An unflinching exploration of the challenges mixed-race people face in family and intimate relationships, The Racism of People Who Love You blends memoir, cultural criticism, and theory in one unique and important book. Dr. Samira Mehta reflects on growing up the biracial child of a white American and a South Asian immigrant. Popular belief assumes that mixedness gives an individual the ability to feel at home in more than one culture, but the flipside shows that this can leave people feeling just as alienated in those spaces

Through seven candid yet generous essays, Mehta examines authenticity and belonging, cultural inheritance, mentorship, and the racism of people who love you.

The Racism of People Who Love You: Essays on Mixed Race Belonging is available for purchase.

Dr. Samira K. Mehta is an associate professor of women and gender studies and of Jewish studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research and teaching focus on the intersections religion, culture, and gender, including the politics of family life and reproduction in the United States. Her first book, Beyond Chrismukkah: The Christian-Jewish Blended Family in America, was a National Jewish book award finalist. Mehta’s upcoming book, God Bless the Pill: The Surprising History of Contraception and Sexuality in Religious America will be available for purchase on April 14, 2026. Connect with Dr. Mehta online at samiramehta.com and on Twitter @samirakmehta.

General accessibility information is available here. Email williams@emanueldenver.org with questions.

Presented as part of our Jewish Women's Voices author series. Everyone is welcome!