Silencing White Noise

Six Practices to Overcome Our Inaction on Race

De: Willie Dwayne Francois III

Narrado por: Willie Dwayne Francois III

Racism is omnipresent in American life, both public and private. We are immersed in what prominent Black church leader Willie Dwayne Francois III calls white noise—the racist speech, ideas, and policies that lull us into inaction on racial justice. White noise masks racial realities and prevents constructive responses to microaggressions, structural inequality, and overt interpersonal racism.

In this book, Francois calls people of all racial backgrounds to take up practices that overcome silence and inaction on race and that advance racial repair. Drawing from his anti-racism curriculum, the Public Love Organizing and Training (PLOT) Project, Francois encourages us to move from a "colorblind" stance and mythic innocence to one that takes an honest account of our national history and acknowledges our complicity in racism as a prelude to anti-racist interventions.

Weaving together personal narrative, theology, and history, this book invites us to engage six "rhythms of reparative intercession." These are six practices of anti-racism that aim to repair harm by speaking up and "acting up" on behalf of others. Silencing White Noise offers concrete ways to help people wrest free from the dangers of racism and to develop lifelong Christian anti-racist practices.

©2022 Willie Dwayne Francois III (P)2022 eChristian

Attention to detail!

Willie D. Francois III’s White Noise: How White Supremacy, Culture, and Misogyny Undermine Black America is a critical and incisive work that challenges readers to confront the ways systemic racism operates under the guise of neutrality. Francois blends theological reflection, historical analysis, and cultural critique to expose the insidious mechanisms through which white supremacy and patriarchy persist, even within progressive spaces.

What distinguishes White Noise is its ability to move beyond mere critique; Francois engages with the subtleties of silence—how whiteness often functions not through overt violence alone but through erasure, deflection, and complacency. He masterfully dissects the ways institutions, including the church, contribute to racial injustice by maintaining a rhetoric of inclusivity while failing to dismantle oppressive structures.

For scholars of race, religion, and social justice, Francois’ work is particularly valuable. He does not merely theorize about oppression but offers a praxis-oriented approach, calling for intentional disruption of systemic inequities. His engagement with Black liberation theology and womanist thought adds depth to his argument, ensuring that White Noise is not just an academic exercise but a call to action.

Francois’ writing is rigorous yet accessible, making this book an essential read for scholars, activists, and faith leaders committed to dismantling the myth of post-racial America. White Noise is both unsettling and necessary—an urgent reminder that silence is complicity and that true justice requires more than performative allyship.