So You Want to Talk About Race

“We can find our way to each other. We can find a way to our truths. I have seen it happen. My life is a testament to it. And it all starts with conversation.” 

This passage gestures to the book’s title and primary message—that conversations about race can bridge the racial divide that exists in the United States. Many White people are only now coming to understand past and present racial injustices, making this a ripe moment for dialogue.

“I hope that if parts of this book make you uncomfortable, you can sit with that discomfort for a while, to see if it has anything else to offer you.” 

Racism is an uncomfortable topic, especially for those whose actions (and inaction) uphold White Supremacy. No one enjoys feeling sad, angry, or guilty, but these discomforts pale in comparison to experiencing systemic oppression. In this passage, Oluo recommends that people use their discomfort to interrogate the active and passive ways in which they promote systemic racism. In short, she asks readers to put their discomfort to use to advance social justice. 

“White Supremacy is this nation's oldest pyramid scheme. Even those who have lost everything to the scheme are still hanging in there, waiting for their turn to cash out.”

Comparing systemic racism to a pyramid scheme serves two critical functions. First, it connects systemic racism to shady business practices, highlighting the monetary benefits the inheritors of the system reap at the expense of the oppressed. Just as slave owners profited from the free labor of slaves, White people today benefit financially from paying unfair wages to minorities and from forcing incarcerated Black men to work for little or no pay. Second, the