The Untold Story: Beyond The Whiteness Of Whiteness

Once upon a time, the world was deemed to be black and white. Skin color was considered the ultimate differentiator, affecting opportunities, privileges, and life experiences. However, beneath the surface of this seemingly simplistic dichotomy lies a complex web of historical, societal, and cultural factors that contribute to the whiteness of whiteness.

Peeling Back the Layers

Whiteness is often associated with privilege, power, and dominance. It's commonly viewed as the cultural norm, while other skin colors are treated as deviations. But what lies beyond this facade? What hidden stories can be uncovered by delving deeper into the concept of whiteness?

The term "whiteness" goes beyond the color of one's skin; it encompasses a set of social, economic, and political advantages that white individuals enjoy in many societies. These advantages can be traced back to centuries of colonization, slavery, and systematic oppression of non-white communities.

Beyond The Whiteness of Whiteness: Memoir of a White Mother of Black Sons

by Jane Lazarre (Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	420 KB
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Screen Reader	:	Supported
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Print length	:	166 pages

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However, the narrative of whiteness is not as monolithic as it may seem at first glance. It varies across regions, historical periods, and cultural contexts. Exploring this diversity sheds light on the intricacies of privilege and how it intertwines with different aspects of identity and power structures.

The Historical Roots

To truly understand the complexities of whiteness, it’s essential to examine its historical foundations. The emergence of the concept can be traced back to colonialism and the need for a justification of European rule over non-white populations.

During the age of exploration and conquest, European countries sought to expand their territories and exploit the resources of indigenous lands. To maintain control, they created an ideology that classified white Europeans as superior and entitled, while labeling non-white populations as inferior and subservient.

By deeming whiteness as the benchmark of superiority, colonial powers sought to justify their oppressive actions and perpetuate a system that favored white privilege. These ideas laid the groundwork for the construction of racial hierarchies that persist in various forms across the globe today.

Unraveling Cultural Whiteness

In addition to its historical implications, whiteness carries significant cultural weight. It shapes societal norms, influences media representations, and determines beauty standards. These cultural dimensions of whiteness contribute to the perpetuation of stereotypes and biases.

For example, the concept of "white beauty" has been widely perpetuated across the fashion and cosmetics industry. Eurocentric features and light skin often dominate beauty standards, marginalizing individuals with darker complexions and non-European facial features.

Unveiling these cultural biases is crucial in dismantling the systemic privileges associated with whiteness. It requires recognizing the inherent value in all skin colors, challenging established norms, and amplifying the voices and experiences of marginalized communities.

Moving Beyond Whiteness

Understanding the nuances of whiteness is a crucial step towards achieving a more equitable and inclusive society. It involves challenging our preconceived notions, biases, and privileges that stem from centuries of systemic oppression.

Embracing diversity and promoting inclusivity means actively dismantling the structures that uphold white privilege. It requires acknowledging the unique experiences and perspectives of individuals from all backgrounds, and actively working towards creating a more equitable society.

So, let us peel back the layers, unveiling the true complexity of whiteness. By doing so, we can break free from the confines of this artificial construct and move towards a future where every individual is valued based on their character and contributions, not the color of their skin.

Beyond The Whiteness of Whiteness: Memoir of a White Mother of Black Sons

by Jane Lazarre (Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	420 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	166 pages

FREE

“I am Black,” Jane Lazarre’s son tells her. “I have a Jewish mother, but I am not ‘biracial.’ That term is meaningless to me.” She understands, she says—but he tells her, gently, that he doesn’t think so, that she can’t understand this completely because she is white. Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness is Jane Lazarre’s memoir of coming to terms with this painful truth, of learning to look into the nature of whiteness in a way that passionately informs the connections between herself and her family. A moving account of life in a biracial family, this book is a powerful meditation on motherhood and racism in America, the story of an education into the realities of African American culture.
Lazarre has spent over twenty-five years living in a Black American family, married to an African American man, birthing and raising two sons. A teacher of African American literature, she has been influenced by an autobiographical tradition that is characterized by a speaking out against racism and a grounding of that expression in one’s own experience—an overlapping of the stories of one’s own life and the world. Like the stories of that tradition, Lazarre’s is a recovery of memories that come together in this book with a new sense of meaning. From a crucial moment in which consciousness is transformed, to recalling and accepting the nature and realities of whiteness, each step describes an aspect of her internal and intellectual journey. Recalling events that opened her eyes to her sons’ and husband’s experience as Black Americans—an operation, turned into a horrific nightmare by a doctor’s unconscious racism or the jarring truths brought home by a visit to an exhibit on slavery at the Richmond Museum of the Confederacy—or her own revealing missteps, Lazarre describes a movement from silence to voice, to a commitment to action, and to an appreciation of the value of a fluid, even ambiguous, identity. It is a coming of age that permits a final retelling of family history and family reunion.
With her skill as a novelist and her experience as a teacher, Jane Lazarre has crafted a narrative as compelling as it is telling. It eloquently describes the author’s delight at being accepted into her husband’s family and attests to the power of motherhood. And as personal as this story is, it is a remarkably incisive account of how perceptions of racial difference lie at the heart of the history and culture of America.