white fragility

[ hwahytfruh-jil-i-tee, wahyt ]

/ ˈʰwaɪt frəˌdʒɪl ɪ ti, ˈwaɪt /

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noun

the tendency among members of the dominant white cultural group to have a defensive, wounded, angry, or dismissive response to evidence of racism.

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Origin of white fragility

Coined by Robin DiAngelo (born 1956), U.S. academic and author, in her article “White Fragility” (2011)

Words nearby white fragility

white flint, white flour, whitefly, white-footed mouse, white fox, white fragility, White Friar, Whitefriars, white-fringed beetle, white-fronted goose, white-fronted tern

How to use white fragility in a sentence

The breakdown of the 114th Congress is 80 percent white, 80 percent male, and 92 percent Christian.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If Congress accurately reflected our nation on the basis of race, about 63 percent would be white, not 80 percent.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There were rumors of shrieks and flashes emanating from the well, and reports of a figure in white.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The FBI raided his home in 2000 with an affidavit questioning his use of $200,000 from his white supremacist fundraising.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

But after winning 55 percent of the white vote, Duke had a database of supporters some politicians coveted.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And she would be wearing some of the jewels with the white dress—just a few, not many, of course.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
None other would dare to show herself unveiled to a stranger, and a white man at that.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
One would not have wanted her white neck a mite less full or her beautiful arms more slender.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
That evening in the gondola, with one old and two newer friends, is marked with a white stone in my recollection.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Why not have sought out the pure white lime-rocks of the flat country, or the grey granite of the hills?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various