Selected Ann Arbor and Detroit Community
Reads, 2004
"Why Are All the
Black Kids Sitting Together in
the
Cafeteria?"
And
Other
Conversations
About
Race
By Beverly
Daniel
Tatum,
Ph.D.
Featuring
a new
epilogue
by the
author
and a
group
discusion
guide
Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will
see Black youth seated together in the cafeteria. Of course,
it's not just the Black kids sitting together-the White,
Latino, Asian Pacific, and in some regions, American Indian
youth, are clustered in their own groups, too. The same
phenomenon can be observed in college dining halls, faculty
lounges, and in corporate cafeterias. What is going on
here? Is this self-segregation a problem we should try
to fix, or a coping strategy we should support? How can
we get past our reluctance to talk about racial issues
to even discuss it? And what about the other questions
we and our children have about race?
In "WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER
IN THE CAFETERIA?" (January
15, 2003, Basic Books), Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology
of racism, asserts that we do not know how to talk about our racial differences:
Whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as "racist," while
parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities
too soon. Using real-life examples and the latest research, Tatum presents strong
evidence that straight talk about our racial identities-whatever they may be-is
essential if we are serious about facilitating communication across racial and
ethnic divides. We have waited far too long to begin our conversations about
race. This remarkable book, infused with wisdom and humanity, tells us where
to start.
Praise
for "WHY
ARE ALL
THE BLACK
KIDS
SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA?"
- "A
commonsense
manual
on understanding
some
of the
social
dynamics
at work
in society." -Milwaukee
Journal
Sentinel
- "A
comprehensive
recipe
for how
one can
become
an 'anti-racist.'"-Build
- "A
remarkably
jargon-free
book
that
is as
rigorously
analytical
as it
is refreshingly
practical
and drives
its points
home
with
a range
of telling
anecdotes."-Kirkus
Reviews
- "WHY
ARE
ALL
THE
BLACK
KIDS
SITTING
TOGETHER
IN
THE
CAFETERIA?" is
an
unusually
sensitive
work
about
the
racial
barriers
that
still
divide
us
in
so
many
areas
of
life.
This
is
a
valuable
book
by
a
fine
psychologist
who
knows
how
to
listen
to
young
people."-Jonathan
Kozol,
author
of Amazing
Grace
- "Beverly
Daniel
Tatum
shows
great
depth
and sensitivity
in this
thoughtfully
enlightened
book
about
the subtleties
of racial
interactions
in America."-Alvin
F. Poussaint,
M.D.,
Harvard
Medical
School
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: BEVERLY
DANIEL
TATUM,
Ph.D.,
is President
of Spelman
College.
Prior
to her
appointment
at Spelman
she was
Acting
President
and Dean,
as well
as Professor
of Psychology
and Education,
at Mount
Holyoke
College.
An expert
on race
relations
in the
classroom
and the
development
of racial
identity,
Dr. Tatum
participated
in President
Clinton's "Dialogue
on Race," lectures
extensively
throughout
the country,
and conducts
numerous
workshops
with
students,
educators,
and parents.
She lives
in Atlanta,
Georgia.
"WHY
ARE ALL THE
BLACK KIDS
SITTING TOGETHER
IN THE CAFETERIA?"
And Other
Conversations
About Race
By Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.
Published by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books group
Publication Date: January 15, 2003
ISBN: 0-465-08361-7 294 pages/ $15.95 U.S./ $24.95 Canada
Radio Satellite tour/Events in Atlanta, NYC and Washington, DC
www.basicbooks.com
