Becoming and Unbecoming White: Owning and Disowning : A Radical Identity

The authors of the narrative chapters represented in this volume have in common that they are dedicated to the realization of a critical, multicultural, democratic society. Individually, they are female and male, from diverse ethnicities, socio-economic class backgrounds, first language groups, religious and spiritual affiliations, and sexual orientations. They are professors of education, psychology, sociology, and communication as well as community activists. The stories that they share reveal the history of racism in this country over a fifty year period beginning in the late 1930s and continuing into the early 1980s. The stories are most diverse, and share what it was like growing up White during and after Jim Crow segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and busing and integration. Thus, there is a history here of our country's racism yesterday and today. Inviting students to experience this history may encourage them to further explore its ongoing manifestations.

CHRISTINE CLARK is Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, New Mexico State University.

JAMES O’DONNELL is Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, New Mexico State University.