Part III, Ladder to the Light, A Series of Hinged Turning Points, Chapter 9, Mirrors and Windows Summary and Analysis

One day in a faculty meeting, Williams complains that she needs support from the faculty to deal with racism. They tell her to laugh it off, not to take it too seriously, and to not give it power. Williams feels however that this attitude betrays the seriousness of racism and that instead of depriving racism of its power, we should give power to those suppressed by it. While Williams attends the Sounds of Silence Conference where she is asked to speak about the social construction of race and black rape, her mind returns to the case of Tawana Brawley.

Tawana Brawley, an African American girl from Wappinger, New York is raped...