Waking Up White Book Study

Waking Up White Book Study

• Starting Sept. 6
• Meeting every other Wednesday for 10 sessions
• 6:30-8 p.m. | In-person and via Zoom

“Not so long ago, if someone had called me a racist, I would have kicked and screamed in protest. I see things very differently now.”

—Debby Irving, author of Waking Up White: Finding Myself in the Story of Race.

What is racism and how does it affect me? What is white privilege and how does it affect me?

These are some of the questions we will explore while reading and discussing Debby Irving’s book Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race.

Irving was born and grew up in white, suburban Winchester, Massachusetts in the 1960s and ‘70s. Her employment in urban neighborhoods and schools from 1984 to 2009 left her, she writes, “simultaneously intrigued and horrified by the racial divide I observed. … The more I tried to understand racial dynamics, the more confused I became.”

Reading Waking Up White, we will follow Debby Irving’s path struggling to understand racism and racial tensions while gaining fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance.

When

We will meet every other Wednesday 6:30-8 p.m. for 10 sessions, beginning Sept. 6. See full list of meeting dates below.

Where

In-person at Precious Blood Renewal Center and by Zoom.

Cost

$10 per session. Pay what you can. No one will be turned away. You can make an offering at the time of registration or the day you visit the Renewal Center.

Ordering the Book

You will need to obtain a copy of the book on your own. The Kansas City Public Library recommends buying books from local bookstores or online using Bookshop.org. Every purchase on that website financially supports independent bookstores.

Meeting Dates (all Wednesdays)

Sept. 6, Sept. 20, Oct. 4, Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Nov. 15, Jan. 10, Jan. 24, Feb. 7, Feb. 21.