Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won't Tell You

Race Rules is an innovative, practical manual for white people of the unwritten rules relating to race, explaining the unvarnished truth about racist and offensive white behaviors. It offers a unique lens from Fatimah Gilliam, a light-skinned Black woman, and is informed by the revealing things white people say when they don't realize she's Black. Presented as a series of race rules, this book has each chapter tackling a specific topic many people of color wish white people understood. Combining history and explanations with practical advice, it goes beyond the theoretical by focusing on what's implementable. Gilliam addresses issues such as racial blinders and misperceptions, white privilege, racial stereotypes, and everyday choices and behaviors that cause racial harm. Introducing a straightforward universal three-step framework to unlearn racism and challenge misconceptions, this book offers listeners a chance to change behaviors and shift mindsets to better navigate cross-racial interactions and relationships. Through its race etiquette guidelines, it teaches white people to become action-oriented racism disruptors instead of silent, complicit supporters of white supremacy.