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In 2018, Robin DiAngelo, an academic and anti-racism consultant, published the surprise best-seller White Fragility. The book, which argues that white people tend to undermine or dismiss conversations about race with histrionic reactions, climbed best-seller lists again last summer, when the murder of George Floyd and the surging Black Lives Matter movement forced American institutions to address structural racism. Major corporations, such as Amazon and Facebook, embraced the slogan Black Lives Matter and brought DiAngelo in to speak. Millions of Americans began to consider concepts such as systemic racism and look anew at the racial disparities in law enforcement, and DiAngelo became a guide for many of them.

DiAngelos success was not entirely without controversy: critics claimed that her definition of white fragility was broad and reductive and that DiAngelo, who is white, condescended to people of color. Carlos Lozada, of the Washington Post, wrote, As defined by DiAngelo, white fragility is irrefutable.... Either white people admit their inherent and unending racism and vow to work on their white fragility, in which case DiAngelo was correct in her assessment, or they resist such categorizations or question the interpretation of a particular incident, in which case they are only proving her point. In The New Yorker, Kelefa Sanneh wrote that DiAngelo makes white people seem like flawed, complicated characters; by comparison, people of color seem good, wise, and perhaps rather simple. This narrative may be appealing to its target audience, but it doesnt seem to offer much to anyone else.

Last month, DiAngelo published a new book, Nice Racism, which argues that even well-intentioned white progressivesthe types of people who might read DiAngelos workare guilty of inflicting racial harm on people of color. She writes that the odds are that on a daily basis, Black people dont interact with those who openly agitate for white nationalism, but they do face a different danger: In the workplace, the classroom, houses of worship, gentrifying neighborhoods, and community groups, Black people do interact with white progressives. She continues, We are the oneswith a smile on our faceswho undermine Black people daily in ways both harder to identify and easier to deny.

I recently spoke by phone with DiAngelo about Nice Racism. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed whether her work includes structural critiques of racism, why she has become so popular over the past year, and whether its possible to disagree with her and not be a racist.

How important is attending workshops like the ones you run and talk about in the book if America is going to become less racist?

Im not sure that it has to be a workshop, but it does have to be education in some form or format, because were not educated in this country on our racial history, and of course workshops are an excellent way to gain that education. If they are not followed up and sustained by continuing conversations, then theyre not very effective. Stand-alone, onetime workshops I dont think are effective.

What is the goal of your work, if white people, as you say, are never going to be completely free of racism?

Less harm, to put it bluntly. I am confident that as a result of my years in this work, I do less harm across race, and that is not actually a small thing. That could translate to one hour longer on somebodys life, because the chronic stress of racism, for Black people and other people of colorliterally, it shortens their lives. I would definitely like to do less harm.

Your work starts from the premise that history and society have made all white people racist. But I was trying to figure out whether you were making a structural critique or offering structural solutions to racism, in part because so much of the book is about workshops.

The foundation of the United States is structural racism. It is built into all of the institutions. It is built into the culture, and in that sense weve all absorbed the ideology. Weve all absorbed the practices of systemic racism, and thats what I mean when I say we are racist. I dont mean that individuals have conscious awareness of anti-Blackness, or that they intentionally seek to hurt people based on race. Thats not what Im referring to when I make a claim like all white people are racist. What I mean is that all white people have absorbed racist ideology, and it shapes the way we see the world and the way we see ourselves in the world, and it comes out in the policies and practices that we make and that we set up.

What needs to change structurally?

Well, the homogeneity alone at the top guarantees that advantage would be built into those systems and structures by the people in the position to build them in. This doesnt have to be conscious or intentional, but, if significant experiences and perspectives are missing from the table, theyre not going to be included. If a group of architects is around a table designing a building and all of them are able-bodied, theyre simply going to design a building that accommodates the way they move through the world. Its not an intentional exclusion, but it will result in the exclusion of people who move differently.

You have to have multiple perspectives at those tables, and you cant just take the additive approach, like, Oh, well, we included some more diversity, if you dont also address power. Thats what I wanted to say. You can have policies that appear to be neutral, but, because we dont account for just centuries of social discrimination, the impact of those policies will not be neutral.

Your book is a critique of individualism, by which you mean, as you put it, Our identities are not separate from the white supremacist society in which we are raised, and our patterns of cross-racial engagement are not merely a function of our unique personalities. What is the problem with individualism?

Individualism cuts the person off from the very society that the concept of individualism is valued in. Thats the great irony, right? If we were in a more community-oriented or collective-oriented society, we wouldnt value being an individual the way that we do. We have been conditioned to see that as the ideal, that every one of us is unique and special and different, and if you dont know somebody specifically you cant know anything about them.

