I definitely think Carmen brings up a really serious question, how do we move folks to change? As Du Bois put it, "I was very disappointed at the results of my study...I began to realize that I had overworked a theory- that the cause of the problem was the ignorance of people...[The] cure wasn't simply telling people the truth, it was inducing them to act on the truth." Truth telling has never been sufficient. The cost of racism are usually greatest amongst those who are oppressed and most of our appeals are moralistic in essence. I think the doll study, the visibility of Jim Crow racism, etc. demonstrate that (cliche coming) "a picture is worth a thousand words" and the appeal to conscious. We can use numbers, but narratives tied to numbers or larger realities are the key to inciting change. In my view, the cost of racism, on all sides of the aisle, is that the people who are most vulnerable to social ills are the first to be ignored. Sorry this comment is all over the place.

Oh and Ellen, I think Robert Guthrie's "Even the Rat was White" may have an image of the dolls.

Posted at April 4, 2008 9:23 AM in response to What Is the Human Cost of Racism?