Book discussions on ‘White Fragility’ good step in building race relations

Editor:

If you weren’t there at the Hoag Library in Albion last Thursday, June 17, for this opportunity to be at not just one but two meetings to help build racial relations in your community, you still have ample chances in your lifetime!

At both of these book review sessions, the book, “White Fragility” by author Robin DiAngelo, was discussed. The literary work points out the opportunities that white people in our society can realize they have to help minimize racial divide after self examination of racist tendencies that we may not be aware of.

There were modest groups of people at both, a mix of race. The discussion was fairly open. It seemed to be a worthy follow up event to the committee established to discuss race and local police forces by Sheriff Chris Bourke and County Legislature Chairman, Lynne Johnson.

By the way, as an invested Orleans County resident and county worker for over 50 years, I am impressed by those appointed to that committee representing different factions of my home county.

Whether or not people had an opinion on the book and whether or not those overall opinions were positive or negative, was not the point. The point is that this type of discussion is actually taking place, and the existence of this book has brought this about. That is the important fact.

The last five years in this country has really brought to light that we have a lot of work to do to bring more cohesion to our nation as it pertains to race relations. In my mind, “fear” in our hearts is the overriding factor in allowing race to be a divider in our country and in our world.

If we could only just overcome our “fear” to really get to know each other, willing to meet and socialize with others of different races, I believe we can go more in the right direction of this dilemma.

Ignoring that a problem exists can only hurt, not help. I am begging people of my race, of the white persuasion, to do what you can to try to help our country be more cohesive.

I’ll end this with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The time is always right to do what is right….”

Gerry Golden

Rochester