Racism Quotes by Debby Irving

“Only a small part of reality, for a human being, is what is actually going on; the greater part is what he imagines in…

— Debby Irving

“Be it Europeans’ initial assumption of the right to invade in the 1600s, the Indian Removal Act in the 1800s, or the English-only acts…

— Debby Irving

“Shifting from a superior/inferior paradigm to a strength-in-difference paradigm was kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the downside, I had to admit…

— Debby Irving

“Any cycle that traps someone in a state of perpetual disadvantage is the real issue for the person experiencing it.”

— Debby Irving

“Eduardo Bonilla-Silva comments: “[The] melting pot never included people of color. Blacks, Chinese, Puerto Ricans, et cetera, could not melt into the pot. They…

— Debby Irving

“The story of race has become a self-fulfilling, self-perpetuating prophecy as the story creates the ideas, which then reinforce the story.”

— Debby Irving

“Choosing to engage in the effort to dismantle racism promises to bring with it discomfort, yet how can I compare my discomfort to what…

— Debby Irving

“Racism demands an artificial and divisive construction of humanity, in terms of how I make sense of others and also how I envision myself.”

— Debby Irving

“Understanding whiteness, regardless of class, is key to understanding racism.”

— Debby Irving

“I now understand that acting like a white American wasn’t just a “When in Rome do as the Romans do” cultural sensibility, but a…

— Debby Irving

“I’ve heard it said that conversations are the way human beings think together.”

— Debby Irving

“If there’s a place for tolerance in racial healing, perhaps it has to do with tolerating my own feelings of discomfort that arise when…

— Debby Irving

“My white skin, an epidermal gold card, has greased the skids for a life full of opportunities and rewards”

— Debby Irving

“Each cultural norm motivated me to fit in while judging others who didn’t.”

— Debby Irving

“dysfunctional rescuing,” helping people in ways that actually disempower them.”

— Debby Irving