“When we take a gender-only lens, and don’t have race at the center…our understanding of feminism is inevitably mapped onto white supremacy.”  —Jessie Daniels

In a nation deeply divided by race, the “Karens” of the world are easy to villainize. But in her book Nice White Ladies: The Truth about White Supremacy, Our Role in It, and How We Can Help Dismantle It, Jessie Daniels addresses the unintended complicity of even well-meaning white women — and reveals how their everyday choices harm communities of color. Daniels considers a feminism that pushes women of color aside, and a wellness industry that insulates white women in a bubble of their own privilege.

Charting a better path forward, Daniels looks to the white women who fight neo-Nazis online and in the streets, and who challenge all-white spaces, from workplaces to schools to neighborhoods. In the end, she shows how her fellow white women can work toward true equality for all.

On May 12, Daniels discussed her book and its implications at Data & Society’s Network Book Forum series, with Mutale Nkonde, founder and CEO of AI for the People and a 2018–2019 D&S fellow; and Sareeta Amrute, D&S principal researcher and Race and Tech program director.