Was That Racist?: How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life

Social psychologist Carter’s encouraging debut how-to helps readers understand “the ways you have been socialized to see (or not to see) racial bias, how to unlearn those impulses, and how to bring others along on that journey.” Drawing on her experiences as a corporate DEI consultant, Carter presents actionable steps for talking to colleagues, friends, family, and children about racial bias, with a particular emphasis on how to broach the subject with white people, who typically learn about racism later in life, detect it less often, and feel ill-equipped to discuss it. Carter suggests some of this reticence can be countered by fostering a more general “growth mindset” that includes “shedding an ego-protecting façade and embracing... vulnerability.” She also provides helpful tools for identifying and calling out microaggressions and decentering whiteness in everyday interactions. While Carter’s tone is sometimes reminiscent of corporate HR training, she makes several antiestablishment points, including debunking the notion that each generation is naturally becoming less racist (she cites studies showing that, without education on the topic, white children are more likely to learn racism socially) and arguing against the “business case” for diversity—i.e., that a diverse workplace is better for the bottom line. Instead, Carter refreshingly declares that “even if ‘doing diversity’ was bad for business, I would advocate for it anyway.” Readers will feel galvanized. (Jan.)