A unique and irreverent take on everything that's wrong with our “national conversation about race”—and what to do about it

How to Be Less Stupid About Race is your essential guide to breaking through the half-truths and ridiculous misconceptions that have thoroughly corrupted the way race is represented in the classroom, pop culture, media, and politics. Centuries after our nation was founded on genocide, settler colonialism, and slavery, many Americans are kinda-sorta-maybe waking up to the reality that our racial politics are (still) garbage. But in the midst of this reckoning, widespread denial and misunderstandings about race persist, even as white supremacy and racial injustice are more visible than ever before.

Combining no-holds-barred social critique, humorous personal anecdotes, and analysis of the latest interdisciplinary scholarship on systemic racism, sociologist Crystal M. Fleming provides a fresh, accessible, and irreverent take on everything that’s wrong with our “national conversation about race.” Drawing upon critical race theory, as well as her own experiences as a queer black millennial college professor and researcher, Fleming unveils how systemic racism exposes us all to racial ignorance—and provides a road map for transforming our knowledge into concrete social change.

Searing, sobering, and urgently needed, How to Be Less Stupid About Race is a truth bomb for your racist relative, friend, or boss, and a call to action for everyone who wants to challenge white supremacy and intersectional oppression. If you like Issa Rae, Justin Simien, Angela Davis, and Morgan Jerkins, then this deeply relevant, bold, and incisive book is for you.