Of course, on one hand, thats true, right? I dont know everybodys experience and life stories and so on, and we are also members of a social group. By virtue of our membership in this social group, we could literally predict whether you and I were going to survive our birthand our mothers also. Its like saying, you know, upon my birth, it was announced, Female, and then I have been completely exempt from any messages about what it means to be female. We wouldnt say that, because we know that the moment I am pronounced female, an entire set of deep cultural conditioning is set into place.

I dont think anybody would say, My gender has had no influence whatsoever on my life. When it comes to race, we want to take ourselves out of any kind of collective experience. These are observable, describable, measurable patterns. Does every single person fit every pattern? Of course not, but there is a rule that the exception of course makes visible.

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Robin DiAngelo Wants White Progressives to Look Inward - The New Yorker

CLEVELAND (AP) Amid relentless sunshine and intensifying humidity, Nina Turner led a small procession of voters last week to a polling place on Clevelands east side, guiding the group down a long block to the crosswalk even though darting across the street would have been easier.

We dont want you breaking the law, an aide admonished. Lets go down to the light.

Turner built a national reputation as a leading voice for Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns, bringing crowds in packed auditoriums to their feet with rousing calls for universal health care and bold action to combat climate change. But as she faces an election of her own next month, Turner is focused on more mundane aspects of campaigning, like avoiding jaywalking as she encourages supporters to vote and offering reassurances that her brand of politics still has a place in the Democratic Party.

Something I can add, whether mainline Democrats get this or not, is I can speak the language of people from all walks of life, Turner said in an interview. That is important for the expansion of the Democratic Party.

Turner is the best known of more than a dozen Democrats vying to replace former Rep. Marcia Fudge, who left Congress to become President Joe Bidens housing chief. The Aug. 3 primary is shaping up as one of the final tests this year for progressives, who have faced setbacks in other races, including Democratic primaries for Virginia governor and New York mayor.

With just a six-seat advantage in the House, some Democrats are taking aggressive steps to blunt Turner and back more centrist alternatives.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, whose support helped Biden secure the Democratic nomination last year, is backing county councilwoman Shontel Brown over Turner. Hillary Clinton, the political arm of the Congressional Black Caucus, several leading unions and more than 100 local leaders are doing the same.

Federal rules prohibit Fudge from endorsing in the race, but her mother appeared in a commercial for Brown.

While the contest is emerging as a proxy for the future of the Democratic Party, local leaders say voters are more worried about issues like creating jobs, addressing crime and improving access to health care, which remains elusive for many, despite Clevelands high concentration of major hospital chains.

People are trying to make this like its moderate versus progressive. I dont see it that way, said Cleveland Councilman Blaine Griffin, who has endorsed Turner but is friends with everyone running. He added that, regardless of ideology, no one likes poverty, speeding cars down the street, bad roads or bridges.

The district is shaped like a hatchet with an oversize head, snaking from Cleveland to Akron, nearly 40 miles to the south. The population is 53% African American, and nearly a quarter of residents live in poverty. The winner of the primary in the solidly blue district will likely cruise to victory in Novembers general election.

A 53-year-old community college professor, Turner served on the Cleveland City Council, was a state senator and ran unsuccessfully for Ohio secretary of state before crisscrossing the country with Sanders during his 2016 and 2020 presidential bids.

Her signature phrase, Hello, somebody! became a campaign fixture, prompting crowds across the country to yell back with delight. But those who worked with Turner years ago in Cleveland remember her for another catchphrase, Do you feel me? which she first used addressing audiences of otherwise unresponsive young people.

As she talks to voters, Turner explains her support for universal health insurance coverage under Medicare for All by pointing to the experience of her mother, who was uninsured and died when she was just 42. Turner also says she wants student debt eradicated because she knows its sting: She and her son owe nearly $100,000 combined in loans shes still paying off.

But the hard-fought presidential primary between Biden and Sanders has left some lingering resentments. The advocacy group Democratic Majority for Israel has produced ads seizing on Turner once likening supporting Biden to being forced to eat excrement.

Brown has pointed to such moments to argue that she will be able to accomplish far more, far quicker in Washington.

I dont have to start with a long letter of apology, Brown said from her campaign office in a onetime pet store. I can just walk in the door with good relationships and get to work on behalf of the constituents.

The Rev. Aaron Phillips, executive director of the Cleveland Clergy Coalition, blames Sanders and Turner for so dividing Democrats, which he says helped Republican Donald Trump win the presidency in 2016.

Brown, meanwhile, has been a faithful Democrat all of her life, Phillips said. She has never varied.

Turner says she remains a proud progressive. And while some like-minded candidates havent won their races lately, she said they are nonetheless moving the narrative in this country. The cargo van that serves as her mobile campaign office is emblazoned with the slang phrase corporate Democrat want a puppet.

