Robert Livingston's Book Talk: The Uniqueness of U.S. White Supremacy - 2029

4 points 

    I went to Robert Livingston’s book review about his book “Play the Game, Change the Game, Leave the Game”, where he lays out pathways to navigate white supremacy. During the book review, Livingston mentioned how white supremacy is an “addiction” to white people. He describes white supremacy as a concept that white people know exists, however are complicit with. He goes on to  explain how white supremacy is so deep rooted in white personhood, that they need it to feel whole.

    Diving deeper into this concept of addiction, Livingston stated how this severity of addiction to white supremacy and privilege is unique to the United States. To expand on this concept of “addiction” to white supremacy and its uniqueness to the U.S., I decided to approach it from a historical lens. In my African Diaspora & World class, we’re discussing the effects of Racial Taxonomy on the African American diaspora. While slavery is found globally throughout history, I think the United States is unique due to the classification of race and the sharp racial distinction between White and Black. The idea of white power and supremacy was amplified in the U.S. by the centralization of “race”. In “Racial Formations” by Michael Omi and Howard Wintant, the authors discuss how race in the U.S. was largely categorized by “white vs non-white”, and the obsession of "purity" within races. This hyperfocus on racial identification is largely the reason for this unique severity of white supremacy in the U.S. In comparison to other social structures, such as the caste system in South America or estate systems in Europe, slavery in the U.S. was notably longer and more impactful on Black Americans. 

    Despite the multiple protests, movements and legal wins for Black Americans, white people continued to hold onto their power. The concept of race as an identifier served as a separation tactic during Jim Crow, however it also created lasting structural inequalities in education, healthcare, criminal justice and social mobility. Structural barriers such as redlining, exploiting Black labor, voter suppression, economic oppression, etc. all up help white supremacy throughout history and Black communities are still facing the effects of these barriers years later.  A similar notion was mentioned during the Thurgood Marshall film, “Becoming Thurgood”, where the narrator talks about  “the underestimation of white supremacy.” People often underestimate the imprint and addiction of white supremacy in the United States. Whether white people understand the effects of slavery on Black people or not, many are quietly complicit when their privilege is compromised.

Overall, I enjoyed Robert Livingston's book review, and his insightful comments on navigating white supremacy as a Black person in the United States. I've started reading his book, and I hope to gain a deeper understanding about his thoughts. 

Stephanie Ferguson