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Greater Green Bay Community Book Read 2020

Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving

About Debby Irving

Photo of Debby Irving

"Waking Up White is the book I wish someone had handed me decades ago. My hope is that by sharing my sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, I offer a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As I unpack my own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, I reveal how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated my ill-conceived ideas about race. I also explain why and how I’ve changed the way I talk about racism, work in racially mixed groups, and understand the racial justice movement as a whole. Exercises at the end of each chapter prompt readers to explore their own racialized ideas. Waking Up White's personal narrative is designed to work well as a rapid read, a book group book, or support reading for courses exploring racial and cultural issues" ("Waking Up White").

Debby Irving's TEDx Talk

In this video, Debby Irving describes her own personal discovery of white privilege within her own life. "This talk is designed to be a 101 for white people about what white privilege and institutional racism are and how they manifest" (Irving).

Works Cited 
Irving, Debby. "Finding Myself in the Story of Race ." YouTube, uploaded by Debby Irving, 20 July 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD5Ox5XNEpg. Accessed 2 Jan. 2020. Speech.
"Waking Up White." Debby Irving Racial Justice Educator and Writer, Debby Irving, 2020, debbyirving.com/the-book/. Accessed 2 Jan. 2020.