Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad is a New York Times bestselling nonfiction book and workbook published in 2020. Structured around a 28-day antiracism journaling challenge, white readers and participants critically examine their own personal complicity in upholding white supremacy.

Stemming from author Saad’s viral challenge on Instagram— #MeAndWhiteSupremacy—over the course of four weeks, Me and White Supremacy breaks open white supremacy as an ideology and personal benefit for people with white privilege. This challenge is bookended by an introduction to antiracist work and education as well as a final chapter about how to continue antiracist education after the 28-day challenge is over. Saad uses evidence from her personal experience civil rights leaders and scholars including Audre Lorde, Martin Luther King Jr., Toni Morrison, and others; as well as research to make her arguments. Touching on aspects of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the United States and beyond, Saad highlights her lived experience as a Black Muslim woman born in Britain as a way to personalize the oppressive nature of white supremacy worldwide.

Summary

The first week of the challenge is focused on what Saad calls “the basics,” namely defining and breaking down whiteness, power, and how white supremacy has become foundational for many, if not all, modern institutions, organizations, and communities. Each day, Saad highlights a particular aspect of white supremacy (white privilege, white fragility, tone policing, white silence, white superiority, and white exceptionalism), giving a short explanation of the term, from where its roots can be traced, how it may manifest, why it matters, and ending with journaling prompts aimed at introspection, critical thinking, and reflection. By establishing that white supremacy is a tangled and interconnected part of all lives while only benefitting those with white privilege, Saad’s prompts are meant to demonstrate to the reader how they personally benefit from white supremacy.

The second week of Saad’s challenge delves deeper, moving into confronting racial color blindness, anti-Blackness, racial stereotypes, and cultural appropriation. After warning readers/participants that this week is particularly emotionally heavy, she clarifies she will be asking those with white privilege to separately consider anti-Blackness from racist stereotypes given the distinct nature of racism against those who are Black in white-dominated cultures. Building from the foundations in Week 1, Week 2 asks the participant to reflect how they have internalized anti-Blackness and racist stereotypes, as well as admitting how they have profited or benefitted from culturally appropriative practices.

Moving into the third week, Saad asks the reader/participant to focus on how they show up as an ally to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Rather than viewing “allyship” as an identity for white people, she emphasizes allyship is a lifelong practice where the work is constant, mistakes will be made, and resilience is key. Saad breaks down what allyship really means and how it ought to look as she examines white apathy, white centering, tokenism, white saviorism, optical allyship, and being called out/in. Readers/participants are asked to consider each day how they have engaged in behaviors that may seem antiracist but yet still center whiteness and white fragility rather than BIPOC’s integrity, dignity, and liberation.

During the final week, Saad moves to discussing the participant’s future as an antiracist ally beyond the final day of the challenge. She asks participants to consider how their relationships, proximities to power, and commitment to the work can translate into direct action. Journal entries for this week shine a light on commitments the participant wishes to make in the future, how they will deal with setbacks and mistakes, as well as how they can negotiate risk and confront white supremacy and racist ideology when they see it.

In addition to the 28-day challenge, Saad also shares tips and tricks to stay accountable, including finding an antiracism accountability buddy, checking in and re-examining one’s own journal entries after the challenge is over, and organizing a Me and White Supremacy group (for which she gives a robust and comprehensive set of instructions).