Being White Today: A Roadmap for a Positive Antiracist Life

The idea that White people are under attack has permeated political discourse in recent elections. The election of 2024 will be no different. Being White Today: A Roadmap for a Positive Antiracist Life helps White people navigate the myriad messages they encounter about race. The book applies the White racial identity framework developed by psychologist Dr. Janet Helms to take a strong stance against racism. Using fictionalized scenarios and case studies, it offers a way to resist extremist messaging and recruitment. A helpful resource for White people who care about US society, in particular, White parents, educators, activists, and racial/social justice practitioners, this book also helps people understand antiracist messaging and how to use it strategically to create a larger community of White antiracists.

Shelly Tochluk is a professor at Mount Saint Mary’s University-Los Angeles. She is the author of Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It and Living in the Tension: The Quest for a Spiritualized Racial Justice. Free, downloadable workshop agendas and handouts aligned with each book are available at ShellyTochluk.com. Shelly volunteers with AWARE-LA (Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere-Los Angeles). For over a decade, she has co-produced AWARE-LA’s 4-day summer institute titled, Unmasking Whiteness, which leads white people into a deeper understanding of their personal relationship to race, white privilege, and systemic racism.

Christine Saxman founded Saxman Consulting in the spring of 2020 where she provides racial and social justice training, facilitation, and coaching for educational, corporate, not-for-profit, and government organizations. She is a co-author of Western State Center’s toolkit, Confronting Conspiracy Theories and Organized Bigotry at Home: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers. She also works on staff for the National SEED Project (Seeking Education Equity and Diversity). Prior to spending two years as an equity transformation specialist at Courageous Conversations About Race, Christine was an educator and equity leader at a suburban school district in Illinois. In 2016, she received recognition as an Illinois Golden Apple Finalist and Teacher of Distinction.