Selected Ann Arbor and Detroit Community Reads, 2004
"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"
And Other Conversations About Race
By Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.
Featuring a new epilogue by the author
and a group discusion guide
Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black youth seated together in the cafeteria. Of course, it's not just the Black kids sitting together-the White, Latino, Asian Pacific, and in some regions, American Indian youth, are clustered in their own groups, too. The same phenomenon can be observed in college dining halls, faculty lounges, and in corporate cafeterias. What is going on here? Is this self-segregation a problem we should try to fix, or a coping strategy we should support? How can we get past our reluctance to talk about racial issues to even discuss it? And what about the other questions we and our children have about race?
In "WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA?" (January 15, 2003, Basic Books), Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, asserts that we do not know how to talk about our racial differences: Whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as "racist," while parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities too soon. Using real-life examples and the latest research, Tatum presents strong evidence that straight talk about our racial identities-whatever they may be-is essential if we are serious about facilitating communication across racial and ethnic divides. We have waited far too long to begin our conversations about race. This remarkable book, infused with wisdom and humanity, tells us where to start.
Praise for "WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS
SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA?"
* "A commonsense manual on understanding some of the social dynamics at work in society." -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
* "A comprehensive recipe for how one can become an 'anti-racist.'"-Build
* "A remarkably jargon-free book that is as rigorously analytical as it is refreshingly practical and drives its points home with a range of telling anecdotes."-Kirkus Reviews
* "WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA?" is an unusually sensitive work about the racial barriers that still divide us in so many areas of life. This is a valuable book by a fine psychologist who knows how to listen to young people."-Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace
* "Beverly Daniel Tatum shows great depth and sensitivity in this thoughtfully enlightened book about the subtleties of racial interactions in America."-Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Harvard Medical School
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BEVERLY DANIEL TATUM, Ph.D., is President of Spelman College. Prior to her appointment at Spelman she was Acting President and Dean, as well as Professor of Psychology and Education, at Mount Holyoke College. An expert on race relations in the classroom and the development of racial identity, Dr. Tatum participated in President Clinton's "Dialogue on Race," lectures extensively throughout the country, and conducts numerous workshops with students, educators, and parents. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
"WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA?" And Other Conversations About Race
By Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.
Published by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books group
Publication Date: January 15, 2003
ISBN: 0-465-08361-7 294 pages/ $15.95 U.S./ $24.95 Canada
Radio Satellite tour/Events in Atlanta, NYC and Washington, DC
www.basicbooks.com
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Wednesday, August 3rd 2005 at 12:36PM
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