Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

by Reni Eddo-Lodge

I know that, at first, talking about race is uncomfortable, because too many white people are angry and in denial. And I understand that after white people begin to get it, it’s even more uncomfortable for them to think about how their whiteness has silently aided them in life. A lifetime learning to empathise with white people’s stories means that I get it. But I don’t want white guilt. Neither do I want to see white people wasting precious time profusely apologising rather than actively doing things. No useful movements for change have ever sprung out of fervent guilt. Instead, get angry. Anger is useful. Use it for good. Support those in the struggle, rather than spending too much time pitying yourself.