In a nation grappling with its racist history, Dax-Devlon Ross offers an unflinching exploration of how racism harms everyone, including white men, and a path forward to racial justice.
In Letters to My White Male Friends, Ross speaks directly to the millions of middle-aged white men who are suddenly awakening to race and racism. These men are beginning to understand that simply not being racist isn’t enough to end racism. They want deeper insight into how racism has harmed Black people and, for the first time, how it has harmed them. They are starting to see that racism warps us all.
Letters to My White Male Friends promises to help men who have said they are committed to change develop the capacity to see, feel and sustain that commitment so they can help secure racial justice for all. Ross explains how we were all educated with colorblind narratives and symbols that typically, albeit implicitly, privileged whiteness and denigrated Blackness. He shares his own experiences in white schools to help white men revisit moments in their lives where racism was in the room even when they didn’t see it enter.
Through his journey of learning to see the harm racism did to him and forgiving himself, Ross shows white men how they too can develop the empathy to recognize racism’s impact on their own lives. Ultimately, Ross offers white men guidance to take meaningful action in their workplace, community, family, and most importantly, in themselves, especially in the future when race is no longer in the spotlight.