White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Author’s Note-Chapter 1

Reading Check

1. What are the two key ideas that provide the framework for DiAngelo’s text, as described in the Author’s Note?

2. Who coined the term “white fragility”?

3. What is one way DiAngelo suggests that white people can learn to see themselves “in racial terms”?

Short-Answer

Answer each of the following questions in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In 1-2 sentences, describe how DiAngelo defines “white fragility.”

2. What advice does DiAngelo give to white readers who may feel uncomfortable while reading White Fragility?

3. What group of people is DiAngelo speaking to in White Fragility, and why is it important?

Paired Resource

“How ‘white fragility’ reinforces racism”

• In this video from Guardian News, the author herself provides an overview of her concept “white fragility.”
• How does defensiveness contribute to white people’s tendency to resist talking about race? This connects to one of the book’s major themes of how Resistance to Thinking and Talking about Race Leads to Complicity in Systemic Racism.

Dr. Eddie Moore’s 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge

• DiAngelo recommends participating in Dr.