WI-AIMH Recommended Reading: "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism"

This summer, WI-AIMH staff is sharing summer reading recommendations with our social media audiences. Look for a new post every Thursday for a book selection and thoughts from a member of Team WI-AIMH.

Week One: Ashley reads White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

"I have found this book extremely useful and necessary in my quest to better understand myself, my socialization, how my own white fragility manifests, and how at times it impedes my efforts to engage as constructively as I'd like to in dialogue to enact social change through addressing racial inequalities, power and privilege. Dr. DiAngelo provides language for phenomenon I would notice but couldn't name. She challenges us (white people) to turn inward to examine the limitations of our good intentions and pushes us to acknowledge and develop a better understanding of the deeper roots of our socialization and culture that have kept us entrenched in systems that hold racial inequality in place. Inherent in Infant Mental Health work is culturally sensitive relationship-focused practice and I feel this book is a must-read as it provides a vital set of tools for the self-examination and reflection needed for white providers and social justice advocates to have personal accountability while engaging with the diverse workforce, families and infants we serve with sensitivity, dignity and mindful awareness."