As Turner briefly hung out in the vans shade after the walk to the polling place, Sam Cookes Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha blared over the speakers, and she started dancing.

I can do this. But no singing, she said, laughing. There are people with that talent. I am not one of them.

The Rev. Regis Bunch of Clevelands Fifth Christian Church said Turner makes personal connections with voters and insisted most arent scared away by big progressive goals, which he said are not as far off as many believe.

We need something more wide than this liberal paradigm weve been living in, said Bunch, 34, who said he supported Sanders in the primary and only voted for Biden last fall by force.

Turner nonetheless denies that shell be a congressional provocateur, arguing that she worked well with both parties in the state Legislature. Shes also aired TV ads promoting her past work as the Ohio Democratic Party engagement chair.

Brown counters that she can actually achieve the kind of bipartisanship Turner only talks about.

I feel like the all or nothing approach ends up with nothing. So we have to be able to find compromise, she said. Being a partner doesnt mean being a puppet.

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Democratic primary in Ohio emerges as test for progressives - Associated Press

Progressives perked up after hearing President BidenJoe BidenDemocrats reach deal on .5T price tag for infrastructure bill Texas family arrested for role in Capitol riot Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden's ATF nominee MORE call passing sweeping voting rights legislation known as the For the People Act a national imperative in a speech from Philadelphia.

Now they say they are awaiting his next steps on Capitol Hill.

In an address from the National Constitution Center on Tuesday, Biden delivered what Democratic lawmakers and liberal activists had been pleading with him to give for weeks: a strongly worded warning of the fragility of voting rights in America.

I will sign it and let the whole world see it, Biden declared about the voting rights measure.

But a number of Democrats have been disappointed that Biden hasnt used his platform to pressure Democratic senators to end the legislative filibuster.

Without such a change, the For the People Act will not reach his desk.

Biden has not signaled an interest in pressuring Democrats such as Sens. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinDemocrats reach deal on .5T price tag for infrastructure bill Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden's ATF nominee On The Money: Inflation spike puts Biden on defensive | Senate Democrats hit spending speed bumps | Larry Summers huddles with WH team MORE (W.Va.) and Kyrsten SinemaKyrsten SinemaDemocrats reach deal on .5T price tag for infrastructure bill Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden's ATF nominee Democrats under new pressure to break voting rights stalemate MORE (Ariz.), who oppose ending the filibuster. Democrats would need all their members in the Senate to back ending the procedure to kill it.

He did not mention the filibuster, so thats a little disappointing, said Vicki Miller, group leader of the Philadelphia chapter of Indivisible. She marched outside the venue with members of her organization while listening to Biden speak from her cellphone.

If he came out strongly that the Senate needs to do filibuster reform, that would be so persuasive to Democratic senators. He knows them all, she said.

Im interested to see where he goes from here. This is just a start. It needs to get a lot stronger, Miller added.

Questions about how seriously the White House had been taking voting rights had been mounting for much of the spring and into the summer.

Gearing up for his speech, Biden had ground to make up with many on the left who had criticized the administration over what they view as insufficient attention on the issue.

One source briefed on a private discussion between White House officials and activists last week said there was an impression left on some progressives that the For the People Act had fallen to the back burner and that it was not an urgent matter for the administration ahead of the midterms.

Biden sought to tamp down such skepticism with his speech and warned that we have to prepare now for raw and sustained election subversion in 2022.

He also denounced false claims from former President TrumpDonald TrumpTexas family arrested for role in Capitol riot Poll: McAuliffe holds 2-point lead over Youngkin in Virginia governor's race On The Money: Inflation spike puts Biden on defensive | Senate Democrats hit spending speed bumps | Larry Summers huddles with WH team MORE and others that massive fraud took place in last years elections.

The 2020 election was the most scrutinized election ever in American history, Biden said. The big lie is just that: a big lie, he added to applause.

While progressive activists who spoke to The Hill were relieved that Biden delivered a call to action on the national stage, the presidents speech is unlikely to quash their angst.

While we appreciate the remarks and we applaud the efforts so far, we need to see the president and the vice president to use the full force of the presidential office to see the For the People Act across the finish line, said Jana Morgan, who directs the progressive network Declaration for American Democracy.

The Rev. Al Sharpton told The Associated Press that he and the president chatted after he spoke. I said to him I thought it was a good speech. I was very happy to hear him bring up race. But were still waiting on the filibuster, the civil rights leader told the outlet.

He told me: Were still working on our position on that. He was noncommittal, Sharpton added.

One of Biden closest confidants, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), told Politico over the weekend that the president could easily call Manchin and tell him, Hey, we should do a carveout, referencing a way to reform the rule.

Texas Democratic lawmakers who left their state for Washington, D.C., to prevent the state legislature from passing a restrictive voting measure echoed Clyburns message. They are expected to meet with Manchin directly as well as Vice President Harris.