• “Eight Books to Read After Watching the TV Adaptation of Kindred,” Beacon Broadside, reading roundup
• “Buffalo racist attack: White supremacist ideology is 'big business' and is a 'global problem',” France24, video interview
• “How 'replacement theory' became prominent in mainstream US politics,” ABC News, quoted in piece on replacement theory
• “‘We Will Not Be Used’: Asian Americans Say They Won’t Demonize Black Americans,” Gothamist, interview
• “The Big Business of Being an Ally,” ELLE, quoted
• “How to Unlearn Racism,” Scientific American, author quoted and book mentioned in piece
• “The Literature of White Liberalism,” Boston Review, book and author quoted in piece
• “Can A Book Club Fight Racism?” HuffPost, interview
• “Kamala Harris’ VP Bid Sparks Debate About Racial Identity,” Here & Now/WBUR, interview
• “Can We Talk? A Community Conversation About Race,” WEDU Public Media/PBS (West Central FL), interview
• “Be the Change: Black Lives Matter,” The Gorillaz, British band recommended book for anti-racist reading
• “What Anti-Racism Books Were Americans Requesting at Their Libraries?” Book Riot, included on piece about popular anti-racism books at libraries
• “If You’re Serious About Anti-Racism, Listen to Black Women,” Medium/Forge, excerpt
• “Defining anti-racism: A better understanding of what it means and how to achieve it,” Today in St. Louis/KDSK-NBC (St. Louis, MO), interview
• “A National Reckoning On Racial Injustice,” The Full Story/WSHU (Connecticut), interview
• “A Debate Over Identity and Race Asks, Are African-Americans ‘Black’ or ‘black’?” The New York Times, interviewed and quoted in piece
• “Black Lives Matter Reading Resources,” NBA, the LA Lakers listed the book as a Black Lives Matter reading resource
• “The racial divide: rising above white supremacy and the importance of BLM inclusivity,” WJLA-ABC/Good Morning Washington (DC), live interview
• “The anti-racism books everybody should read, from Malcolm X to Candice Carty-Williams,” Sunday Times (UK), featured in anti-racism guide
• “18 books on race and white privilege that will show you what’s really happening in America right now,” Business Insider, author quoted and book mentioned in piece
• “Antiracism books to read right now,” Amazon, an editor’s pick for anti-racism
• “A crossroads for race relations,” Sunday Morning/CBS, interview
• “Here’s how you can support the fight against systemic racism, inequality and police brutality,” DJ Magazine, listed as a resource
• “George Floyd murdered: how we can all be better allies in the fight against racism,” Stylist (UK), recommended as a resource in piece
• “In light of this week’s events,” Instagram, highlighted on Kevin Bacon’s profile
• “ABA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee on Books That Matter to Them,” BTW (American Booksellers Association blog), book mentioned by City Lights bookstore in “Books That Matter” feature
• “Dr. Crystal Fleming,” #CauseAScene, podcast interview
• “‘How To Be Less Stupid About Race’ With Dr. Crystal Fleming On Monday’s Access Utah,” UPR/Access Utah (Utah Public Radio), interview
• “Crystal Fleming on White Supremacy,” Gaslit Nation, podcast interview
• “19 Books About White Supremacy & How To Combat It,” Bustle, listed in reading roundup
• “The composure and civility of ‘the Squad’ against Trump’s attacks,” Vox, op-ed
• “Trump’s tweets: The racism is the point,” Al Jazeera, interviewed with Mary Frances Berry and others
• “How to Be Less Stupid About Race Book Discussion with Myisha T from Check Your Privilege,” Speaking of Racism, discussed in podcast episode
• “8 Must-Reads by Women Who Take on White Supremacy and Patriarchal Power,” YES! Magazine, featured in reading roundup
• “Conversational platform focuses on social justice,” The Oklahoman, write-up on book’s inclusion in local book club
• “Books to Check Your White Privilege,” Medium/Strand Book Store blog, included in reading roundup
• “‘How to Be Less Stupid about Race’: author Crystal Fleming visits FSU,” The Gatepost (Framingham State University paper), write-up about author event
• “How Northam, Neeson Can Represent ‘Racism Without Racists,’” NPR/Morning Edition, interview
• “Oklahoma Best-Sellers,” Tulsa World (OK), listed as a non-fiction top ten bestseller
• “Wellesley Writes It: Interview with Dr. Crystal M. Fleming ’04 (@alwaystheself ) on her new book, HOW TO BE LESS STUPID ABOUT RACE,” Wellesley Magazine, Q&A
• “Twitter,” CNN Tonight, OH senator Nina Turner recommended the book
• “How to Be Less Stupid About Race,” Thom Hartmann Program, interview
• “Special Edition: The Unknown MLK: Beyond the Dream,” PBS/MetroFocus (NYC), roundtable interview
• “How to Be Less Stupid About Race: A Conversation with Dr. Crystal Fleming,” Research Matters, Q&A
• “Dr. Crystal Fleming—I Wigsnatch Racism,” Touré Show, podcast interview
• “The Color of Money,” Patheos/Carl Gregg, quoted in blog post
• “Our List of Can’t-Miss Books for Holiday Gifting,” ESPN/The Undefeated, included in best-of reading roundup
• “Deconstructing Thanksgiving,” My American Melting Pot, podcast interview
• “Open Phones with Crystal Fleming,” C-SPAN/Book TV, live interview
• “Tackling Racism: Symbolic Progress vs REAL Progress,” The Young Turks/Rebel HQ, live interview
• “Crystal Marie Fleming on ‘How to Be Less Stupid About Race,’” WJLA-ABC/Good Morning Washington (DC), live interview
• “Crystal Fleming,” Indiana Public Radio/Profiles, interview
• “Crystal M. Fleming on The Michelangelo Signorile Show,” SiriusXM/The Michelangelo Signorile Show, radio interview
• “Turning despair over election into a book,” The Boston Globe, piece for Kate Tuttle’s “The Story Behind the Book” column
• “Why are we talking about white supremacy?” UU World, excerpt
• “Interview with Crystal Marie Fleming,” Twitter/#BlerdDating, live Q&A on September 17, 2018
• “Here’s how to be less stupid about racism in America — and how to fight it,” Raw Story, Q&A
• “How to Be Less Stupid About Race,” Newsweek, video feature
• “Dr. Crystal M. Fleming - How to Be Less Stupid About Race,” The Karen Hunter Show, interview
• “The Race-Focused Books We're Reading This Fall,” Colorlines, listed in reading roundup
• “Democrats Only Defend Rights When Out of Power,” Black Agenda Report Radio, interview
• “Lit Hub’s Fall 2018 Nonfiction Preview: Politics & Social Science,” Literary Hub, included in reading roundup
• “Living in a Racist Society Is Making Us Stupid,” Medium, excerpt
• “Serena Williams: The Greatest Player of All Time and a Classic Case of Misogynoir,” Newsweek, op-ed
• “Dr Crystal Fleming on How to be Less Stupid on Race,” Thom Hartmann Show, live interview
• “Instagram post,” Well-Read Black Girl, included in Fall reading list on Instagram
• “How to Be Less Stupid About Race,” WHRO/Another View, live interview

