by Mary-Ellen Mess
There are many ways to talk about race in the U.S. You might focus on law enforcement, education, housing, and now of course disparities in health care. But the real emphasis should be on ourselves and the attitudes and behaviors that sustain policies and institutions that fail to guarantee equal treatment for all citizens.
Having grown up White in the 50s and 60s, I see the world through the lens of my own experience. My world then was Eurocentric. Early on I had no classmates, teachers, neighbors, or friends who were Black, Asian, or Latinx. I cannot recall one interaction with a person of color until I was in 10th grade.
Books have always been my refuge and my map for exploring the world. In the era of the Civil Rights Movement, I read Black Like Me and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. One Christmas Eve, I can remember finishing Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and weeping over the tragic history of Native Americans. Along with most Americans, I watched “Roots” on TV and commiserated with the cruel treatment of the slave Kunta Kinte.
Since then my worldview has expanded by virtue of my choices and the rapidly changing demographics of our nation. What hasn’t changed is my love of reading and how it helps me understand where we are today and how we got here.
For many Whites, the discomfort of acknowledging the unearned privilege that comes with light skin (especially if your family wasn’t particularly highbrow) makes it difficult to do the hard work of recognizing one’s own bias. The new generation of writers on race are less interested in tugging at your heartstrings and more interested in ripping away the facade of polite behavior that allows White people to deny their own racism and privilege.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a favorite because it allows Whites to relegate racial injustice to the past. Recent events reveal the fallacy of that assertion. If you are willing to get out of your comfort zone, I’d like to share some of my favorites among the newer books in the RBPL collection:
Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable by Mark Lamont Hill
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt PhD
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
White Fragility by Robin J. Di Angelo
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Backlash: What Happens When We Talk Honestly About Racism in America by George Yancey
Rez Life: An Indian’s Journey Through Reservation Life by David Treuer
My White privilege gives me a choice of whether or not to acknowledge some ugly truths in this country. I am able to ignore both the history and effects of racism and my own bias if I choose to do so. People with brown skin have no such choice. For them, as Richard Wright was so aptly quoted in the title of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, dark skin always lies Between the World and Me.
These are just a few of the very many books that offer insight into the issue of race in America. The New York Times has published a list of current bestsellers about race and criminal justice. Reading may not solve the complex problem of racism, but it can help us understand what spawned the disturbing images we are witnessing today. My hope is that by reading, we move closer to the goal of liberty and justice for all.
Working at the RBPL is a second career for Mary-Ellen, who spent 30 years managing youth programs in Newark, NJ. In anticipation of her retirement from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, Mary-Ellen returned to school and earned a MLIS in 2013. A part-time Reference Librarian at RBPL, she resides in Red Bank with her husband. Mary-Ellen considers herself fortunate to have raised two sons in Red Bank, a diverse community with great public schools.