A scholarly reconsideration of racism.

Given that racism is such a persistent and ubiquitous issue in the U.S., any treatment of it could be considered timely, but this book is especially so since it compels the reader to fundamentally rethink the terms of the contentious debate. In her first book, Poulton, a career academic and teacher with a background studying diversity, argues that the accusation of racism is too easily dispensed. In fact, what most might consider racism is really an instance of racial bias or an unexamined prejudice thoughtlessly applied. So what is racism then? Poulton, who is black, defines it as a trinity of prejudice, power, and intent. In layman’s terms, racism is the intentional denigration of another race as inferior by a person in a position of some authority. According to the author, the conflation of racism with racial bias has stymied a more candid dialogue about race relations in the U.S, reducing opportunities for constructive discussion to a flurry of ad hominem attacks. And racial bias infects everyone to some degree; we all have our own unexamined presumptions. The author helpfully explains the often muddled concept of race itself and argues that a proper understanding of it requites it be placed in the context of class and gender as well. Overall, it’s a commendably sober contribution to a typically hotblooded issue. Combining rigorous empirical research with anecdotal observation, Poulton generally avoids needlessly hypertechnical language. The book also has a practical component: she provides readers with concrete methods for detecting and appraising one’s bias, essentially a blueprint for searching self-reflection. She applies her definition of racism to a myriad of popular topics. Were Paula Deen’s comments racist? How about Tyler, the Creator’s infamous Mountain Dew commercials? Her ultimate goal is to improve and moderate the quality of racial dialogue. “Bottom line: if someone disagrees with you or asks you to reconsider your beliefs, it should not be taken as a personal attack. We need to get to a place where our identities are not threatened whenever our ideologies are called into question.” This important book shows readers what such a lively but civil dialogue could look like.

An analysis of racism that not only explains it, but could contribute to its diminishment.

Ten years ago, leading educator, diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, and conflict mediator Dionne Wright Poulton, Ph.D. released her book, titled It’s Not Always Racist… but Sometimes It Is: Reshaping How We Think about Racism. The book, which takes a scholarly and nuanced look at the hot-button topic of racism and unconscious bias posits that not all incidents related to race should be considered instances of racism, and not all people who make comments about race are racists.

Dr. Poulton, founder of Poulton Consulting Group LLC, says that society tends to wrongfully label situations as “racism” or “racist”  – and that this misuse of language creates more conflict and confusion that may trivialize situations that are blatantly so. She also advocates and facilitates ongoing, open, and honest dialogue to resolve conflicts around race, with the aim to increase understanding and avoid haphazardly throwing accusations of racism that could damage our race relations as a society.

In the book, Dr. Poulton expands on the equation of Racism = Prejudice + Power, introduced by Patricia Bidol. She adds a third variable: Intent, resulting in a new equation of Racism = Prejudice + Power + Intent. This helps evaluate situations as they happen without jumping to immediate conclusions.

Dr. Poulton argues that intent is crucial in determining how we label situations and especially calling people “racist” since we all have the same brain, which means we all have the capacity to succumb to our unconscious biases that have been ingrained into us by society. Conflating racism with racial bias has prevented constructive dialogue about race relations in the US, which now often devolve into ad hominem attacks from all sides. She adds that no one – not even her – is immune to any bias. She explains, “At times our brains can make an involuntary response to situations at the subconscious level and can yield results that are at odds with our conscious thinking, beliefs, and values.” She also explains the often-muddled concept of race itself and calls for people to properly understand that the color of one’s skin does not pre-determine someone’s intelligence, value, and worthiness of respect, no matter the context.

The book also includes tips and language from Dr. Poulton on how to critically analyze situations that happen in everyday life and society, providing people the opportunity to insightfully break down each situation into its simplest form and to make sense of it.

A review by the esteemed book review magazine Kirkus says: “Overall, it’s a commendably sober contribution to a typically hotblooded issue. Combining rigorous empirical research with anecdotal observation, Poulton generally avoids needlessly hypertechnical language. The book also has a practical component: she provides readers with concrete methods for detecting and appraising one’s bias, essentially a blueprint for searching self-reflection.”

According to Dr. Poulton, as It’s Not Always Racist is now 10 years old, she is working on a follow-up book that re-examines the question of race in today’s radically altered social landscape. She analyzes if we have made progress even in spite of George Floyd’s murder, and with the rise in anti-semitic, anti-black, and anti-Asian hate.

“Since George Floyd’s murder, the conversations about race became deeper,” she says. “People became more willing to recognize and believe that some people in our society have radically different experiences just by being who they are and being born into a particular race. For example, despite my position and education, I was in a dollar store over the last holiday season, and the dollar store attendant started ‘subtly’ following me around the store. I knew she was expecting me to try and steal something. This exemplifies the inflammatory nature of race and how we make snap judgments about who people are, and what they are capable of, based on only one piece of their identity. When I lead discussions on racial harmony, I make reference to Carl Linnaeus a Biologist, Botanist, and Zoologist (known as the modern father of taxonomy), who unfortunately in 1735 stratified the races as he did with the animal kingdoms. Within his theorized hierarchy, he attributed key behaviors that are synonymous with each race. These stratified categories still inform how we perceive, approach, and interact with those who don’t look like us. Without a constant examination and self-reflection of one’s own beliefs and truths, coupled with intentional exposure to all types of people, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing and perpetuating the stereotypes that were presented as truth so many years ago.”

The social climate swings like a pendulum. Post-George Floyd was one extreme, and now, we’re on the other end. “There currently is a backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but something will happen that will cause the pendulum to swing the other way. I believe that it’s in the middle, by finding common ground, where finding our humanity will help us make the most progress. Despite people of different races looking different from each other, we all share 99.9% of our DNA. It’s time that we all acknowledge that fact and act like we’re family.”