How to Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal Fleming

Readers’ Guide

The Origins of Racial Stupidity/ The Idiot’s Guide to Critical Race Theory

1. Fleming begins with the assertion that living in a racist society exposes all of us to racial ignorance. When in your upbringing did you become aware of race? What role did race play in your childhood and adolescence?
2. What are some of your personal and group identities? Do some of your identities take precedence over others? Does this vary with different situations?
3. Fleming’s Class Fallacy and Political Fallacy criticize the misguided assumption that racists are mostly poor whites or political conservatives, respectively. What are some examples of how white supremacy exploits these societal differences to perpetuate systemic racism?
4. Why is it important to recognize the dual aspects of racism as both individual and institutional? What are some examples of institutional racism you have observed?
5. Fleming says that white supremacy today is characterized by politicians and the majority population portraying themselves as “beyond race” or “nonracist.” How does this kind of posturing detract from antiracist efforts? Have you observed any examples or effects of the myth of color blindness?

Listen to Black Women

1. Fleming says that “white women’s (and nonblack women of color’s) hostility toward black women is related to their unwillingness to openly challenge the dynamics of oppression in their own lives.” What are the individual, interpersonal, and institutional consequences of redirecting resentment away from white male supremacy to other groups?
2. Why is it important to recognize black women’s vulnerability as a group when hearing their perspectives? What are some recent examples you have observed?
3. How can vulnerability be transformed and mobilized as a means of empowerment?
4. Though her chapter is called “Listen to Black Women,” Fleming states that merely listening isn’t enough. What other practical steps need to be taken to recognize and respect black women’s knowledge and voices?
5. Fleming engages with Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of “intersectionality” and shows how intersectional analysis is rooted in black feminist thought. Why is intersectionality an important concept for the work of antiracism?
6. Fleming emphasizes the appropriation of black women’s knowledge as a method of devaluing them. What is the relationship between knowledge and power, and how can we better recognize black women’s power?

On Racial Stupidity in the Obama Era

1. Fleming says, “Today, as in the past, robust critiques of racial oppression necessarily involve a confrontation with class oppression too.” How is this argument related to her Class Fallacy concept in chapter 1? To what extent are socioeconomic status and political affiliation related to race?
2. How does African American privilege outside the United States, in fact, perpetuate systemic racism? Can this phenomenon be applied to other races? How should we contextualize people of color’s privilege within a white supremacist system?
3. The book mentions Ibram X. Kendi’s analysis of Obama’s rhetoric as combining racist and antiracist ideas for the purpose of appealing to both racists and their victims. Why are these messages so effective, and how do they affirm white supremacy?
4. With Obama’s rhetorical tactics in mind, must a political idea be either racist or antiracist? Are there any political ideas that exist that do not concern racism, or are politics inherently bound up with race?
5. Have you ever ignored the problematic actions, beliefs, and aspects of a public figure you support or admire? How did you justify your minimization or denial?

Trump Country

1. In this chapter, Fleming suggests that “we have always lived in Trump country.” What do you think this means? Why is it important to contextualize Trump’s racism within the history of white supremacy in the United States?
2. Fleming points out how whites historically used concerns over national security to justify Japanese internment during WWII, Islamophobia, refugee denial, and other racial exclusion policies. What assumptions are behind the national security excuse, and how do they fuel racism?
3. What assumptions are behind the idea that white people’s economic insecurity can and should be alleviated by racist politicians and policies? What are the effects of these assumptions?
4. How does W. E. B. Du Bois’s concept of the “psychological wages of whiteness” relate to white economic insecurity? What are some other examples of white people’s psychological wages?
5. What do the two presidential chapters have in common? What do the similarities between Trump’s and Obama’s presidencies demonstrate about the relationship between racism and the office of the president?

