by Shakil Choudhury
Greystone Books
08/30/2022, paperback
SKU: 9781778400339
Racial justice without shame or blame.
Road-tested tools to start making a difference today.
In Deep Diversity, award-winning racial justice educator Shakil Choudhury explores the emotionally loaded topic of racism using a compassionate, scientific approach that everyone can understand--whether you are Black, Indigenous, a person of color, or white.
With clear language and engaging stories that will appeal to readers of Brené Brown and Malcom Gladwell, Choudhury explains how and why well-intentioned people can perpetuate systems of oppression, often unconsciously. Using a trauma-informed approach that removes shame or blame, he offers us the tools to recognize, take authentic responsibility, and enact deep change. In easy-to-absorb chapters, Choudhury interweaves research into the brain and studies on human behavior with hard-won lessons from his career of helping organizations and CEOs create more inclusive environments. He models vulnerability and mistake-making, sharing examples of his own bias-missteps so readers are encouraged into their own racial justice journey without judgment.
Readers will come away from the book with practical tools and an understanding of:
- How to becomes a systems thinker by developing "racial pattern recognition" skills in order to challenge racism and other forms of systemic discrimination when we encounter them, while minimizing the tendency to shame or blame ourselves or others.
- How to recognize when the unconscious influence of bias, identity, emotions, or power contradict our beliefs about equality, and how to realign our thoughts/words/actions.
- How to break the racial "prejudice habits" we have all been socialized into since birth, using research-based strategies.
- How the rise in authoritarianism and income inequality (among other factors) contribute to a rise in hate crimes and racial discrimination, and what to do about it.
Traditional approaches to anti-racism overly rely on analyzing history to explain systemic discrimination, which only tells us a part of the story. What's missing, Choudhury argues, is to understand why humans do what we do, the evolutionary impulses underlying our group-ish nature and our struggles with power, bias, and social dominance. This is why psychology and neuroscience perspectives are critical to integrate into anti-racist work, as is practicing compassion for ourselves and for others. Deep Diversity is a unique, evidence-based approach to racial justice that seeks to overcome feelings of shame that so often block our progress and prevent deep change at individual and systemic levels.
Deep Diversity meets you where you're at, regardless of your identity, class, ability, or belief system, and invites you to come along on a journey of self-discovery, social awareness, and lifelong learning.
It's only just begun.
Reviews:
"In Deep Diversity, Shakil reminds us that compassion and love allow us to sidestep the need for shaming and blaming -- approaches that so often undermine our message. Urgently insightful." -- Drs. Bryan Nichols and Medria Connolly, Clinical Psychologists and Advocates for Reparations To Descendants of American Slavery
"Hands-down the most useful, accessible book I have read on strategies for achieving deep, enduring racial equity... should be required reading for every 21st Century leader." -- Suzanne Hawkes, Convergence Strategies
"Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have never been so fraught and complex. And understanding them has never been more urgent and necessary. Shakil takes you by the hand and gently but firmly gives you strategies and skills to deal with systematic racism. His honesty and personal stories break down the issues and provide practical solutions, and most importantly, hope. If you can only read one book on this subject, read this one." -- Zarqa Nawaz, creator of the TV series Little Mosque on the Prairie and author of Laughing All the Way to the Mosque
"We've been caught in an anti-oppression Ground Hog Day where we keep repeating Racism, Oppression and Privilege 101. In Deep Diversity, Shakil Choudhury helps us peel back the layers of systemic discrimination to have a more nuanced discussion and rethink strategies to eliminate racism." -- Septembre Anderson
About the Author:
Shakil Choudhury is an award-winning educator and consultant with 25 years of experience in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work. He coaches executive teams, facilitates inter-group conflict, and runs trails to clear his head. He lives in Toronto.