“Who would we be if Whiteness never dictated who we are? If Whiteness never set a goal that we had to live up to?”

In her new book, Ijeoma Oluo breaks down the origins and the devastating legacy of the mediocre white male in America. In an interview with Zora, she talks about how she set out to “battle the collective gaslighting regarding White supremacy.”

I think that it is very easy for us, even in our efforts toward liberation, to define our goals based on what White men said is desirable. You know, I think we would manage without White men. I think we would be okay.

A History of Mediocre White Men (and How They Get Ahead)