Launching in January, Race Rules: What Your Black Friend Won’t Tell You is a how-to guide to course-correct for daily microaggressions, behaviors, and choices that can harm people.
In Race Rules, lawyer, speaker and anti-racism ethicist Fatimah Gilliam provides a straightforward, universal three-step framework to unlearn racism and challenge misconceptions, as well as actionable tips and tools on cross-racial interactions in people’s personal and professional lives.
“Thoughts without deeds don’t lead to adequate progress,” Ms Gilliam said.
“Choices with delayed timelines prioritise the status quo. Self-education without behavioral change is half stepping—and often morphs into lip service requiring people of color to wait for justice, equality, and humanising treatment.”
Ms Gilliam aims to help readers shift their mindsets and become action-oriented Racism Disruptors instead of silent supporters of the status quo and beneficiaries of what she calls, “White Welfare.”
Through straight talk and humour, Race Rules provides advice, tools, and tips in a user-friendly format, including conversation translation charts, suggested talking points, reflective questions, historical overviews, poignant illustrations and helpful data. Ms Gilliam said, “Race Rules serves as a reference tool or a ‘Karen’s Handbook’ on what to do to avoid offending others and damaging relationships.”
Fatimah Gilliam is the founder and CEO of The Azara Group, which provides diversity and inclusion, leadership development, negotiation, and strategy consulting services.
