Summary

The author begins the chapter with an anecdote about how she unwittingly acted in a racist way with a Black colleague and how she repaired the relationship. She believes that she wouldn't have been able to do if she had been operating from the dominant racial paradigm rather than the transformed paradigm. In this paradigm, our feelings might be guilt but also gratitude and other positive emotions from receiving feedback, and our responses might be apologies and reflection, for example, rather than defensiveness. The claims whites can make in response can also be related to being thankful for receiving feedback rather than about feeling hurt or defensive. The author lists several claims whites can make in response to honest feedback. The author presents a list of assumptions that would make it easier for whites to make fairer policies and create a fairer environment, including...