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Uprooting Racism - 4th Edition
How White People Can Work for Racial Justice
“The ‘how-to manual’ for whites to work with people of color to create an inclusive, just world in the 21st century.” —Maggie Potapchuk, racial equity consultant
Over 50,000 copies sold of earlier editions!
Completely revised and updated, this fourth edition of Uprooting Racism offers a framework around neoliberalism and interpersonal, institutional, and cultural racism, along with stories of resistance and white solidarity. It provides practical tools and advice on how white people can work as allies for racial justice, engaging the reader through questions, exercises, and suggestions for action, and includes a wealth of information about specific cultural groups such as Muslims, people with mixed heritage, Native Americans, Jews, recent immigrants, Asian Americans, and Latino/as.
Inequalities in education, housing, health care, and the job market continue to prevail, while increased insecurity and fear have led to an epidemic of scapegoating and harassment of people of color. Yet, recent polls show that only thirty-one percent of white people in the United States believe racism is a major societal problem; at the same time, resistance is strong, as highlighted by indigenous struggles for land and sovereignty and the Movement for Black Lives.
This accessible, personal, supportive, and practical guide is ideal for students, community activists, teachers, youth workers, and anyone interested in issues of diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice.
“A uniquely sensitive, wise, practical guide for white people struggling with their feelings about race.” —Howard Zinn, national bestselling author of A People’s History of the United States
“A powerful and wonderful book, a major contribution to our understanding of racism as white people.” —Judith H. Katz, Ed. D., author, White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training
Paul Kivel is the award-winning author of several books including Uprooting Racism and Boys will be Men. He is a social justice activist and a nationally and internationally recognized educator who has focused on the issues of violence prevention, oppression, and social justice for over 45 years. Paul is the director of the Christian Hegemony Project and has conducted thousands of talks, trainings, and workshops on diversity, men's issues, the challenges of youth, and the impact of class and power on daily life.
"With current context, deepened history and new chapters, Paul Kivel's revised and updated Uprooting Racism offers visionary and practical tools for white people to reflect, share, learn, show up and act. Given all we have at stake in building a racially just society, this is both a timeless and urgent work. Like my copy of a previous edition, this one will be dog-eared from use, and my wallet thinner as I will gift copies of this book over and over."
Pam McMichael, Highlander Center, Executive Director, 2005–2016
"Paul Kivel...presents a powerful yet accessible vision, informed by research and reflection on racism in the US.... This book provides the best concrete guidance for the new or perplexed would-be white ally that I have ever seen in print. For the individual explorer, the self-study exercises are amazing. As a resource for the educator or trainer's library, Uprooting Racism is indispensable and unique. I have personally used many of the exercises in the book in my own teaching. Paul's support and guidance for educators and trainers in his books and on his website is outstanding."
Victor Lee Lewis, Progressive Life Coach, founder/director of the Radical Resilience Institute, Co-Editor with Hugh Vasquez of Lessons from The Color of Fear.
"Uprooting Racism gives the student, activist and practitioner something for their social justice tool box. The expanded edition is challenging, informative and practical. You'll finish the book and want to get right to work."
Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., Founder/Director, The White Privilege Conference
"Uprooting Racism continues to be a powerful and wonderful book, a major contribution to our understanding of racism as white people....Not only does Kivel address tough issues related to whiteness and racism,...he also identifies specific ways that whites can be allies for change — all done with honesty, forthrightness, respect, and from the heart. For any white person who is sincere about working for social justice, here's the source."
Judith H. Katz, Ed. D., author, White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training and The Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity
"Paul Kivel writes with clarity and depth in a style that is adequately complex for understandings of racism in our time. He uses his writing power to illuminate all the systems, inner and outer, which lead to inequitable distribution of power, respect, money, safety, security, and opportunity in the world..."
Peggy McIntosh, founder and co-director, National SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum, author, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
"Uprooting Racism is a fact-filled resource for teachers and parents to use in educating ourselves and our young people about the history and the hidden costs of racism in our communities. Kivel presents simple, meaningful actions we can all take to build a more just and healthy society."
Jackie Shonerd, parent and Coordinator for Conflict Resolution Programs, Oakland, (CA) Unified School District
"As a woman of color actively engaged in social justice movements for over 25 years, I have often longed for a book like Uprooting Racism to help white people understand the institutional, systematic, and persistent character of racism in our world. Paul Kivel has written a handbook to critically examine racism in our lives, and in our work for peace and justice."
Luz Guerra, activist, consultant/writer
"...the ‘how-to manual' for whites to work with people of color to create an inclusive, just world in the 21st century. Uprooting Racism succinctly describes how intricately racism is tied to all institutions and our daily lives.... It should be in the toolbox of anyone who is working for an anti-racist society."
Maggie Potapchuk, Senior Program Associate, Network of Alliances, Bridging Race and Ethnicity (NABRE), a program of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
"Those of us who commit to the life-long journey of being anti-racist whites need lots of help. The revised edition of Uprooting Racism offers a clear vision of the journey's destination, an invaluable and accessible map and a set of tools for the steps we must take to get there....I recommend it highly and plan to use it in my own work."
Louise Derman-Sparks, co-director, of the Early Childhood Equity Alliance. Author, Teaching/Learning Anti-Racism: A Developmental Approach
"Uprooting Racism is a uniquely sensitive, wise, practical guide for white people struggling with their feelings about race."
Howard Zinn, author, A People's History of the United States (Praise from previous edition)
