How Racism Hurts White People

Northbrook recently enacted an Affordable Housing ordinance.  The ordinance might enable librarians, teachers and others who work here to live here. It also might permit long-term senior residents to down-size and remain here.  Finally, it may bring more economic diversity to our community.

But some people express fear at the thought of people of a different economic background moving to Northbrook.  A lower socio-economic status in some minds equates to people of different races and cultures, and they believe that is something to fear.  But the very thing people fear the most, could actually benefit our students in well-documented ways.

Northbrook has historically been predominantly all white, and some believe that is the way it should remain.  But there is irony in this thinking. The social and educational benefits to white children when their schools introduce more diversity has been confirmed by decades of research, and is no longer in question.

Children in nearly all-white communities suffer from cultural uniformity.  They may be missing out on the opportunity to excel at important skills such as:

·        problem-solving,

·        flexible thinking,

·        effective communication;

·        cross-cultural collaboration; and

·        empathy
These skills are learned far better and more effectively when children of different backgrounds join white children in their classrooms. These important skills prepare our students to be more comfortable when they move on to college, and also equip them in later life to succeed in a global economy. Studies have demonstrated that these skills are hard to learn without daily exposure to people of different cultures and backgrounds.  An ethnic studies class is not enough. 

Researchers have determined that innovation in the work place comes best from daily practice and comfort with diverse perspectives.  

Northbrook does not have space for much Affordable Housing.  Permitting ADU’s --accessory dwelling units-- might possibly help a bit to welcome people of different backgrounds here.  While we may not be able to achieve significant diversity this way, it is certainly a start.  We at RAIN think we should each individually take additional actions to make Northbrook even more welcoming.   The current Board has taken important steps in this direction. But it is up to all residents to help make other changes so that People of Color who can well afford to live here, will CHOOSE to live here, which will benefit us all, especially our children. 

To learn more about actions we all can take, please watch the recording of Richard Rothstein, who wrote The Color of Law, go to the Events section of this website. To learn about other ways that Racism has hurt White people, view the Ted Talk by Heather McGhee.  Her book, the Sum of Us, documents how Whites are harmed by the racist policies that many White people think elevates them.