{"id":32635,"date":"2021-04-17T12:37:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-17T16:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=32635"},"modified":"2021-04-23T21:53:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T01:53:39","slug":"conversations-about-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How often do you find yourself discussing issues of race or racism? What is your comfort level in having conversations about race?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. However, talking about race is the critical first step in dismantling the structures and eradicating the practices that perpetuate racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recognizing Conversations About Race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most conversations about race are caught up in arguments about whether or not race is actually the issue. People might ask, \u201cbut isn\u2019t it about class, not race?\u201d or defend someone with \u201cBut he didn\u2019t mean any harm!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let\u2019s look at this more closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are <strong>three criteria<\/strong> to help you decide whether or not a conversation is about race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember that just because a conversation is about race, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s <em>only <\/em>about race. There might be many contributing factors. But if any of these criteria are met, race is one of them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Race is relevant if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. A person of color says it\u2019s about race.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This may seem subjective. That\u2019s the point. Through the process of having these conversations, you\u2019re learning to listen to and value the opinions of people of color. People of color are experts in being people of color. If you\u2019re white, you\u2019re not an expert. Listen to the experts.<\/li><li>The racial identity of the person of color is part of them and part of any situation they\u2019re telling you about. That means that race is playing a role, even if it doesn\u2019t seem to you like the main issue.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. It affects people of color differentially or disproportionately.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Some people ask: How can poverty be about race when there are lots of poor white people too? And what about the black billionaires?&nbsp;<\/li><li>The point is not that something <em>only <\/em>affects people of color\u2014it\u2019s that its impact on them is greater than it would be if there were true racial parity. The fact that you can think of a black musician who swept an awards night or a Native American artist who\u2019s achieved widespread recognition doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the rule. Do you need to come up with the names of white billionaires or musicians to prove that white people are doing well?<\/li><li>For example, poverty affects all races. But people in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/appalachia-poverty\/\">Appalachia are not poor<\/a> for the same reasons that people in Chicago are poor. <strong>The contributing factors are different, so the solutions need to be different. <\/strong>One person\u2019s battle with brain cancer doesn\u2019t cancel out another person\u2019s battle with breast cancer. They\u2019re two equally real diseases and need two real, targeted solutions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. It\u2019s part of a pattern that affects people of color differentially or disproportionately.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Racism is systemic. It takes many forms, from the subtlest to the most blatant. The fact that there are extreme forms of racism doesn\u2019t make the subtler forms any less serious or any less racist.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Here\u2019s an analogy. You\u2019re walking down the street. Every few minutes, a passer-by punches you in the arm. You can\u2019t predict who or where the next punch will come from. After a while, you\u2019re exhausted from trying to predict who will punch you next. Eventually, someone passes you, deep in conversation with a friend, gesturing excitedly and not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-pay-attention\/\">paying attention<\/a> to their surroundings. One of their wild gestures flies out and hits you in the arm. You scream, tired of defending yourself against all this unpredictable violence.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It doesn\u2019t matter whether or not the last punch was unintentional. Even if there were no bad intentions, the punch was part of a long history of violence you\u2019ve been defending yourself against ever since you can remember. And this person has learned that it\u2019s okay to gesture recklessly on the street without thinking about the consequences.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why <strong>demanding that a person of color \u201cprove\u201d the bad intentions of the last person who punched them misses the point<\/strong>. We need to be looking at the overall pattern of punches in the arm, the lack of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-self-reflect\/\">self-reflection<\/a> in the people who perpetuate this pattern unknowingly, and the scars on the arms of people who are constantly getting hit. Instead of arguing about the last person\u2019s intentions, we need to be listening to the people who carry these scars and putting measures in place to protect them from getting hit again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes,<strong> following these three criteria means that the threshold is low. And it should be.<\/strong> We need to be as inclusive as possible if we\u2019re going to step back and understand the system as a whole.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, with the foundations clear and an understanding of the types of higher-level connections you need to look for, let\u2019s look at how to have the conversation. Here are the practical nuts and bolts of how to go about having considerate and productive conversations about race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Before the Conversation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the conversation starts, <strong>do your homework<\/strong>. Learn some facts about the area you\u2019ll be talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you\u2019re a white person in conversation with a person of color, don\u2019t rely on them to explain things you could easily find out for yourself. <strong>The other person is not your human Google.