Race Manners: Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americas - Softcover

Jacobs, Bruce A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559705051 ISBN 13: 9781559705059

Publisher: Arcade Publishing, 2000

Synopsis

On a crowded bus, a solitary black man seethes while boarding passengers take every seat except the one next to his; in a cafeteria, whites wonder why blacks congregate at the same table every day; in front of a store, a white woman clutches her purse when a black man passes nearby. Each scenario suggests that how we act toward and react to each other on a day-to-day basis stems from racial assumptions, misunderstandings, and biases. Some we acknowledge, others we are blind to. Talking about race relations in America is never easy. Bruce A. Jacobs has written a book that shows us how we can beginnot with lofty abstractions or policy arguments, but with practicality and directness. Over the past six years, Jacobs, an indefatigable promoter, has traveled the country, learning and listening as people react to his book and add their own comments. The result is a completely revised work, bringing this increasingly important subject up to date, and to a much larger audience.

About this title

About the Author:

AUTHORBIO: Bruce A. Jacobs's work has appeared in American Writing, the African-American Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, and many other publications. He frequently speaks at universities and in communities across the country. A graduate of Harvard University, he lives in Maryland.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

A DISCUSSION GUIDE TO RACE MANNERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Why a Guide?

"Do you have questions our book group can use in discussing Race Manners?" "Do you have anything I can use to help guide discussion of Race Manners among my students?"

In my travels since the release of Race Manners and now the second edition, Race Manners for the 21st Century, readers and teachers have asked these questions many times.

Often I simply typed up questions and guidelines for group discussions and emailed them to those who asked for them. Then one day at a reading, an audience member asked, "Wouldn't it be a good idea if you wrote a discussion guide so that anyone who wants it can use it?"

He was right, so here it is.

The purpose of this guide is to spur people to think and talk more openly about the ideas raised in Race Manners. Most of us need help with this. We have learned to skirt racial topics in order to avoid the aggravation of yet another pointless argument, to dodge the potential shame of looking or sounding bigoted, and to do our best to push everyday racial stress out of our lives in a world already full of worries and anger.

We need a way to reclaim truth-telling.

The questions in this guide will help you do that in your book group, your classroom, or your own reading and thinking about the issues that Race Manners raises.

"The Rules of Engagement" on the next page will give you suggestions for getting the most out of these conversations. It's not always going to be easy. Stay with it. After all, if we who are willing to sit down together don't follow through on this vital interchange, who will?

Bruce A. Jacobs
January 2008

About this edition

• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1559705051
• ISBN 13: 9781559705059
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208