Fake Racial News

1. Fleming debunks the Normalization Thesis, which says that the normalization of white supremacy and the acceptance of public white supremacist views is an entirely new, Trump-era phenomenon. We know that white supremacy has always been the norm in the United States, but do you think it has worsened? If you believe that white supremacy has “worsened,” what historical era are you comparing to the present? Is it possible to recognize that white supremacy has always been the norm in this country while also recognizing the ways in which Trump contributes to the mainstreaming of white nationalism and racist extremism? Do you think that Trump won the presidency despite or because of his openly racist platform? And does his victory and popularity among tens of millions of US citizens indicate the degree to which white supremacy was already “normalized” within the nation?
2. What are some recent examples you have observed of media outlets normalizing white supremacy? Fleming mentions tactics such as circulating racist stereotypes, justifying white violence toward people of color, promoting white-centered perspectives, and privileging the views of white-dominated institutions like the police.
3. What did you make of Fleming’s criticism of institutional racism within the New York Times?
4. Fleming asks, “Do journalists have a duty to inform the public about institutional racism within the judicial system or about the ineffectiveness of discriminatory policing practices like stop-and-frisk?” What is your opinion? Are journalists unbiased, complicit, or something else?
5. Think of a generalized assumption you make about race. Have you seen recent examples in the media that can cause confirmation bias?
6. What are some personal examples you have observed of implicit white favoritism?

Interracial Love 101

1. Do your friends and family expect your romantic partner to be of a particular race? Do you have any expectations of yourself? What informs these expectations?
2. Fleming draws a distinction between interracial relationships and antiracist relationships. How would you describe the difference?
3. Fleming points to research showing that the vast majority of white Americans have no close friendships with people of color. What are some of the practices that allow white Americans to exclude people of color from their private lives? What do you think are some of the consequences of white people not building meaningful relationships with people of color?
4. What is the role of segregation in preventing interracial intimacy and solidarity?
5. Fleming says, “Racial vulnerability can’t be shared with just anyone at any time; it requires trustworthiness and true intimacy.” What are some obstacles to racial vulnerability you have dealt with in your relationships with friends, family members, partners, or coworkers? How can people of color develop trusting relationships with whites in a society still ravaged by white supremacy? Who should bear the burden of fostering interracial intimacy—whites, people of color, or both?
6. What anxieties and/or insecurities do you have when relating to people of other races?
7. What are some things you can do to develop more meaningful and antiracist relationships across difference?

Becoming Racially Literate

1. Fleming argues that because racism is a collective problem, it cannot be solved by individuals. What can you do to identify and collaborate with antiracist allies, organizations, and activists?
2. Reflecting on what you learned about intersectionality, consider your own identities, positionality, and relationship to power. How do they offer you unique insight about how white supremacy is related to other systems of oppression? What are some ways that you can use your identities and knowledge to challenge racism in your daily life?
3. Throughout the book, Fleming pointed out that people of color tend to be more knowledgeable than whites about racism due to their experiences navigating a racist society. However, she also suggests that people of color need to address their racial socialization and relationship to white supremacy. Why is racial literacy not just a “white” issue? Fleming references the dynamics of internalized oppression and stereotype threat. How do these factors affect people of color?
4. What are some collective benefits of eradicating the racial hierarchy beyond those listed by Fleming?
5. What privileges do you enjoy because of racism and/or other systems of oppression? What are some internal and external difficulties you face in giving up that privilege?
6. This chapter provides 10 suggestions for committing to the lifelong work of antiracist transformation. As you review each step, what ideas resonate with you? Can you think of ways to apply Fleming’s suggestions in your own life? Moving beyond your individual experience, how might the ten action steps help transform your family, workplace, neighborhood, and other groups with which you are affiliated? What actions can you and members of your community take right now to build a more just and compassionate society?