02/23/2026
Finished this last week. Listened to it, and then because my partner heard me talk about it 1,000 times and gush about how āI need the physical copy so I can go back and take notes,ā he bought it for me.
This feels like the kind of book every white person should read, reflect on, and reckon with. Written by Isabel Wilkersonā¦ this was POWERFUL in ways I cannot begin to describe. I couldnāt put it down.
Recognizing that an Instagram caption could never be enough space to flush my thoughts out in all their messiness, here are a few things that came up for me as I related it specifically to my work as a white woman in education:
1ļøā£ Our systems work exactly as designed. Wilkerson writes (and brings RECEIPTS) that inequity isnāt accidental, itās engineered. So in education, that means disparities (discipline and otherwise) are not random. Policies arenāt neutral. And ābehavior problemsā should absolutely be considered potential responses to structural stress.
2ļøā£ Good intentions do not equal good impact. And sometimes they donāt even equal neutral impact. Wilkerson had me thinking about how individuals can absolutely be kind, wonderful people and STILL uphold harmful systems. We can unintentionally over-pathologize historically marginalized students. We can frame adaptation to inequity as āresilienceā and not realize we should be pushing toward liberation instead, and that kids shouldnāt NEED to be resilient in so many cases.
3ļøā£ My friends, discomfort is not the same thing as harm or oppression. And man did I feel uncomfortable in this book at times. But sometimes thatās what accountability needs to look like and feel like in order to make moves. Woof.
4ļøā£ Proximity is NOT the same thing as understanding. Wilkerson shared some personal stories about her interactions with white friends and colleagues that had me relating the idea to the fact that if we are white educators serving students of color, we can care VERY DEEPLY about them AND still totally miss the mark when it comes to their lived realities and experiences. Listening and believing MATTERS.
There are a million more things. But have you read this?? Whatās your take? š
