Racial Emotion at Work

"Tristin Green's book is essential reading for HR professionals, managers, diversity trainers, employees . . . in truth, anybody navigating the complexities of racial difference in the workplace. Weaving together expert-level knowledge of the law with social and historical context, all delivered in a deeply compassionate, accessible style, Green shows us what 'racial emotion' is--and why conventional legal rules and employer practices often fail to resolve the confusion, anger, and hurt that can result from racial conflict on the job. This invaluable book ends with concrete, practical suggestions for identifying and addressing racial emotion at work. It just might change your life."--Angela P. Harris, coeditor of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia "Green's fabulous new book is a long-overdue interrogation of racial emotions and the law, demonstrating how racial emotions often drive discriminatory actions. It is extensively researched, beautifully written, and an indispensable addition to the field."--Michelle Adams, author of The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North "This is the work racial-equality scholars, diversity professionals, and diversity allies have long waited for. Green comprehensively covers the full gamut of racial experience--joy, confusion, dignity, and ambivalence--providing a far more comprehensive treatment than the more limited conversation on white fragility and white guilt that has dominated recent diversity conversations. Racial Emotion at Work has provided invaluable guidance to me as I counsel clients about why simple legal compliance strategies are not enough. Green's work teaches us how workplace structures produce both positive and negative racial emotions, and what administrators can do to make inclusion and belonging a reality. Business leaders, administrators, and frontline managers will find it essential reading. It has become a key resource in my diversity consulting practice and I return to it again and again to help my clients anticipate and avoid diversity stumbles."--Camille Gear Rich, Dorothy W. Nelson Professor of Law and Sociology and Principal of Rich Diversity Consulting "Accessible, fascinating, and persuasive. Green is adept at drawing in readers who are unfamiliar with the subject, while also writing insightfully for experts in the field. Her discussion of the sociological and managerial literature is the best I have read."--Martha Chamallas, author of Principles of Employment Discrimination Law