Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture, & Identity

“Color-blind” is a term that some white people use to describe their perceived lack of racism. They claim that they don’t see race and therefore treat everyone equally. This is similar to calling oneself “nonracist” because it supposes a neutral attitude toward racism; in practice, however, it means overlooking the ways in which race matters in society. The book includes several interviewees’ experiences either with others using the term “color-blind” or of recognizing their own problematic use of the term. Interacting with a Detroit tour guide who used it, the authors proposed the terms “color-brave” or “race-conscious” instead, illustrating the importance of language when discussing race.

Coined in 1983 by author Alice Walker in her essay collection In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose, colorism is discrimination based on skin tone. Lighter skin tones—because they are perceived as closer to whiteness—are often valued over darker skin tones, even among people of color, including the Black, Latino, and Asian American communities. In Tell Me Who You Are, some interviewees experience colorism as a form of discrimination, while others experience privilege due to their lighter skin. Some people experience both discrimination and privilege depending on their environment, highlighting the complex and intersectional nature of racial identity.

Tell Me Who You Are distinguishes between equity and equality. Where equality means that everyone is treated equally, equity emphasizes access to resources; some groups do not have equal access to resources or opportunities, and merely treating people as though they did perpetuates those discrepancies. The book compares equality and equity through an analogy: “Equality is a truck showing up and giving out only size 8 Nikes. Equity is a truck that shows up and has a size shoe that fits everybody. That way, everyone can walk around” (251).

Patriarchy is a system of oppression based on gender in which men hold power over women through various social structures. Patriarchy is a point of struggle for feminists, who view this as a system in need of dismantling. Several interviewees in the book address the intersection between patriarchy and other systems of oppression, such as racism and capitalism.

Positionality is a person’s social position based on categories of identity like race, gender, orientation, or class, as well as how that position influences their understanding of the world. The book defines positionality with reference to philosopher Linda Alcoff’s application of the term to gender and sexuality: Positionality is “how gender, race, class, and other important parts of our identity are ‘markers of relational positions rather than essential qualities’” (32). Positionality differs from identity because it locates a person within a specific context and perspective.

Privilege involves a certain group (racial, gendered, classed, etc.) gains more social advantage due to their identity than other groups do. The book describes white privilege as an “unearned and unquestioned” status of which white people are often unaware (37). Interviewees also discuss privilege related to skin lightness, class, gender, education, etc. Many stress the importance of white people Acknowledging Systemic Inequities and Privilege, particularly when discussing race. Privilege is related to positionality because privilege is based on a person’s position in the world.

Racial literacy means learning about race in a conscious and critical way to better understand the problems that exist and move toward social justice. Sociologist France Winddance Twine developed the concept of racial literacy to help parents teach children about racism. The authors emphasize racial literacy as a perspective that combines both compassion and understanding of systemic racism; their goal in writing the book was to promote racial literacy through both personal and research and statistics. They note that racial literacy must be combined with intersectional literacy and outline a Racial-Literacy Lens in Chapter 10.

Systemic racism (also called structural racism) is racism rooted in systems of power within society. Systemic racism encompasses racism that occurs across and through societal institutions like schools, courts, and governmental policy, not just in individual interactions or organizations. Because it is so widespread, systemic racism plays a key role in creating inequities and disadvantages based on race. The book considers systemic racism one of four “levels” of racism and addresses it in the context of the educational system, the family, the criminal justice system, and the economy, among other areas.