I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Like many writers, Brown acknowledges the pervasive nature of Whiteness across American history and modern culture, from implicit biases in hiring practices to displays of outright White supremacy. Yet as Brown repeatedly emphasizes, Whiteness also centers itself in well-intentioned attempts to achieve racial justice and reconciliation for Black Americans. Brown first encounters this in high school, when Ms. Phillips publicly announces in Brown’s presence the implicit racism of her seating charts. Although Brown understands that Ms. Phillips’ heart is in the right place—and, in truth, that such White admissions of racism are extremely rare—her method of decrying racism serves to signal her own White virtue rather than respect the feelings of Black students: “While I was grateful that she’d had an epiphany, or at least wanted to be grateful, the revelation made me incredibly self-conscious” (43). Later, in college, Brown reflexively prioritizes White feelings in her attempts at raising awareness and building multiracial coalitions: “I worked as if white folks were at the center, the great hope, the linchpin, the key to racial justice and reconciliation [...] It’s amazing how white supremacy even invades programs aimed at seeking racial reconciliation” (60).

Brown continues to encounter this trend at every stage of her professional and spiritual development.