Blog – Nanette D. Massey

Toaster Settings Killed The Radio Star

The 1999 film Magnolia is an ambitious story about an ensemble cast of characters, each having a very bad day of their own without knowing their trials are all interconnected. One line weaves ominously throughout: “we might be through with the past, but it ain’t through with us.” William Faulkner’s novel Requiem for a NunContinue reading “Toaster Settings Killed The Radio Star”

“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?”

“We did everything…” from the book Lord Of The Flies by William Golding 1954 I saw a post on Facebook that read “if black and brown children are old enough to experience racism, white children are old enough to learn about it.” In Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility, her whole premise is that white peopleContinue reading ““We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?””

Yay, A Vaccine (?)

Some of my white friends might be hearing a lot of chatter these days that’s new for them about an unusual number of black people harboring a peculiar mistrust about the arrival of our long awaited coronavirus wonder drug. On 12/14/20, the first television image of an American taking a vaccine approved to fight theContinue reading “Yay, A Vaccine (?)”

“#Racial Learning Groups So White”

In response to a piece that appeared in the Rochester Beacon newspaper. To echo what Howard said, I am finding that too many white folks are in fact relying on all white spaces for all their racial learning. A slew of studies show that 75% of white folks in the US report only having regularContinue reading ““#Racial Learning Groups So White””

Coronavirus in “Black & White”

These days, happily, a disproportionate amount of my energy is going into 1.) staring at the new treadmill I bought while I go all in on another bowl of Breyer’s collaboration with Snickers candy bar (this ice cream is the dairy equivalent to crack, if you’ve never had it before do yourself a favor and leaveContinue reading “Coronavirus in “Black & White””

Saying the Wrong Thing–Building Up YourRacial Stamina

video from Sunday 5/17 90 minutes

What people are saying about my Sunday webinar series–

“YES!!! THIS is the conversation I was looking for!” Sonja N “I just attended Nanette’s first online workshop. The discussion of ‘White Women’s Tears’ was eye opening. We were challenged toContinue reading “What people are saying about my Sunday webinar series–”

Howard’s Way

So I got an email Sunday morning from Howard J. Eagle of Rochester, N.Y., accusing me and a list of others of “race hustling.” That afternoon I was hosting a paid-access virtual meeting (which I will be doing every Sunday until we’re let back out of our homes) discussing white privilege and fragility and hadContinue reading “Howard’s Way”

The N-word: To Be Or NOT To Be?

I undertook an hour’s drive to a suburb of Rochester, N.Y., the other day. The Greece school district was inviting all comers to a most improbable congress; an open forum on the use of the word “nigger.” Yep, you read that right. A local friend gave me a little background explaining that this particular townContinue reading “The N-word: To Be Or NOT To Be?”

“Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway

In Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow, she told the story of a black youth who came to her, as a lawyer for the ACLU, complaining he was being targeted and framed by local police. He had stacks of paper, dates, reports, evidence, but Alexander didn’t believe him. At this early stage in herContinue reading ““Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway”