (Ferguson, 2020).
- This book is just a step on the journey and needs to be followed by continued self-learning and reflection with reading, watching, and listening to the works and voices of people of color. Importantly it is a call to action to change the systems of white dominance and privilege and in doing so make the La Crosse area a Healthier Multicultural Community.
- The book is ideal for group reads with its short chapters and self-reflecting questions lending to engaging discussions which can be done at the grassroots level with family, friends, colleagues, at churches, places of work, and schools.
Books that Center the Experiences of Persons of Color:
- “White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide” by Carol Anderson
- “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- “White by Law” by Ian Haney Lopez
- "How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi
- “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
Thank you to our Book Chat and Public Presentation Hosts
Questions? Email laxwakingupwhite@gmail.com
