CENTER SECTION: MULTICULTURAL MINISTRY
Book Review: Interrupting White Privilege: Catholic Theologians Break the Silence

Edited by Laurie M. Cassidy and Alexander Mikulich
(Orbis Books, Maryknoll, N.Y., 2007, 194 pp. paper, $28.)

Reviewed by the Rev. Anthony Ciorra, dean of the graduate school of religion and religious education at Fordham University in New York City.

Interrupting White Privilege is a timely book for Americans in an election year that threatens to surface the deepest prejudices surrounding race and gender that are at the core of white privilege. For an African American and a woman to rise to the top in a political party is a sign of hope that possibly those who hold power are ready to let go of their projected fears and angers. René Girard makes a strong case that scapegoating is the basic dynamic that divides peoples and cultures. White privilege can easily scapegoat African Americans, women, and other marginalized groups as being at the root of its problems. On some level white privilege has a vested interest in a political, social, and economic equilibrium created by dominance over the less powerful.

In light of these comments, Interrupting White Privilege could serve as a compelling discussion stimulator in our schools, parishes, and other communities. The basic pathology that underlies all prejudice is described and claimed as an evil in this collection of essays. I think the excellent discussion questions at the end of each chapter will facilitate some lively conversation around these issues.

Taken as a whole, this book is not only interesting but also thought provoking. However, there is an unevenness in the breadth and depth of its chapters. The reason for this is understandable. The book is a collection of essays that had its beginnings in the “White Privilege and Racism Developing Group” of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Some of the chapters of the book actually stem from the CTSA conference. Depending on the writer’s expertise, some chapters are more sociologically and psychologically focused than theologically rooted. For example, one chapter claims that racism helps manage white anger and fear in face of whites’ economic disempowerment. The author goes on to say that to achieve white social status, people are expected to experience erotic desire as shameful and the desire to avoid pain as weakness. Assertions like this make for an interesting read but also challenge the reader to integrate such statements within an appropriate theological framework.

There are other timely topics discussed, such as the new signs of racism in our society as illustrated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The underlying challenge that emerges in the text is that Catholic theologians have been remiss in bringing the issues of racism and prejudice more poignantly to the surface. Although I think this is a fair assessment, I urge all of us to take heart because I do think that systematic theologians will embrace the challenge of breaking the silence about the sin of racism.

Solid Spirituality

The case is made for a solid spirituality to correct the negative God images that we may unconsciously hold due to our racial prejudices. James Cone suggests that one way out of this dilemma is for everyone to enter into the black experience of slavery in order to come to know the liberating God of Exodus. Several chapters in this book offer some suggestions on how we might work through this significant paradigm shift toward healing distorted God images.

Charles Curran includes a compelling personal piece about his theological journey. He acknowledges that it is only in the past few years that he has become conscious of his failure to recognize the problem of racism in the United States and in the Catholic Church. He notes Peggy McIntosh’s seminal article as the basis for a fundamental conversion for all theologians. The conversion experience begins with seeing oneself as the oppressor since we are influenced by our social environment. The final phase is the invitation to pray to a God who is black and female. The struggle that we might have in doing such a thing might shock some of us into the reality that we are part of the white privileged class.

A key essay in the book suggests an alternative for dismantling white privilege. The writer challenges the conventional wisdom that would begin the conversation by pointing out the dysfunction of the American racial landscape. Instead, the writer suggests that challenging others to conversion toward racial solidarity is a much better starting point for the conversation. He writes that moving beyond the negative stance of the former approach and focusing on the goal of solidarity has a better chance of bringing about unity. He thinks that his proposed rhetoric for a shared unity is closer to the social solidarity of the utopian dream of Martin Luther King.

The book culminates with a chapter bringing readers to the foot of the cross as the place where ultimate healing and social change occur. The cross of Christ is where Nicholas of Cusa’s “Coincidence of Opposites” gathers black and white, male and female in the unity of God’s forgiving and empowering embrace. This is a great way to conclude this collection of essays because it invites the reader to engage in interrupting white privilege by entering into the paschal mystery.

The book is not without its shortcomings. The general focus on white/black issues limits the discussion of racism and prejudice. There are only occasional references to liberation and feminist theologies and at times the sociological and psychological agendas overshadow the spiritual and theological focus. Having said this, I think this small volume is worth not only reading but also is worth using as a companion for personal reflection. It has the potential to bring about a consciousness-raising experience and ultimately a conversion not only in attitude but also behaviors that will truly interrupt white privilege.