Herbert Dyer, Jr.
2 min readJan 17, 2022

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I disagree completely with your thesis here. Especially the denigration of Diangelo and Tim Wise. I've been reading and writing about both for years, and find their work enlightening. They do not write about black people...but white people. They explain and interpret what "whiteness" is and means to and for white people; how, why and when "white" people invented the whole concept of "race" and racial heirarchy; how they have and continue to benefit from it, and why they refuse (in the aggregate) to give it up. See, a seminal two-volume study called "The Invention of the White Race," by Theodore W. Allen --a white man).

Obviously, many, many black people have and continue to do the same thing, myself included. This, again, is nothing new.

James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, Dr. Joy DeGruy, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, Dr. Nell Painter, Dr. Carol Anderson, and countless others (black people) made and make money as a result of their studies, classes, lectures, workshops, etc. on what Baldwin derisively labeled America's "white problem."

You mentioned, as a critique, that white people will not listen to or heed black thinkers and black writers. To a large extent this is true. White people must talk to each other about this matter. We have known since at least 1619 who they are...what they are...and have been telling them about themselves ever since --all to no avail. That is to say that only white people can end white racism/white supremacy.

I gave up long engaging in what I call "whitesplaining" --explaining white people to white people. It's a "fool's errand" cause most of 'em have little to no respect for even the most erudite of black thinkers and black thought.

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Herbert Dyer, Jr.
Herbert Dyer, Jr.

Written by Herbert Dyer, Jr.

Freelancer since the earth first began cooling. My beat, justice: racial, social, political, economic and cultural. I’m on FB, Twitter, Link, hdyerjr@gmail.com.

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