I'm Tired of Racism: True Stories of Existing While Black

by Sharon Hurley Hall

To feel empathy, you need to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. If the experiences of racism in a white supremacist system seem too far away from your daily reality, I’m Tired of Racism will change that. If you think of racism as something that only happens where you are, I’m Tired of Racism will change that, too. And if you’re wondering how you can be a true ally and avoid performative nonsense, this book is an excellent starting point.

I'm Tired of Racism collects many of Sharon Hurley Hall's anti-racism essays, sharing her global perspective on racism, anti-racism, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy, born out of experiences in the Caribbean, the UK, the US and elsewhere. Hurley Hall has lived and worked in multiple countries, enabling her to accurately reflect what’s the same and what’s different about experiences of racism in different locations.

The foreword, by Ashanti Maya Martin, "Because Sharon's experience is rooted in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Europe, she's able to tell us how the U.S. looks from the outside in (not great at the moment), and explain how even being a citizen of a Black-majority country comes with its own layered burdens rooted in colonialism and white supremacy."
Buy this book today to learn more about racism and to start your allyship journey.

About the author
Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism activist, writer, and educator. Firmly committed to doing her part to eliminate racism, she is the Founder and Curator-in-Chief of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter. In this twice-weekly online publication, Sharon writes about existing while Black in majority-white spaces, and amplifies the voices of other anti-racism activists. A writer with more than 30 years’ experience, she has written and ghostwritten articles for companies and non-profits looking to show up authentically with their DEIB and JEDI content. Sharon is also the author of Exploring Shadeism, an analysis of colorism in Barbados and the wider Caribbean. Sharon holds MA degrees in Media and Cultural Studies, and in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

Praise for I'm Tired of Racism :"This collection of on-point and poignant pieces widens our lens for viewing a world shaped by its domination and oppression of racialized people." "The power in this book comes from Sharon's ability to articulate something many people may feel or wonder about, but perhaps have not yet gained clarity as to the underlying dynamics truly at play.""Ms. Hurley Hall writes about what the everyday, embodied experience of Blackness feels like--physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually--from inside the colonial practices of racism.""Sharon has a knack for condensing her lived experience with racism into concise essays that pack emotional power.""If you're Black, you've found an advocate. If you're white, this is an educational book."
Praise for Sharon's previous book Exploring Shadeism"A timely addition to the conversations surrounding inter- and intra-racial relationships.""A fascinating glimpse into the realities of the tropical paradises many take for granted.""Well-written; chock full of information and perspectives - an excellent resource for any social scientist.”“This book offers a nuanced exploration of colour and class in Caribbean society.”

Genres: Anti Racist, Nonfiction

165 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2022

About the author

Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism activist, writer, and educator. Firmly committed to doing her part to eliminate racism, she is the Founder and Curator-in-Chief of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter.

In this twice-weekly online publication, Sharon writes about existing while Black in majority-white spaces, and amplifies the voices of other anti-racism activists. She has written and ghostwritten articles for companies and non-profits looking to show up authentically with their DEIB and JEDI content. She is the author of Exploring Shadeism, and the essay collection, I'm Tired of Racism.

Sharon holds MA degrees in Media and Cultural Studies, and in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

Reviews

[Linda Espinosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and important

I appreciated Sharon Hurley Hall’s willingness to share her lived experiences as a Black Woman in different parts of the world. This is labor that is emotionally taxing, thank you!

Her sharing allow us, the readers, to understand that racism although looks different in every country, it is still alive and not recognizing it and being actively anti-racist, is perpetuating harm in Black and other racialized communities.

As well, I really appreciated Sharon closing the book talking about Black joy, and the importance of representation not as tokenism but as an intentional way make our racialized communities know that we matter.

This is a must read for everyone in their anti-racism journey.

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I'll own up to the fact that I know the writer. Second, I could identify with almost every story she wrote in this book. Third, if you're not black and you decide you're ready to read this book, be prepared for some truths because she doesn't hold back on things she's been through and think she's seen. I think that everyone should read this book, and it's easier to deal with because she's telling her story and things that have happened to her, not someone's idea of how race relations should work between black people and everybody else. Don't shun this book, just read it, learn it, and embrace it.

[Merlin Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. Talks about why Black people are sick of racism. Goes from the violence often enacted to being doubted of our experiences to being isolated by often being the only Black person in a professional setting to people frequently doubting where we're from or our credentials. It spoke to my soul and it is easy to follow. I highly recommend you give it a read if you're interested in anti-racism work.

[Shaheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased 'I'm Tired of Racism: True Stories of Existing While Black' by Sharon Hurley Hall last year after attending an online session and was moved to buy the book, as some of the shared experiences resonated with my own. I could not put the book down until i had completed reading it all.

I would recommend the book to anyone interested in racism in contemporary society. But moreso to those of you on the antiracist journey. Not only does the hardback book have one of the most stunning covers that i have ever seen. The collection of 33 anti-racism essays under the themes of Working while Black, Existing while Black and Global Black Issues do not disappoint and will give you insight into the experiences of racism and anti-Blackness, and support you to becoming a true ally and avoid the performative actions.

