Ralina Joseph w/ Mónica Guzmán, RACIAL EXHAUSTION

Join Professor of African American Studies at UCLA Ralina L. Joseph for her new book Racial Exhaustion: How to Move Through Racism in the Wake of DEI. Joseph blends personal narrative, real-world dialogue, and critical race scholarship to explore how we communicate race today—and how we can do better. She will be joined in conversation by Mónica Guzmán, author of I Never Thought of It That Way.

How to build stamina to confront racial exhaustion and communicate differently about race

In the wake of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, many Americans—regardless of race—find themselves exhausted by conversations about race and racism. People of color continue to bear the weight of systemic racism while also shouldering the burden of explaining and confronting daily microaggressions. White people, whether allies or skeptics, often feel defensive, fatigued, or uncertain about how to engage in discussions about race. Across the spectrum, the result is the same: exhaustion.

Drawing from her experience running "Interrupting Privilege," a racial dialogue program, Ralina Joseph blends personal narrative, real-world dialogue, and critical race scholarship to explore how we communicate race today—and how we can do better. Through practices of deep listening, embracing discomfort, and interrupting microaggressions, this book guides readers in transforming everyday interactions into opportunities for anti-racist change. Racial Exhaustion challenges us to recognize and address the fatigue that racial discourse brings while offering practical strategies to foster more equitable and productive conversations.

Ralina L. Joseph is Vice Provost of Inclusive Excellence and Professor of African American Studies at University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of several books, including Postracial Resistance: Black Women, Media Culture, and the Uses of Strategic Ambiguity. For 20 years Ralina was faculty in the Communication Department at the University of Washington, Seattle. At UW she founded and directed the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE) and acted as Associate Dean of Equity & Justice in the Graduate School.

Mónica Guzmán is author of I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times; founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity; advisor and debate chair at Braver Angels; and host of A Braver Way podcast. She received an honorary doctorate degree from Wheaton College, and completed study and research fellowships at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and the University of Florida. A Mexican immigrant and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents. Read more about her and her work at moniguzman.com.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Elliott Bay Book Company