White Women Wake Up
White Woman Wake Up is a podcast where two white women from different generations come together to have honest, multi-generational conversations about how we, as white women, can awaken our own cultural biases and challenge the status quo. Through authentic, vulnerable dialogue—free from shame—we aim to empower ourselves and our listeners to unlearn harmful conditioning, build greater empathy, and embrace new ways of being in the world. We hope to inspire transformative growth by fostering curiosity, learning from one another, and embracing the complexities of our shared and individual experiences.
White Women Wake Up
Who Controls the Story? White Women, Book Bans, and the Battle for Empathy
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In this episode, Karen and Jonelle dig into the rising wave of book bans and why they matter for anyone committed to waking up. Using their own childhood favorites and foundational reads as starting points, they explore how stories expand empathy, reveal hidden histories, and interrupt the narrow narratives many white women inherited. But with thousands of books banned in recent years across forty-five states, a small but powerful group is restricting student access to diverse perspectives and reshaping culture through fear and paperwork. The conversation examines how book bans confuse opinion with fact, silence marginalized voices, and weaken our ability to understand systems of oppression. Karen and Jonelle ask what is truly at stake when stories about race, gender, grief, and identity disappear from classrooms and libraries, and how white women can step into deeper responsibility for protecting access to truth and representation.
Calls to Action
- Choose a banned book to read this month and share one insight that expanded your empathy.
- Ask your local school board or library how book challenges are handled and how you can support equitable access.
- Talk with a friend or family member about a book that shaped your worldview and why its story still matters today.
We would love to hear from you! Contact us at hello@whitewomenwakeup.com