[Miss April · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a collection of essays, it's a beautiful personal narrative – a memoir. Sharon's writing is so lyrical, and the collection really is more than the sum of its parts.

As a survivor of racial and sexual trauma, Sharon's story is heart wrenching but not heartbreaking. It will be a tough read for many, gut punching for some. But the hard truths are counterbalanced with practical solutions as well as hope.

I highly recommend this book for everyone who is serious about the work of anti-racism and for anyone seeking empathy and solidarity with the lived experiences of Black people. Lovers of memoirs and survivor stories will especially appreciate it.

[Si Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve spent so much of life sheltered from racism. I’m trying to learn more and to do better. I’m trying to be an antiracist.

Some of the aggressions (micro and macro) Black peoples face are the same ones employed against disabled people or against women and gender-minority people. And so people who live at the intersections of those identities are facing multiple sources of oppression.

Anyways, yes. Racism is exhausting. But it’s vital that we keep listening to these stories. Turning a blind eye isn’t the answer. Nothing will change unless we all work together.

[Lisa Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racism isn’t abstract. It’s real—and it’s exhausting.

In I’m Tired of Racism, True Stories of Existing While Black, Sharon Hurley Hall transforms her lived experience into sharp cultural analysis that resonates with the Black diaspora, members of the Global Majority, and would-be allies alike. The book of essays blends reportage, memoir, and social critique, laying bare the structures that uphold white supremacy. It is simultaneously a witness statement and an indictment, documenting the ways systemic racism shows up at work, online, and in everyday life, and demonstrating the extreme harm it causes to its victims.

Reading I’m Tired of Racism feels like sitting with a trusted friend who sees you, and tells you what you’ve needed to hear for so long: No, it’s not just you. Yes, it happened to me too. No, you’re not alone. Yes, it’s systemic. No, you don’t have to accept that treatment. Yes, I’m tired of racism too.

Hurley’s book represents both a personal reckoning and a much-needed resource; it is a work that demands active engagement, not passive consumption. Most of all, it leaves you with no excuse to pretend you didn’t know about racism, and with the choice to make a decision as to what you plan to do about it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading I'm Tired of Racism was not comfortable, and it should not be. Sharon Hurley Hall writes with clarity, force, and emotional precision. Her words offer both a record of lived experience and a call to awareness. As someone who benefits from white privilege, I had to sit with truths that are impossible to unsee and irresponsible to ignore.

This book made me examine how privilege shows up in my own life. It made me reflect on assumptions I have made, on spaces that feel safe to me but not to others, and on systems that were built with people like me in mind. Hurley Hall does not simply share examples of racism. She reveals the constant, grinding reality of it. Her stories ask for more than sympathy. They call for empathy that is grounded in responsibility.

What stayed with me most was the weight of it all. Each essay adds to a larger picture of what it means to live under racism day after day. That reality is often invisible to people like me unless we choose to really look. This book helped me start asking better questions about how I move through the world, who I listen to, and what I do with that knowledge.

I am grateful for Hurley Hall's voice and her refusal to soften the truth. This is not easy reading, but it is essential. If you are open to being challenged and changed, this book is worth your time.

[Michaela Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon was called N*gger at 6 or 7 years old, and as a young adult she was mistaken as a sex worker numerous times (despite her relatively androgynous appearance) because of her skin color. In college, she was propositioned by her (white) roommate's (white) boyfriend who wanted to "try Black." 

While Chapter 24 'Black Women, Stereotypes, and Fetishes' especially resonated with me because of my own experiences with sexual trauma, I also identified with Sharon's examples of racism and racial trauma throughout the book. 

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) acknowledges that "we can't end sexual violence without ending racism."

Sharon's memoir is a great resource for learning both (A) why this is true and (B) practical ways to work on ending both.

It's also a beautiful, brave, and compelling read. I highly recommend it for readers who are ready to learn, ready to empathize, and/or ready to heal.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives viewers an insight into the black lived experience throughout the world. I liked that each chapter was short and to the point. The author utilized real lived examples to illustrate the points outlined that truly resonate. Speaking about racism as it happens internationally, I think many people can understand. Speaking about it happening within the Caribbean, people might find a bit harder to digest. Isn't black the more predominant race? It is a good read that can be hard to imagine and can definitely be saddening.

[Sam C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m Tired of Racism should be a fundamental text for anyone entering into their social justice awakening. Sharon Hurley Hall weaves her personal experiences with historical context and other stories to express what it’s like to be a Black woman in a racist world and how we can all thrive when we overcome white supremacy. Her global perspective allows those in Western countries to look beyond their borders and begin to unlearn what we’ve been taught.

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon is such an amazing writer. Her global view of DEIB issues inform my practice everyday. A true thought-leader!

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be on every white person's bedside, in my opinion.