<\/strong> This especially applies if it\u2019s an online conversation and you have easy access to a search engine.<\/li><li>If you\u2019re a person of color, doing some research before a conversation can help, especially if you\u2019ll be talking about a tricky topic that you\u2019re not intimately familiar with. Consider looking for some statistics to support your points.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check your privilege <\/strong>(Chapter 2). Being aware of your privilege in the area you\u2019re going to talk about will help you avoid ignorant statements and microaggressions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Seek out different perspectives on the issue. <\/strong>Keep intersectionality in mind. If you\u2019ve already talked to an Asian American man, seek out someone with a different background.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check that the person wants to talk. <\/strong>Conversations about race are exhausting for people of color, so do everything you can to make the other person feel comfortable. If the other person doesn\u2019t want to talk, or doesn\u2019t want to talk right now, respect that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>During the Conversation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Clarify and share your intentions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Figure out the following: Why does <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-fight-racism\/\">fighting racism<\/a> matter to you? (Or are you in the conversation just to prove you\u2019re not one of the bad guys?) And why are you having this particular conversation?<\/li><li>State your intentions clearly and <strong>allow your conversation partner to decide whether they want to proceed. <\/strong>Don\u2019t force anyone to have a conversation they don\u2019t want to have, no matter how important it feels. Remember how much pain and fatigue is embedded into these issues for people of color, and respect the decision of someone who doesn\u2019t want to engage. If they choose to continue, fully appreciate the emotional and mental labor they\u2019re volunteering.<\/li><li>Throughout the conversation, bring your intentions to mind frequently. Are you behaving like you\u2019re trying to win an argument, or like you\u2019re genuinely trying to learn and do better?<\/li><li>Remember that everyone in the conversation is taking a risk, not just you. The other person is nervous too. If it feels too comfortable, you\u2019re probably having the wrong conversation.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Keep your priorities straight.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If your aim is to understand your conversation partner\u2019s experience of racism better, or to figure out what you can do to help, don\u2019t lose sight of that.<\/li><li>If something makes you feel defensive, remember that defending yourself isn\u2019t the priority. Remember your intention.<\/li><li><strong>Self-monitor.<\/strong> If you feel yourself start to become defensive, stop and reflect. Why is this feeling arising? Is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-ego\/\">your ego<\/a> or some part of your identity being threatened? Don\u2019t let this feeling shift your priorities.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Listen more than you talk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Don\u2019t put any conditions on your listening. <\/strong>Don\u2019t force the other person to make something more palatable just so you\u2019ll be willing to listen. <strong>Don\u2019t tone police. <\/strong>The delivery style isn\u2019t the point\u2014the content is. So if a person of color is talking about their experiences this is an act of generosity, no matter how they\u2019re doing it.&nbsp;<\/li><li>If you\u2019re a white person, <strong>notice how much you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-talk-about-yourself\/\">talking about yourself<\/a>.<\/strong> If you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/make-yourself-heard\/\">hear yourself<\/a> using \u201cI\u201d and \u201cme\u201d a lot, consider whether you might be challenging or overriding the other person\u2019s experience.<\/li><li>Pause frequently.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Ask questions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Be willing to feel uncomfortable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Listening to someone talk about their pain is painful. Don\u2019t shy away. <strong>If you refuse to feel this pain, you\u2019re forcing people of color to suffer it alone.<\/strong><\/li><li>If you\u2019re doing the conversation right, it\u2019ll make you feel upset. It may make you feel ashamed, guilty, angry, and shocked. Stay with these feelings and see where they lead you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. Talk to people of your own race too.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you\u2019re white, talk about race in places where there are no people of color to speak for themselves. <strong>Bring these conversations into corners of your life where people of color can\u2019t yet reach<\/strong>: within your family or in an all-white corporate boardroom.<\/li><li>If you\u2019re a person of color, talking to other people of color may help you to feel less alone in your experiences. It can help you to resist large-scale cultural gaslighting and remember that you\u2019re not going insane, that your experiences are real. Compassionately bring to light your own internalized racism and the patterns of thinking and behavior that have made you unwittingly complicit in the system.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. Don\u2019t substitute racism for other prejudices.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It\u2019s not helpful to make prejudicial remarks about other groups. You can\u2019t fight racism with sexist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted ideas.<\/li><li>Consider intersectionality. What perspectives might be invisible or oppressed here? What can you do to include them? If you need to explain intersectionality, it can help to give concrete examples.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7. Do what\u2019s right, not what feels good.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The purpose of these conversations is not to prove you\u2019re a good person or that you\u2019re not racist.