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A review by realadhdoug
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
4.5
Reading this book, I found myself wishing constantly that I had been exposed to it sooner. Originally published in 1997, this book was out there well before anti-racism became a whole genre of literature. While the writing was completely accessible, the author mostly approached the subject from an academic perspective rather than from a perspective of advocacy. With a gentle pace and invitational tone, she explained both the history and the social psychology behind well racism persists in a “color blind” society. After reading this, I feel better equipped to articulate how racism is still a problem rather than just insisting that it is.
I will say that I read the 20-year anniversary edition, and the author does such an amazing job blending the update with the original that I often could not tell when a certain section was written in the 90s and when it was written 20 years later—which I think accentuates the persistent problem of racism even more. In certain parts, the author talks about Ferguson, Black Lives Matter, and even the election of Donald Trump. But, of course, the updated version was written in 2017—so before the protests following the murder of George Floyd.
What’s remarkable to me is how timeless everything the author writes appears to be—which is in a way discouraging because it highlights the persistence of racism in society, but it’s also somewhat uplifting in that it highlights the fact that resistance to racism has also been there all along. It’s that push and pull toward and away from racial justice that really comes through in this book. To see what I mean, you’re going to have to read it for yourself. And you should absolutely do that.
I will say that I read the 20-year anniversary edition, and the author does such an amazing job blending the update with the original that I often could not tell when a certain section was written in the 90s and when it was written 20 years later—which I think accentuates the persistent problem of racism even more. In certain parts, the author talks about Ferguson, Black Lives Matter, and even the election of Donald Trump. But, of course, the updated version was written in 2017—so before the protests following the murder of George Floyd.
What’s remarkable to me is how timeless everything the author writes appears to be—which is in a way discouraging because it highlights the persistence of racism in society, but it’s also somewhat uplifting in that it highlights the fact that resistance to racism has also been there all along. It’s that push and pull toward and away from racial justice that really comes through in this book. To see what I mean, you’re going to have to read it for yourself. And you should absolutely do that.