A White Man’s Journey & Guide to Healing Racism from Within
Race & Ethnic Relations
Date Published: March 29, 2022
Publisher: R4W INC
Race is currently a hot topic of discussion. Questions being considered are: Does racism still exist? What does equity look like? How do we achieve justice?
Anti-black racism is real. It hasn’t been corrected and it won’t go away on its own. Aboriginal (Black) and Indigenous folks have carried the burden for far too long. It is time for white folks to take the next step and complete the mission.
Race For What? provides stories with a unique perspective from a white man’s experience and his idea for seven steps to healing. JD Mass PsyD, the author, encourages white people to work through the emotional and psychological obstacles in order to repair and heal the harm racism has caused.
JD Mass has been on a lifelong journey to learn why racism was created and what we can look forward to without it. Change is happening. Will it be the superficial change that doesn’t bring forth justice or the transformational healing that is needed? Race For What? provides a vision for the latter.
At the age of 16, with the ability to drive, I was able to experience many more examples of the privilege I was afforded and witness, in comparison, the discrimination my friends faced regularly. For me, this was also an age of rebellion – wanting to stick it back to the system that I was just beginning to see as criminal in nature…
At one point, I returned a pair of barely-worn sneakers over 30 times in a year. Because I was white, no one questioned me. But my black friends didn’t have “the complexion for the protection,” as comedian Paul Mooney said, and so, I’d return their shoes ranging from size 7 to 14 with no problem. Most of these returns happened within minutes of my friends being denied. After meeting my friends in the mall parking lot, I would take the same pair back to the same person. The fact that my whiteness gave me clearance to return things my black friends couldn’t infuriate me all over again.
About the Author
Growing up within a black community, witnessing racism firsthand, activist JD Mass PsyD tells of his successes and missteps in building powerful alliances with melanated people. JD’s parents chose to raise him in the only diverse community in St. Louis where he was able to witness and experience racism and cultural differences. It sparked an inner desire to understand why we created such a world.
JD has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, starting a tennis teaching organization with his college coach. Shortly after graduating with a degree in finance, he played a pivotal role of structuring Nelly’s early business ventures, including Apple Bottoms Jeans and Derrty Entertainment.
JD followed his time with Nelly by joining The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem to learn community building based on health, peace, and sharing.
In 2017 JD achieved his doctorate in Organizational Psychology and became heavily involved in white antiracism groups in Los Angeles and later in St. Louis. This work in anti-racism reflecting on what he learned throughout his journey inspired him to write “Race for What?” A wise thinker and guide, JD dares white folks to stay the course to finally correct the harm of racism and help create a humane world.
This book will not make you comfortable. It will challenge you to dig deeper, think harder, and make room for new possibilities.
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