Generations of Activists

The Literature of White Liberalism by Melissa Phruksachart
Boston Review, August 21, 2020

Antiracist books and readings have become a major part of schools' diversity and inclusion efforts, with a familiar set of titles emerging as touchstones. This review provides an important contextual framework for understanding works like Kendi's How to Be Antiracist, Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race, and DiAngelo's White Fragility. By zooming out on the longer, more nuanced history of antiracist work and consciousness-raising around identity, power, and privilege, scholar Melissa Phruksachart provides a necessary critical and historical context for institutional and societal efforts to create a more just society. Read in concert with this article by activist Kali Holloway, Phruksachart's analysis will help educators and school leaders more deeply understand the obstacles to creating a more just, equitable society, one of which is ignorance of the efforts of previous generations of activists and thinkers. Indeed, this article will be especially helpful for those who are new to social justice and DEIJ work. While Phruksachart is critical of treating as ends in themselves the important texts referenced, her essay is a clear call to engage wholeheartedly and relentlessly in the work of addressing inequality and injustice.