Mark R. Warren

Cambridge Forum is pleased to welcome Harvard sociologist MARK WARREN as he uncovers the dynamic processes through which some white Americans become activists for racial justice in his new book Fire in the Heart.  Warren finds that the motivation to take and sustain action for racial justice is profoundly moral and relational.  What paths have white activists taken to embrace activism?  What challenges have they faced?

Drawing extensively on rich interview material, Mark Warren shows how white Americans can develop a commitment to racial justice, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because they embrace the cause as their own. Contrary to much contemporary thinking on racial issues focused on altruism or interests, Warren finds that cognitive and rational processes alone do little to move whites to action. Rather, the motivation to take and sustain action for racial justice is profoundly moral and relational. Warren shows how white activists come to find common cause with people of color when their core values are engaged, as they build relationships with people of color that lead to caring, and when they develop a vision of a racially just future that they understand to benefit everyone--themselves, other whites, and people of color. Warren also considers the complex dynamics and dilemmas white people face in working in multiracial organizations committed to systemic change in America's racial order, and provides a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role that white people can play in efforts to promote racial justice.