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Seek to find truth, not to be right.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What to Do if You Make a Mistake<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re having a lot of these conversations, it\u2019s almost certain that eventually you\u2019ll make a mistake.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If things really start to go pear-shaped, here\u2019s what to do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Apologize.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you understand what you did wrong, apologize sincerely.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Even if the conversation was months ago, consider contacting the person to apologize. Better late than never.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Decenter your own feelings and intentions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Your intentions aren\u2019t as important as your actions. <\/strong>Even if you had good intentions while screwing up, you still screwed up. Don\u2019t try to get credit for having good intentions.<\/li><li>When you remember the conversation later, remember what the purpose of the conversation was and what went wrong. Don\u2019t file it away as \u201cthat time you tried really hard and the other person got angry anyway.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Know when to leave it alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You may feel you need some kind of resolution. Don\u2019t push it. Take a break, think about what went wrong, and try again later.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Don\u2019t castigate yourself for all eternity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you did something that hurt someone, feeling bad is an appropriate response. But remember that this happens a lot, and it has more to do with needing to work on your communication skills than being a horrible person. <strong>Reflect, repair the damage if possible, and then drop the guilt and try again.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. Keep trying.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Failure doesn\u2019t feel good. But for real change to happen, we need to keep having these conversations. Your failed conversations are better than your silence, because your silence is your complicity.<\/li><li>These conversations are upsetting because the issues themselves are upsetting, not because we\u2019re talking about them. <strong>The more we talk about them, the more we can do, and the less upsetting the reality will become.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beyond the Conversation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Words are powerful. But they\u2019re not everything. Having roductive conversations about race is a good start, but it&#8217;s just a start. <strong>Conversations lead to better understanding, but understanding without action is useless.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to get hooked on the good feeling that comes with having successful conversations about race. But don\u2019t get trapped in a feel-good cycle of saying the right things and doing nothing. <strong>It\u2019s what we do <\/strong><strong><em>after<\/em><\/strong><strong> we have the conversations that matters.<\/strong> Instead of just talking about the White Supremacist fabric that\u2019s suffocating people of color, poke some holes in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many ways you can put your new understandings into action in the political, educational, economic, workplace, and personal spheres. Pick whichever of these suggestions resonate best with you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Political Actions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vote. <\/strong>And not just in big elections: Vote on school boards, local elections, and so on. Local politics is often where the real change happens.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bother politicians before elections. Ask to see their policies on racial equality.<\/li><li>Vote for candidates of color.<\/li><li>Support racially inclusive and just policy platforms.<\/li><li>Become involved in the campaigns of candidates of color.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Vocally <strong>support increasing the minimum wage<\/strong>. Proportionately more people of color work in minimum-wage jobs, so increasing the minimum wage will benefit more people of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Support affirmative action.<\/strong> Ever since the 1960s, affirmative action has aimed to increase the representation of marginalized groups in higher education and the federal workforce. The people who criticize affirmative action as \u201cunfair\u201d simply don\u2019t know the facts. There have never been any quotas, and the goal representation percentages are often far below actual parity. For example, a Supreme Court decision in 1980 upheld the reservation of ten percent of funds for minority business, when the actual minority population was 17 percent. Affirmative action targets exist to redress a systemic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/opportunity-gap\/\">opportunity gap<\/a>. They\u2019re not back doors or easy ways to get hired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approach mayors and local governments about police reform.<\/strong> Ask about policies regarding officer training, body cams, and complaints procedures. Demand reform wherever necessary. Keep applying pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Insist on justice for police shootings. <\/strong>District prosecutors care about their jobs. If they risk losing their jobs because of publicity around their poor handling of police shootings, they\u2019re more likely to follow due process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Economic Actions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Harness the power of your wallet. <\/strong>Remember that economic inequalities are at the core of the White Supremacist system and do what you can to offset this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wherever possible, support businesses that are run by people of color. Boycott businesses that take advantage of people of color\u2014steer clear of banks that employ racist lending practices and avoid businesses that rely on low-wage labor from people of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Donate to grassroots organizations<\/strong> that are working for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Offer compensation when you book a speaker of color<\/strong>. If you are trying to raise racial awareness in your workplace or community and want someone to come in and speak, don\u2019t assume they\u2019ll volunteer their time. Remember that we\u2019re fighting against the economic exploitation of people of color, not participating in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Educational Actions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Engage with schools. <\/strong>Ask about the opportunity gap in your school district. Find out about the history curriculum. Are there any curricula and textbooks that erase people of color or teach a whitewashed version of history?