Beverly Daniel Tatum Quotes About Social Justice

• To say that it is not our fault does not relieve us of responsibility. However, we may not have polluted the air, but we need to take responsibility, along with others, for cleaning it up. Each of us needs to look at our own behavior. Am I perpetuating and reinforcing the negative messages so pervasive in our culture, or am I seeking to challenge them?

  Beverly Daniel Tatum

  Responsibility, Air, Justice

• In order to prevent chronic discomfort, Whites may learn not to notice.

  Beverly Daniel Tatum

  Order, Justice, May

• The social pressure from friend and acquaintance to collude, to not notice racism, can be quite powerful.

  Beverly Daniel Tatum

  Powerful, Racism, Justice

  Beverly Daniel Tatum (1997). “"Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" and Other Conversations about Race”, Basic Books

• Many white people experience themselves as powerless, even in the face of privilege. But the fact is that we all have a sphere of influence, some domain in which we exercise some level of power and control. The task for each of us, White and of color, is to identify what our own sphere of influence is (however large or small) and to consider how it might be used to interrupt the cycle of racism.

  Beverly Daniel Tatum

  Exercise, Color, White

• White people who are doing this work need to make their stories known to serve as guides for others.

  Beverly Daniel Tatum

  White, People, Justice

  Beverly Daniel Tatum (1997). “"Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" and Other Conversations about Race”, Basic Books

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