So You Want to Talk About Race Major Figures

Ijeoma Oluo

Ijeoma Oluo leverages her own experiences—as a Black woman raised by a white mother, as a writer and social media figure on the forefront of the social justice movement—to argue that having honest and uncomfortable conversations about race is not only honorable but imperative. She uses her own experiences growing up and her experiences as an adult and as a parent of Black children to answer common questions she’s asked about race, racism, and intersectionality. Her goal is not only to answer the questions but to answer them in such a way that readers will understand how to begin conversations, what to do if they get uncomfortable, and how to handle conflict if it arises. She stresses not only the need for these conversations but that they are entirely possible—even if they are difficult—and can be the beginning of a solution to the problem of systemic racism in the United States.

Aham

Aham is Ijeoma Oluo’s brother and is with her in several of the experiences she relates in So You Want to Talk About Race. He is in the car with her when she’s pulled over for going one mile per hour over the speed limit, and she describes how his hands shake as he opens the glove box to retrieve the car registration for the police officer. He’s with her the first time she’s called the “n-word”. But the most poignant appearance he makes in the book is when he’s the victim of apathy, stereotyping, and relentless cruelty. While Oluo was labeled “gifted,” Aham’s energetic personality was labeled “aggressive,” something that stems from negative stereotypes about Black boys. As a result, his teachers treat him as though he is not worth their effort, and when other students bully him as a result of a hurtful system of rewards and punishments in the class, the teachers do nothing to intervene. The long-term effects on Aham—and, readers are to understand, on so many Black boys who are similarly labeled and abandoned—are low self-esteem, anxiety, and isolation. Aham is able to survive because of music, but it is clear that childhood experiences like his can have lifelong negative impacts.

Sagan

Sagan is the son of Natasha, a woman who forwarded an email to Ijeoma Oluo about Sagan’s misbehavior at school. In the email, Sagan is accused of “assaulting” two school staff members and is suspended from school as a result. In addition, a school board member suggests charges be filed against him. Natasha, of course, is upset, partly because of the word “assaulting”, which does not bode well for any Black student, but mostly because Sagan is age 5. Oluo uses this shocking example of racist stereotyping to illustrate what the “school-to-prison pipeline” is. By age 5, Sagan already has a school record of suspension for “assaulting” staff. He is already being described with words that increase antagonism with teachers as well as the likelihood he will end up incarcerated when he gets older.

Jennifer

Jennifer is a popular, trendy white student at Ijeoma Oluo’s middle school who tells Oluo she shouldn’t wear red lipstick because “[o]n your lips, you’d look like a clown.” Oluo describes admiring Jennifer’s red lipstick enough to approach her and comment on it, despite her nervousness. But her admiration quickly turns to hurt when Jennifer makes a comment meant to remind Oluo she is different because she has Black features. Oluo uses this example to explain microaggressions—comments and behaviors that serve to communicate to people of color that they are “less than.” Not all microaggressions are as rude as Jennifer’s comment, but the effect is the same. Oluo notes that the toll of repeated microaggressions, which can come without warning at most any time, is often increased anxiety and low self-worth.

Oluo’s Son

Ijeoma Oluo has two sons, but one figures prominently in So You Want to Talk About Race. When he was age 8, he made the decision not to say the Pledge of Allegiance at school, saying the line “liberty and justice for all” was a lie based on what he could see of how people of color are treated in US society. As Oluo worked through this situation with her son, she came face to face with the reality that young people of color see their world as a very unjust one. Their view is clearer than hers was as a child because the 1980s was a time when people were optimistic about racial equality—with an optimism that wasn’t borne out by events.