We need to hear from the Oval Office, from the president, from the vice president, who hes assigned to work on this, that nothing can stand in the way, Morgan said.

Its great to hear him call it a national imperative, and now we want to see him turn those words into actions by working with Senate Democrats to do whatever is necessary to get this bill to his desk,Morgan added.

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Biden speech unlikely to quash progressive angst | TheHill - The Hill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is hearing from her left flank about climate spending they want in the Democratic reconciliation package.

Driving the news: 11 progressive House Democrats led by Rep. Cori Bush, in a new letter first obtained by CBS, call for various provisions, including "$250 billion in climate and environmental justice funding for local governments" and $1 trillion to "build public renewables with union labor."

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They also want $600 billion in various transit, rail, EV and other transportation finance and $132 billion for a "Civilian Climate Corps."

Writers of the letter include Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and the rest of "The Squad," as well as House Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal.

The big picture: The proposed spending would go beyond even what the White House first proposed in March, let alone the much smaller sums for clean energy and climate in the bipartisan infrastructure framework.

Quick take: The letter signals how Democrats will face big hurdles crafting a reconciliation measure that can unite their caucus, which has razor-thin margins in both chambers.

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House progressives reveal the climate spending they want in Democratic reconciliation package - Yahoo News

Andrew Trunsky

Eric Adams became the latest moderate Democrat to triumph among a field of far more liberal candidates, pointing to a recent trend of the partys most reliable voters bucking progressives for those holding more centrist views despite their lower profile.

Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President and a former NYPD officer, centered his campaign around lowering the citys rising crime rate and improving not defunding its police department. His message led him to win every borough except Manhattan, the wealthiest of the citys five, even as he had exponentially fewer Twitter followers than some of his rivals and the prominent progressives who endorsed them.

Adamswon the Democratic primarywith just over 50% of the vote after the ranked-choice voting process concluded, but was ranked third on over 30% of ballots among the eight-candidate field. Maya Wiley, the leading progressive candidate in New York Citys mayoral race, ultimately finished third.

His win follows moderate victories in Democratic congressional and gubernatorial primaries across the country. Special elections inLouisianaandNew Mexicosaw low-profile, pragmatic moderates prevail over progressive challengers and Republicans alike, despite the districts encompassing New Orleans and Albuquerque, each states largest city, respectively.

In Virginia, former establishment Gov. Terry McAuliffesailedthrough his Democratic primary in June, winning over 60% of the vote across the five-candidate field.

The wins come less than a year after President Joe Biden defeated more liberal opponents in the Democratic primaries, ultimately winning Novembers election with a constituencydisproportionately relianton married men and veteran households both moderate to conservative groups as well as progressive voters.

Many moderate Democrats in Congress attributed Republicansunexpected gainsin the House tounpopular progressive policiesthat mobilized swing constituencies in competitive districts.

We almost lost races we shouldnt have lost. Defund the police almost cost me my race because of an attack ad. Dont ever say socialism ever again, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, whose district extends rural and exurban Virginia to Richmond, the state capital,reportedly saidin November. If we run this race again we will get fucking torn apart again in 2022.

Some progressives already holding citywide offices have faced pushback as well, especially in cities facing rising crime. Progressive district attorneys in both San Francisco and Los Angeles are facing recall efforts, joined by none other than California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom over a dozen Republicans arevying to unseatdespite the state being one of the most liberal in the country.

California voters last November alsorejectedan effort to reinstate affirmative action, shooting down Proposition 16 by over 10 points as it voted for Biden by nearly 30. Voters in Washington, another liberal state, opted torepeal four separate tax increasesas Biden beat former President Donald Trump by 20.

Progressives have not come up short in every recent election. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman all ousted high-profile, veteran moderates in 2018 and 2020. In May, Philadelphias progressive district attorney, Larry Krasner,cruised to all but certain reelectionafter beating his police-backed challenger, while across the state in Pittsburgh progressive state Rep. Ed Gainey ousted Bill Peduto, the citys incumbent Democratic mayor.

Late last month, self-described socialist India Waltonousted incumbent Mayor Byron Brown, though Brown did not help himself by continuously discounting her campaign andrefusingto debate her in the weeks before the election.

Adams ultimately credited his win in Americas largest city not to his refusal to adopt sweeping points like defund the police or Medicare-for-All, but to his on-the-ground, kitchen table campaign that ultimately secured votes from progressives, moderates and conservatives alike.

Social media does not pick a candidate, Adams said after the election kicked off on June 22. People on social security pick a candidate. I dont care about what people tweet. I care about the people I meet on the street.

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Eric Adams Shows Yet Again That Progressives Dominate The Dialogue, Only To Lose Elections - The Free Press