Jodi Picoult · Small Great Things (2016)

author’s note

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About four years into my writing career, I wanted to write a book about racism in the United States. I was drawn to a real-life event in New York, when a black undercover cop was shot multiple times in the back by white colleagues, even though the undercover cop was wearing what was called “the color of the day” – a bracelet intended to allow officers to identify those in hiding. I started the novel, failed and quit. I couldn’t do the theme justice, somehow. I didn’t know what it was like to grow up black in this country and I had trouble creating a fictional character that sounded real.

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fast forward twenty years. once again, she desperately wanted to write about racism. she was uncomfortably aware that when white authors spoke about racism in fiction, it was usually historical. And again, what right did I have to write about an experience I hadn’t had? on the other hand, if I had only written what I knew, my career would have been short and dull. I grew up white and privileged class. for years I had done my homework and research, using extensive personal interviews to channel the voices of people I wasn’t: men, teenagers, suicide bombers, battered wives, rape victims. what led me to write those stories was my indignation and my desire to give these narratives time to air, so that those who had not lived them would become aware. why was writing about a person of color different?

because the race is different. racism is different, it’s tense and it’s hard to discuss, and as a result we often don’t.

then i read a news story about an african american nurse in flint, michigan. She had worked in labor and delivery for over twenty years, and then one day the father of a baby asked to see her supervisor. he asked that this nurse, and those who look like her, not touch her baby. he turned out to be a white supremacist. the supervisor put the patient’s request on file, and a group of African-American staff sued for discrimination and won. but she got me thinking, and I began to weave a story.

I knew I wanted to write from the point of view of a black nurse, a skinhead father, and a public defender: a woman who, like me and many of my readers, was a well-intentioned white lady. that she would never consider herself a racist. I suddenly knew that she could and would finish this novel. Unlike my first aborted foray, I didn’t write it to tell people of color what their own lives were like. I was writing to my own community, white people, who can easily point to a neo-Nazi skinhead and say she’s a racist…but can’t recognize racism in themselves.

To tell you the truth, I might as well have been describing myself not too long ago. Readers often tell me how much they have learned from my books, but when I write a novel, I also learn a lot. this time, however, I was learning about myself. I was exploring my background, my upbringing, my biases, and I was discovering that I wasn’t as spotless and progressive as I had imagined.

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most of us think that the word “racism” is synonymous with the word “prejudice”. But racism is more than just discrimination based on skin color. it is also about who has institutional power. Just as racism creates disadvantages for people of color that make success harder to achieve, it also creates advantages for white people that make success easier to achieve. it’s hard to see those advantages, let alone recognize them. and I realized that’s why I had to write this book. when it comes to social justice, the role of the white ally is not to be a savior or a fixer. instead, the ally’s role is to find other white people and talk to them to make them see that many of the benefits they have enjoyed in life are a direct result of someone else not having the same benefits. Benefits.

I began my research by sitting down with women of color. Although I knew that peppering people of color with questions is not the best way to educate themselves, I hoped to invite these women into a process, and in return, they gave me a gift: They shared their experiences of what it really feels like to be black. I am still very grateful to these women, not only for tolerating my ignorance, but for being willing to teach me. then i had the pleasure of speaking with beverly daniel tatum, former president of spelman college and renowned racial educator. I read books by Dr. Tatum, Debby Irving, Michelle Alexander, and David Shipler. I signed up for a social justice workshop called Undoing Racism, and walked away crying every night, as the veneer began to peel off what I thought was who I really am.

I then met with two former skinheads to develop a vocabulary of hate towards my white supremacist persona. My daughter Sammy was the one who found Tim Zaal, a former skinhead who had Skyped with her class in high school. Years ago, Tim beat up and left a gay man for dead. after leaving the movement, she started working at the simon weisenthal center talking about hate crimes and one day she realized that the man she had left for dead also worked there. there were apologies and forgiveness, and now, they are friends who talk about their unique experience to groups every week. he too is happily married, now, to a Jewish woman. Frankie Meeink, another former skinhead, works with the Anti-Defamation League. after recruiting hate teams in philadelphia, he now runs harmony through hockey, a program to promote racial diversity among children.

these men taught me that white power groups believe in the separation of races and believe they are soldiers in a racial holy war. they explained how hate group recruiters would target children who are bullied, marginalized, or come from abusive homes. they would distribute anti-white fliers in a white neighborhood and see who responded saying that whites were under attack. then they would go up to those people and tell them you are not alone. the point was to redirect the recruit’s anger toward racism. the violence became a liberation, a mandate. I was also taught that now, most skinhead groups are not gangs seeking violence, but individuals connecting clandestinely. Today, white supremacists dress like ordinary people. they blend together, which is a completely different kind of horror.

When it came time to title this book, I found myself struggling again. many of you who are long-time fans of mine know that this was not the original name of the novel. little big things is a reference to a quote often attributed to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “If I can’t do big things, I can do little things that are great.” but as a white woman, did she have the right to paraphrase these sentiments? Many in the African-American community are sensitive to white people using the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. to reflect his own experience, and for good reason. however, i also knew that both ruth and kennedy have moments in this novel where they do something small that has big and lasting repercussions for others. Furthermore, for many whites just starting down the path of racial self-awareness, dr. the words of the king are often the first step of the journey. his eloquence on a subject most of us find inappropriate to put into words is inspiring and sobering. moreover, although individual changes cannot completely eradicate racism (there are systems and institutions that also need to be overhauled), it is through small acts that racism is perpetuated and partially dismantled. for all of these reasons, and because i hope it will encourage people to learn more about dr. king – I chose this title.