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contact teachers and educational leaders<\/strong> to tell them that racial issues are a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re at college, will soon be applying for college, or have a child in either of those situations, <strong>contact colleges to find out their policies and track record on diversity and representation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Workplace Actions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Become active in your unions.<\/strong> A racially aware union can do a lot for people of color. If you speak up enough in your union over time, people will eventually start listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Call out tokenism. <\/strong>If management tries to implement perfunctory, superficial measures that look good but don\u2019t run deep, let them know. In one of Oluo\u2019s workplaces, for example, they conducted an employee satisfaction survey. One of the questions was about whether people of color felt they had equal opportunity with their colleagues. The results were clearly negative. But in the meeting in which they went over the survey, the director came to that slide, saw the results, and declared that people probably hadn\u2019t understood the question before moving on to the next slide. Do all you can to prevent this from happening in your workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Personal Actions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Diversify the art and music you engage with. <\/strong>Mainstream television, film, music, and literature is white by default. Seek out work by people of color, films in which the majority of actors are not white, and books by people of diverse backgrounds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching films and reading books is a great way to listen to people of color without demanding personalized emotional labor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How often do you find yourself discussing issues of race or racism? What is your comfort level in having conversations about race? Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. However, talking about race is the critical first step in dismantling the structures and eradicating the practices that perpetuate racism. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,20,24],"tags":[266],"class_list":["post-32635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-ethics","category-society","tag-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-17T16:37:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-24T01:53:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\"},\"headline\":\"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-17T16:37:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-24T01:53:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\"},\"wordCount\":2865,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"So You Want to Talk About Race\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Communication\",\"Ethics\",\"Society\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\",\"name\":\"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide? - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-17T16:37:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-24T01:53:39+00:00\",\"description\":\"Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\",\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png\",\"caption\":\"Darya Sinusoid\"},\"description\":\"Darya\u2019s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain\/mind\/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/darya\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide? - Shortform Books","description":"Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?","og_description":"Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-04-17T16:37:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-04-24T01:53:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Darya Sinusoid","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Darya Sinusoid","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/"},"author":{"name":"Darya Sinusoid","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46"},"headline":"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?","datePublished":"2021-04-17T16:37:13+00:00","dateModified":"2021-04-24T01:53:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/"},"wordCount":2865,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg","keywords":["So You Want to Talk About Race"],"articleSection":["Communication","Ethics","Society"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/","name":"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide? - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg","datePublished":"2021-04-17T16:37:13+00:00","dateModified":"2021-04-24T01:53:39+00:00","description":"Race is a sensitive and contentious topic to talk about. Here are some things to keep in mind when having conversations about race.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conversations-about-race\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Conversations About Race: How to Face the Divide?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46","name":"Darya Sinusoid","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png","caption":"Darya Sinusoid"},"description":"Darya\u2019s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain\/mind\/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/darya\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/racism-black-lives-matter-protest-race.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32635"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33448,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32635\/revisions\/33448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}