Raising Our Hands
How White Women Can Stop Avoiding Hard Conversations, Start Accepting Responsibility, and Find Our Place on the New Frontlines
by Jenna Arnold
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Pub Date Jun 23 2020 | Archive Date Mar 01 2022
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Description
White women are one of the most influential demographics in America—we are the largest voting bloc, with purchasing power that exceeds anybody else’s, and when we unify to demand change, we are a force to be reckoned with.
Yet, so many of us sit idly on the sidelines, opting out of raising our hands to do, learn, and engage in ways that could make a difference. Why?
White American women are no monolith. Yet, as Women’s March national organizer Jenna Arnold has learned over the past few years criss-crossing the US in conversations with white women about their identity and role in the country, we do possess common characteristics—ones that get in the way of us becoming more engaged as citizens. We're so focused on checking off our to-do lists, or so afraid of getting it wrong, or so busy trying to avoid conflict, that we are actively avoiding the urgent conversations we need to have.
We are confused about how we got here and unsure how to do better.
Raising Our Hands is the reckoning cry for white women. It asks us to step up and join the new frontlines of the fight against complacency—in our homes, in our behaviors, and in our own minds.
Consider Raising Our Hands your starting place, your “Intro to Being a White Woman in Today’s World” freshman-year class. In these pages, Jenna peels back the history that’s been kept out of textbooks and the cultural norms that are holding us back, so we can finally start really listening to marginalized voices and doing our part to promote progress.
The American white woman is a powerful force—an essential participant—to mobilize alongside the rest of humanity on behalf of the world, and we can no longer make excuses for why we don’t have time or don’t know enough. Raising Our Hands provides the tools we need to be the full, productive participant the world has been waiting for.
Advance Praise
"Jenna has uplifted marginalized voices embodying a crucial sentiment of Malcolm X’s: it is white people’s responsibility to bring other well-intended white people to the social justice work of our time. Raising Our Hands is the urgent answer to our request." —Angela Rye, CNN correspondent and political analyst
"To my allies we ask for the clarity and compassion that Raising Our Hands offers. It takes you into a history that gives you the space to reflect and unpack judgements, separation and the below-the-surface hate that divides us. This book and books like this bring us to a space of collective healing so we can see how deeply dependent and connected we truly are. I applaud Jenna’s delivery of a work whose time has come." —Erica Ford, social justice activist and mediator/cofounder of the National Black and Brown Gun Violence Prevention Consortium
"The wisdom in these pages will help you see the world, and your role in it, through a powerful new lens. If you want to raise your hand and step up to the frontline, this book will firmly point you in the direction of how." —Sophia Bush, actress and activist
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781950665075 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 250 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Amanda S, Educator
From one white woman to another/others: Every white woman needs to read this book, even if it is only to increase your self-awareness.
I cannot speak for everyone, but I know that I want to be a better ally to those who need it. To do this, I am committed to ongoing education and personal growth on the topics of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc…which leads to reading as many books as I can on these topics. I have had a lot of really uncomfortable conversations with myself in doing this, while examining biases and googling things I am/was admittedly ignorant about. This book is hands down one of the most powerful resources I have come across to date.
I need to say it again: This book is powerful. The author breaks down a range of topics in simple and very thoughtful terms. She carefully points out that we do not have time to wait – we need to stand up now, confront our privilege and biases to transform ourselves into the allies we need to be. This is a battle of the species and we should all be on the same team: the one committed to dismantling oppressive systems.
While the organization of the book does seem scatterbrained at times, I do like that it is written as more of a personal conversation than an academic lecture. As someone who works on a rural campus where these issues come up regularly, I have witnessed how difficult it is for people to examine themselves; impossible if you are lecturing at them. If you need proof, read any comment section on social media right now. Maybe this approach won't cause them to slam the book closed and throw it before even reaching Chapter 2.
I guess it is worth noting that this is the perspective I am looking at it from: using it on a college campus. So in that regard, whether you are just starting your self-work in these areas or you have been speaking up/out for years, this book can provide useful background/insight and tips for pushing forward.
Jessica S, Librarian
wow, this book is exactly what I was looking for at this exact moment in time. Arnold carefully thread the needle with so many complex subjects and scratched the surface with each just enough that I have the context I now need to keep going. If you're wondering where to start-start here.
JJ K, Educator
Given the complexity of the ever evolving conversations around white women's role in the country, this clarified so much about what has historically kept them on the sidelines for centuries - and, most importantly, how they can change their behavior now to engage differently. I do think this book's time has come and it couldn't have arrived quick enough.
Though a touch long, I will be adding this to the syllabus this year.
Sherna L, Bookseller
I found the add'l anecdotes about this book very helpful - easy to skip over if I wasn't interested, but very useful in the cases that I was. This author spend a lot of time diving into the nuances of so much that we don't often discuss in the US and it's about time we start having the conversation. I am ordering for our store and encouraging others to do the same.
Mary S, Bookseller
I couldn't put this down and was surprised by how much I could relate to in the pages of this book even though my life experience is relatively different than the Author's. This is a really important read for anyone looking to understand their the complexities of the country, even if they're not a white women - and if they are - this should be mandatory.
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