Martha R. Bireda Promise of Whiteness

Annotation

During this difficult time in our nation's history, with the focus on ';racial reckoning', it is crucial that Americans understand when and how our ';race-based hierarchy' came to be invented. The Promise of Whiteness: Its Past and Its Future explores the psycho-social impact of the promise of ';whiteness' upon the past and present-day race relations in the United States. The ';promise of whiteness'which includes the ';place', ';privilege' or advantages of whiteness, the ';power' bestowed by whiteness, and the ';protection' from punishment for violence toward blacksis examined. Crucial to the book's concept is a discussion of the psychological needs met by whiteness and the needs, fears, anxieties, and dissonance produced as well. Finally, the book questions if the ';promise of whiteness' is still viable in America as it has evolved into a multiracial society, and recommends that Americans, as a nation, commit to an equal society for all members regardless of race or social class. This book expands on several chapters previously published in A Time for Change: How White Supremacy Ideology Harms All Americans.