Black & White Discussion Starters

Below are questions that may assist you with engaging members of your book club in the important conversations spurred by topics from Black & White.

1.     Before you started reading Black & White, did you consider yourself an anti-racist ally? Has your concept of anti-racist allyship changed over the course of reading this book? If so, how?

2.     Consider the terms “white privilege” and “white advantage.” Do you find one preferable over the other? If so, why? What are some advantages that you have because of your social position, and how could you use those advantages to help move the dial on systemic racism?

3.     In the Prologue, the author discusses his “personal awakening” following the George Floyd murder in 2020. Have you experienced your own personal awakening on race? If so, what was the catalyst? If not, what is holding you back?

4.     The author mentions the fallout over a marquee that read All Lives Matter at a hardware store in his community, and his subsequent conversation with the store owner to try and understand his views and to educate him on his seemingly unconscious misstep. Can you think of any situations where you had the opportunity to say or do something constructive as an anti-racist ally? If you encountered a similar situation in the future, how might you approach it differently?

5.     In Chapter 2: Canada’s Mythology on Race, the author points out how much he learned about Canada’s racist history through his research for Black & White. What most surprised you in this chapter, and what part do you think systemic racism (the education system, the political system, etc.) had to play in the level of knowledge you brought to this chapter? What role did your own personal white advantage have to play in your knowledge on this subject?

6.     In Chapter 3: White Advantage, the author tells us he started the year 2020 having many conversations about race with white friends, and that “A recurring situation emerged when the topic of ‘white privilege’ was raised: people were defensive. Common refrains like ‘I’ve worked hard for everything I have’ and ‘I came from nothing and built my business from the ground up’ were enough to show me that we had a communication problem. Do any of these defense mechanisms sound familiar to you? In what situations have you heard them, and why are they problematic?

7.     In Chapter 4 (p. 87), the author describes what he calls his “unlearning,” specifically regarding what he thought he knew about Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The actions he took included seeking out “Indigenous histories that were being published by new historians and academics who had actually done the work of excavating the truth and debunking much of the propaganda we had all been spoon-fed in school.” Have you started your own unlearning process? If so, how have you approached it? If not, what might your own unlearning process look like?

8.     In Chapter 6: Law and Dis(order), the author states, “The call for ‘defunding the police’ has put many white people on edge. The prospect of fewer police, for a group that largely sees police as doing good, brings with it a fear of increased crime and the belief by some that their communities could be put at greater risk.” After reading this chapter, knowing that the rallying cry “defund the police” is really a cry for serious systemic reform of our policing institutions, what are your thoughts on how this message might be better communicated to those whose white advantage largely isolates them from unfair police practices? How might you explain reform to someone who isn’t convinced our policing institutions require it?

9.     In Chapter Seven, section 1: Health & Illness, the author tells us that the social determinants of health—“the non-medical factors in our lives that influence health outcomes” (such as education and income disparity, as well as prejudice and bias in the health-care system)—are responsible for up to 55 percent of those health outcomes. Consider the social determinants of health listed in this chapter. What are some changes you’d like to see in your own community that would improve health outcomes for racialized communities, and what role might you play?

10. In Chapter Eight, Québec Exceptionalism, the author, in discussing a trip to Paris, describes the city as “informally” segregated, both racially and economically. Is informal segregation a reality in your own community? If so, what are some of the consequences?

11. After reading Chapter Eight, how do you feel about Quebec’s Bill 21 (secular law) and Bill 9 (values test for immigrants)? Considering them as policies that aim to “protect” Quebec culture, as a monolith, what might be the short- and long-term consequences of such laws?

12. In Chapter Nine: I’m a Black Man in a White World, the author discusses his involvement in local politics. After a disturbing phone call with a voter, he says, “It showed me that even people with good intentions and progressive politics often fall back on what feels familiar and safe, rather than following through on their ideals and intentions.” How do you personally relate—or not—to this line? What does it say about white advantage?

Author Insights

I’ve been having hundreds of conversations with fellow citizens about my book and the important issues related to systemic racism and inequality. Below are some learnings I thought of value to share with you.

• Before we can move forward with solutions to eliminate systems racism and inequality, we all have to do the work to understand the past and the truth. Acknowledgment and increased awareness around the issues is critically important.
  

Glossary

SYSTEMIC RACISM: Systemic racism (also referred to as institutional racism) consists of biases embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization that may appear neutral but have the effect of privileging some groups and disadvantaging others.  This manifest itself in institutional culture, policies, directives, practices, or procedures that exclude, displace or marginalize some racialize groups or create unfair barriers for them to access valuable benefits and opportunities. (1)

WHITE ADVANTAGE: The inherent advantage (overt or hidden) afforded to white people in a society or organization due to systemic forms of racial inequality or injustice. (2)

(1) Ontario Ministry of Education / Wikipedia Almagated Definition

(2) Oxford Languages