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42 Section 3 Advancing a White Discourse: A Response to Scheurich Christine E. Sleeter The dif¤culty I experienced writing a response to Scheurich illustrates the accuracy with which he has named a problem: There is very little discourse among whites about white racism, although some very helpful works do exist (e.g., Avis, 1988; Dyer, 1988; McIntosh, 1992; Terry, 1992; Van Dijk, 1993; Wellman, 1977). Rather than taking issue with Scheurich—I believe his argument is correct and very well stated—I will attempt to add to a white discourse about white racism. First, I will identify several initial reactions I had to Scheurich’s article that sidestep his challenge, which other white readers may experience. One reaction I had was to shake my head in agreement: Scheurich said it all; there is nothing I can add. In addition, some readers may also experience selfrighteousness for being moved by the article, or guilt for being white. But to applaud his article and experience emotion while reading it, but then to add nothing (and return to what one was doing before reading it), is to avoid the development of a discourse among whites about racism. Scheurich wants us to dialogue, not simply nod our heads. Another reaction I had was to intellectualize. After all, this is a research journal , and response articles are usually critiques, so I should pick apart Scheurich’s argument, question his references, or ask for his data. By “intellectualize,” I mean to distance myself from my own participation in a racist system, using scholarly words, quotations, and citations to assert my authority as an “objective,” detached expert in an area of study. I could also intellectualize by instructing white readers what to do about racism, again assuming the role of detached expert (and “good” white). Intellectual work that critiques our own racism and informs anti-racist action is helpful; displays of intellectual prowess are not. Still another reaction was to re¶ect on the fact that I was probably invited to write this essay (as well as others I have written, I suspect) because of my whiteness, and to consider declining the opportunity to prepare this response, suggesting that it should be given to a person of color. It is true that my own successes have been due partially to privileges connected with my race and social class membership. White privilege in accessing the academic spotlight is no more glaringly revealed Advancing a White Discourse 43 than in an essay about white racism in a prestigious journal. Indeed, learning to share the spotlight or step aside altogether is one of the things whites need to work on. But whites are not spectators of racism; we are participants, and I cannot help to reconstruct white racism if I do not participate. There de¤nitely are times to step aside, but this is not one of them. Why Evade a White Discourse on White Racism? Whites evade a discourse on white racism to protect our own interests. For at least 500 years, Europeans and their descendants have taken huge amounts of land, wealth, labor, and other resources from peoples of color around the world. With the exceptions of small, sporadic attempts at restitution, such as that offered belatedly to Japanese-American concentration camp survivors, white Americans have never returned or repaid what we have taken. Historically, Europeans and EuroAmericans openly justi¤ed appropriation of other people’s land and labor in terms of presumed European cultural, intellectual, and moral superiority. Today, many of our policies and everyday actions continue the pattern of taking from others, but instead of openly justifying, we evade discussion altogether. We do so because we do not want to give up the lifestyle, privileges, and resources that we control and that are built on those our ancestors took from others. The very locations on which our homes rest should rightfully belong to Indian nations ; very few white people want to admit that, because to do so suggests that perhaps we should return the land we now occupy. Some of us are from families whose wealth was generated partly by slave labor; even if our own familial ancestors did not own slaves or exploit Mexican or Asian laborers, they still did have access to jobs, education, and other opportunities from which whites barred people of color. To open up a discussion of white racism challenges the legitimacy of white peoples’ very lives. But I believe that doing so may have the potential of developing among...

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