“The Black Friend on Being A Better White Person will provide an in-depth look into racism and white supremacy. It offers tools to better understand and see it. You won’t be able to put it down once you start reading it.” – Momma Braga
Synopsis
“We don’t see color.” “I didn’t know Black people liked Star Wars.” “What hood do you live in?”
For Frederick Joseph, life as a transfer student in a largely white high school was full of wince-worthy moments that he often simple let go. As he grew older, however, he saw these as missed opportunities not only to stand up for himself but to spread awareness to those white people who didn’t see the negative impact they were having.
Speaking directly to the reader, Frederick Joseph calls up race-related anecdotes from his past, explaining why they were hurtful and how he might handle things now. Each chapter features the voice of at least one artist or activist, from Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give,to April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite, to Jemele Hill, sports journalist and podcast host, and eleven others. Touching on everything from cultural appropriation to “reverse racism” to white privilege, this book serves as conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former “token Black kid” who now offers himself as the friend many readers need.
#MelAndNikkiReview
The Black Friend on Being A Better White Person is a powerful novel full of rawness, emotion and in-depth knowledge. If there is one book to pick up to gain insight on racism, this would be the one!
“I couldn’t see any of that at the time, but I see it now, and I’ve made it the mission of this book to help others to see it, too, by choosing to create the Black Friend. In this context, the Black Friend is the person who is willing to speak the truth to the white people in their lives, to call them out when they do or say something hurtful, ignorant, or offensive. After reading this book, my hope is that white people won’t need to tokenize or ask Black people and people of color to do all of the work.” – Frederick Joseph
For this #MelAndNikkiReview, we give it 10 stars out of 5! It offers so much that I highly recommend this to all parents so that we can raise our children to be better for future generations.
If you would like to purchase a copy, click here.
About the Author
Frederick Joseph is a writer and an award-winning activist, philanthropist, and marketing professional. He was named to the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, is a recipient of the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, given by Comic-Con International: San Diego, and was selected for the 2018 Root 100, an annual list of the most influential African Americans. He was written articles on race, marketing, and politics for outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Essence, the Huffington Post, and the Root. He lives in New York City.
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
-Momma Braga
*This book was provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own.
