Giving Up Whiteness

One Man's Journey

By: Jeff James

Narrated by: Micah Howery

Jeff James was one of the good White guys. At least, that's what he thought. But when he asked a Black friend how to become an antiracist, he had to think again. "Simple," she shot back, "get rid of Whiteness."

Thus began his journey to discover, name, and dismantle the racial category that had defined and advantaged him for a lifetime. In Giving Up Whiteness, James leads listeners on an intimate, humble, and disorienting investigation of what it means to be White in 21st-century America.

He begins to wonder what forces shape his own and other White people's choices: about where to live, who to marry, and what church to join. With a blend of honest storytelling and incisive critique, James guides listeners through the questions he encountered: What privileges accrue to people categorized as White? How have some Christians bolstered White supremacy through misreading of Scripture? How does Whiteness make itself invisible? And is it possible to give it up?

The things we can't see wield the most power, so it's time to take a hard look at Whiteness. Ultimately, James writes, White people like him have a lot of work to do, and it's past time to get started.

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