Many people find it difficult to talk about race in a meaningful way! Most don’t know even try because we aren’t taught how! It’s rare to find opportunities to learn how to communicate about race and across identity divisions and that is why I’ve spent 3 decades as a teacher-scholar helping individuals, communities and organizations to build their capacity to do just that! It begins with a commitment to show up for dialogue that leads to better understanding, a process of sharing and listening that bridges differences.
If you want to know how your own communication can interrupt and intervene in ways that help dismantle systematic racism, anti-Blackness and “othering” in your own family, communities, workplace, larger society, and even globally, this Primer offers the basic elements to get started! It is part textbook and part reflection journal with a glossary of social justice terms, specific strategies and skills for dialogue across divisions, and a resource section with QR codes to easily access more information on a journey to learn more and do different! The Primer is great for formal courses and book groups providing a better understanding of the backstory of race and how the “stuff” we bring to our own communication about and across identity divisions can create negative or positive interactions.
Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Thrift Books
In The Language of Strong Black Womanhood: Myths, Models, Messages, and a New Mandate for Self-Care, Black women of the Baby Boomer generation and Hip Hop generation share messages communicated and models witnessed in their socialization for strength revealing how this mandate endures in Black women’s lived experiences. They also express concern that self-care was not presented as critical for sustaining life as a strong Black woman—a concern shared by Black women bloggers who advocate resisting the myth and redefining strength for self-care. This Black feminist exploration of strong Black womanhood provides an alternative to harmful perceptions, constructions, and representations of Black women and suggests a mandate to move toward the revolutionary act of Black women’s self-care.
Available on Amazon
