Demystifying Diversity: Embracing our Shared Humanity

The power of personal stories in contentious culturally diverse interactions is paramount in Daralyse Lyons’ Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity, as she invites readers to do the hard work of enhancing self-awareness and countering long- and firmly held biases. Throughout the book, Lyons models the self-scrutiny required in advancing antiracism and social justice beyond polite platitudes. As a biracial woman raised by a White mother, Lyons delves into the complexity of racial identity in the U.S. to interrogate the supremacy of the Black-White binary in racial discourse.

During a time when the call for racial reckoning highlights the experiences of Black Americans amid widespread systemic racism, Lyons reminds readers about the many fronts in the perpetual battle against institutional discrimination and disenfranchisement. Lyons confronts the divisive rhetoric encouraged by the Trump administration, giving rise to White Nationalism and its grievances against Black Americans, LGBTQIA+, Muslims, people with disabilities, undocumented immigrants, among others. Lyons shares powerful narratives telling heartfelt and painful stories of hate and oppression. She offers actionable templates for how people should interrupt everyday microaggressions and exclusionary attitudes. In her call-to-action, Lyons encourages more of us to develop “upstander” skills, as people empowered to actively use our privilege to take a stand against oppression, toward justice and equity.