Fact Friday and Arc Review: The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph

Image: Candlewick Press

The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph. 272 p. Candlewick Press, December, 2020. 9781536217018. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday and Merry Christmas if you celebrate. Wow! That was some storm last night! There are trees down and power out all over my town. We have an American Beech tree on our property line that is over a hundred years old. Over the thirty-five years we've lived here, three different families have lived in the house behind ours. Each has hired trees services to heavily prune their side, which is within their right. The poor tree is terribly lopsided now, with beautiful foliage on our side of the fence. It's a beautiful tree and we enjoy its shade. With each storm, such as last night's, I watch its mighty branches twist in the wind with anxiety and hope that it will weather another storm. 

Fact Friday features The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph. Mr. Joseph, a marketing expert, activist, writer and humanitarian has a sit-down with the reader in this engaging book. The tone is purposely conversational and informal, so very personal and relevant. 

The author reflects on his experience as a Black person in America. He transferred to a predominantly white school where the racism and micro-aggressions he encountered daily increased exponentially. He would let it go just to get by but slowly realized that by not addressing these, he was missing the opportunity to educate his white friends and acquaintances. In chapters with headings like, "We want you to see race," "You could at least pronounce my name correctly," "This isn't a fad it's my culture." readers learn about cultural appropriation, stereotype, affirmative action and how institutional racism could be dismantled. Each chapter also includes an interview with a prominent Black activist. Back matter includes an encyclopedia of racism, a list of people to learn more about and a playlist of the many songs he refers to during the course of his illuminating book.

In a year that has seen the publication of many fine books about anti-racism, The Black Friend holds its own and is a terrific addition to the thankfully growing anti-racist canon.