Structural racism has impacted the lives of African Americans in the United States since before the country’s founding. Although the country has made some progress towards a more equal society, political developments in the 21st century have shown that deep divides remain. The persistence of inequality is an indicator of the stubborn resilience of the institutions that maintain white supremacy.
To bridge our divides, renowned political scientist Terri Givens calls for ‘radical empathy’ - moving beyond an understanding of others’ lives and pain to understand the origins of our biases, including internalized oppression.
Deftly weaving together her own experiences with the political, she offers practical steps to call out racism and bring about radical social change.
Prologue: Writing in a Time of Crisis
Bridging Divides: From Racism to Empathy in the 21st Century
Getting to Radical Empathy
My Family’s Story: The Isolation of Internalized Oppression
Racism and Health Disparities
Finding Empathy in the Academy
Love and Marriage
Radical Empathy in Leadership: Creating Change
Creating Change: Restorative Justice and Working Off the Past
Revisiting the Path to Radical Empathy
Epilogue: In the Aftermath of the U.S. Presidential Election
Weaves together the personal and the political from a black woman scholar with expertise in global racism Lived experience brings alive the political issues and will engage a wider audience beyond the scholarly to bring about social change and challenge racism though practical steps
Uses storytelling (biography) and concrete examples to encourage broader review coverage and wide engagement beyond academia
Terri Givens currently resides in Menlo Park, California, but will be moving to Montreal, Canada in January 2022