48 pages • 1 hour read
Beverly Daniel TatumWhy Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “A Definition of Terms”
Chapter 1 Summary: “Defining Racism”
From early childhood, we receive distorted and incomplete information about people who are different from us. We learn stereotypes from images in the media, we hear ethnic jokes from our family and friends, and at school we don’t learn as much about the accomplishments of people of color. This misinformation lays the foundation for prejudice, or the preconceived notions we have about other people. Living in a racist society is like living in a smoggy city—we all inevitably breathe the smog in. That is to say, we are all inevitably prejudiced. Although it is not our fault that we are prejudiced, we are responsible for doing something about it. By examining our own prejudices, reflecting carefully on what we say and do, and educating ourselves about marginalized groups of people, we can ensure that our children don’t inherit our polluted air.
In Tatum’s view, racism is not merely the expression of prejudice, but a “system of advantage based on race” (87). There are systematic advantages for White people in the United States, and systematic disadvantages for people of color. White privilege means being able to apply for jobs and housing without having to worry about experiencing racial discrimination. White people can speak or act however they please without it being labelled as a “White” behavior or viewpoint. Whether they are aware of it or not, racism gives White people a number of advantages in life, and that idea often causes them discomfort. It is far more comfortable to believe that racism is simply about individual prejudice, but acknowledging the existence of systemic racism is necessary to stop it from being perpetuated.
Tatum clarifies that viewing racism in this way does not mean that all Whites are bad people, nor does it mean that people of color are never bigoted. But it does mean that, in a White-dominated society, White people are the only ones who systematically benefit from racism. Overtly racist behavior—such as the image of a cross-burning Ku Klux Klan member—is known as active racism. Passive racism is less obvious, but takes place when someone laughs at a racist joke, or when someone accepts the exclusion of people of color from school curricula. Both of them serve to perpetuate the cycle of racism, which Tatum compares this to the moving walkways at an airport. The active racist is walking quickly down the walkway while the passive racist is standing still, but the conveyor belt moves them both to the same destination. It is only by being actively antiracist—by turning around and walking quickly in the opposite direction on the conveyor belt—that the cycle of racism can be interrupted. Racism is not “a thing of the past” (83), as one of Tatum’s students believed. It remains very much present, and it is harmful for both people of color as well as White people.
Chapter 2 Summary: “The Complexity of Identity”
Our identities are shaped by social, cultural, and historical factors. Identity formation is a process that begins in adolescence and continues throughout the rest of a person’s life. To a large extent, how we view ourselves is dependent on how others see us—they are “the mirror in which we see ourselves” (99). Tatum has carried out a classroom exercise in which she asks her students to make a list of descriptors about themselves. Many of her students of color identify as their race or ethnicity, while her White students rarely bring up being White. Her female students often identify as female, but her male students rarely mention their gender. The same pattern applies when it comes to religion and sexual orientation. When a person is a member of a dominant social group, that facet of their identity is taken for granted because it is what the dominant culture views to be normal.
The elements of our identity that are more salient to us are those that other people view as abnormal. As a child, Tatum was the only Black student in her class. She became aware as she grew up that her race marked her as an “other.” People can also be “others” on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and other dimensions, and each of these has a corresponding form of oppression—sexism, heterosexism, classism, and so forth. Many of us are simultaneously members of dominant and targeted groups, but it is the latter that we tend to focus on. Although this book focuses on race and racism, Tatum recommends that readers try to draw on their own experiences of being in dominant and subordinate groups. A White person with a disability may not understand easily what it is like to be targeted by racism, but they could think about their experiences with ableism. An able-bodied Black person could similarly reflect on the advantages they overlook.
Dominant groups hold more power in society. While subordinate groups are virtually forced to learn about and adapt to the dominant culture, the dominant group is often ignorant about the experiences of the subordinates. The dominant group is seen as the norm and they have a ubiquitous presence in movies, books, and newspapers. The subordinate group, on the other hand, is often labeled inferior and they tend to be represented in the media as mere stereotypes. Members of the subordinate group may not respond to oppression as a way to protect themselves. Some may reject the world of the dominant group and refuse to adapt to it, and some may internalize the images and messages which portray the dominant group as superior to the subordinate group, potentially leading to self-hate. No matter what strategies they may use, living in an oppressive system takes its toll.
Part 1 Analysis
Tatum’s definition of racism goes against what many White people have spent their lives believing. When they think of racism, they tend to think of people who are overtly bigoted—people who commit hate crimes, who use racial slurs, or who believe that Whites are genetically superior. Many White people look down on such behaviors, and they may become angry when stories of bigotry make the news. Meanwhile, the subtler, more pervasive systemic racism continues to operate without them taking as much notice. This means they have a hard time seeing how they are privileged due to their race, and they have a hard time accepting it because it goes against the narrative that the US is a meritocracy in which everyone has equal opportunities in life. The idea that they have spent their lives being complicit in oppression is a profoundly uncomfortable one.
There are most likely some readers who will be reluctant to accept that they benefit from racism, and there are likewise some who are probably skeptical of Tatum’s claim that everyone is prejudiced. These claims can easily feel like personal attacks. Tatum is therefore careful to clarify that not all White people are hateful bigots, nor is it our fault that we all have prejudices. The important thing is what we do about it going forward. Her goal is not to assign blame, but to encourage readers to reflect more carefully on their own beliefs, assumptions, words, and actions. As uncomfortable as these truths may be, confronting them is a necessary step to interrupting racism.
Tatum uses several analogies in these chapters to illustrate how prejudice and racism function in society. She compares prejudice to a “smog” that saturates the air to show how all members of society have inevitably acquired prejudices. We may not want to believe that we have breathed it in, but it is unavoidable when it is all around us. To show how active and passive racism both lead to the preservation of the current social order, Tatum gives the example of two people on a moving walkway. One is walking and the other standing still, but the end result is the same.
She also draws on a number of anecdotes from her classroom and her own experiences. Instead of just stating that some White people are oblivious to the continued presence of racism, she illustrates it with a story about a White student who believed that it didn’t exist anymore. Instead of just claiming that people identify more strongly with the subordinate groups they are a member of, she demonstrates it through the classroom activity she has done with her students. By telling these stories, Tatum grounds her arguments in evidence from her everyday interactions and experiences.