Of all my novels, this book will stand out to me for the radical change it inspired in the way I think about myself, and because it made me aware of the road I still have to travel when it comes to consciousness. racial. . In America, we like to think that the reason we’ve been successful is because we worked hard or were smart. admitting that racism has played a role in our success means admitting that the american dream is not so accessible to everyone. A social justice educator named Peggy McIntosh has pointed to some of these advantages: having access to jobs and housing, for example. walk into a random barber shop and find someone who can cut your hair. Buy dolls, toys, and children’s books that feature people of your race. get a promotion without anyone suspecting it’s because of your skin color. ask to speak to someone in charge, and be directed to someone of your race.

When researching this book, I asked white mothers how often they discussed racism with their children. some said occasionally; some admitted they never discussed it. when I asked black mothers the same question, they all said, every day.

I have come to realize that ignorance is also a privilege.

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so what have I learned that is useful? well, if you’re white, like me, you can’t get rid of the privilege you have, but you can use it for good. don’t say “I don’t even notice the race!” like it’s a good thing. Instead, recognize that differences between people make it harder for some to cross the finish line, and create fair pathways to success for everyone who accommodates those differences. educate yourself. If you think someone’s voice is being ignored, tell others to listen. If your friend makes a racist joke, call them out instead of humoring them. If the two former skinheads I met can have such a complete change of heart, I’m sure ordinary people can too.

I expect rejection of this book. I will have people of color challenge me for choosing a topic that does not belong to me. I will have white people challenge me for calling them out on their racism. Trust me, I didn’t write this novel because I thought it would be fun or easy. I wrote it because I thought it was the right thing to do and because the things that make us most uncomfortable are the ones that teach us what we all need to know. as roxana robinson said, “a writer is like a tuning fork: we respond when something hits us… if we are lucky we will transmit a strong, pure note that is not ours, but that goes through us.” To black people reading great and small things: I hope I have listened well enough to those in your community who have opened their hearts to me so that I can accurately represent their experiences. and for white people reading big little things: we are all works in progress. personally, I don’t have the answers and I continue to evolve daily.

there is a fire and we have two options: we can turn our backs or we can try to fight it. yes, talking about racism is hard to do, and yes, we got the words wrong, but we who are white need to have this discussion amongst ourselves. because then even more of us will listen and then, I hope, the conversation will spread.

I’ve read great little things and I want to do something. aid?!

I am not a social justice educator, so I can only offer advice as someone who is still in the process. The first thing I can tell you is what you should not do:

1. don’t say you’re colorblind. that ignores the impact racism has had on others.
2. don’t say “well, I’m gay/jewish/female… I’m also a minority!” again, this robs people of the color of their narratives.
3. don’t say “I have black friends!” assumes that one person represents the entire race. and FYI, if you don’t sit down and talk about racism with that black friend of yours, you’re not a real friend.
4. don’t assume you have to be in every conversation about race. it’s okay to be left out and give the floor and the microphone to leaders within the black community.
5. don’t be a savior. your job is not to come to a community to “fix” it. your job is to say, “do you need help? if so, what would you like me to do?”
6. don’t say “all lives matter!” yes, of course all lives matter. but it’s like going to the doctor with a broken arm, and he says, “all bones matter!” true, but just at that moment you need to fix the broken one. all lives cannot matter until the kind that is threatened daily is no longer a pressing problem. for this reason, black lives matter.

what you should do:

1. knows the difference between equal and equitable. same means the same. equitable means fair. If you had a blind student in your classroom, would you give them a written test? no, you would give him one in braille with the same material. Similarly, it is important to realize that because people of color may be disadvantaged (in health care, jobs, education), the playing field needs to be leveled so that success is fair and possible for all.
2. educate yourself. It’s not the job of people of color to teach you their history. sure, you know martin luther king jr, and rosa parks. do you know who is henry ossian flipper? lewis latimer?
3. i feel uncomfortable. put yourself in a position where you are not the majority in the room. you may feel uncomfortable, but then again, comfort is a privilege, not a right. and people of color often don’t feel comfortable.
4. watch your tailwinds. challenge your uncle when he tells a racist joke at thanksgiving. if he is in a meeting and notices that white men do the most talking, he suggests that he listen to someone whose voice has not yet been heard.
5. talk to those who look like you. One advantage of being white is having access to places that are mostly filled with white people. talk about race there, even if there are no people of color around. make people recognize and understand their privilege.

6. read authors of color »

   A really easy way to start challenging implicit racism is to look at your bookshelf. who are you reading? For each white author, be sure to choose an author of color to read next: Colson Whitehead, Octavia Butler, Celeste Ng, Nicola Yoon, Jesmyn Ward, Toni Morrison, Jacqueline Woodson, Ta-Nehesi Coates, nnedi okurafor, jason reynolds, nic stone, walter mosley, zadie smith, roxane gay, christina henriquez, jhumpa lahiri, amy tan, junot diaz, sabaa tahir, issa rae, tracy k smith, chimamanda ngozi adiche, edwidge danticat, lisa see, sherman alexie, ellen oh, sandra cisneros… still??

   a really cool little mnemonic device is one i stole from kayla reed, a black activist on twitter: ally: a (always center those affected), l (listen and learn from those who live in oppression, l(impoverish your privilege), and(give the word).

   Finally, if you have the time or money, consider donating to a group like Black Lives Matter, Participate in Racial Justice, Race Forward, or a local community group that promotes racial justice.

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