Mansfield's Effie James has written his first book, 'Culture Blind'
What you see isn't always what you get.
That's the message Effie James wants people to receive from his first book, "Culture Blind."
James is a leading member of the Black community in Mansfield. He was a star athlete at Mansfield Senior High School and later returned to coach football and boys basketball.
In 2022, he directed a play he wrote called "The Family Matters." Part of the message dealt with race relations.
"Culture Blind" is a natural extension of James' work.
"A lot of it is based on the consulting work that I do," he said. "The unique thing about this book is it's written from my own personal perspective."
In 2019, James started a consulting company called James I Inc. It provides professional development training and workshops for school staff and businesses in the areas of cultural awareness, at-risk youth engagement and dangers of substance abuse.
"Because I'm a writer, in the last year or two, I took a lot of my notes and pulled it all together," James said. "I think it could help people see what cultural awareness really is.
"It's basically seeing people beyond what you see. To me, it's about not judging people on what we see or what we think we know of their culture."
Of the title of his book, he said, "It's kind of a play on colorblind. We blind ourselves with our own biases and stereotypes. We need to know people as individuals."
James spoke by phone from Washington, D.C. He is there with a group of Mansfield Senior students.
As coordinator of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, he helps students plan for life after graduation.
James wrote book from his perspective
James promises his book is not a dry resource tome.
"I really enjoyed writing it because I get a chance to be me," he said.
As a Black man, James said he is often stereotyped. For example, he says many people are surprised he loves the arts and writing.
"It's not just a Black experience," he said. "We as Black people can do that, too. Being culture blind can apply to everyone."
James said avoid culture blindness needs to start at home.
"We have to go neighborhood by neighborhood, community by community," he said.
James said it could be as simple as saying hello to neighbors or introducing yourself to a person on the street.
"It may be a utopian way of thinking, but that's the way I see it," he said.
In "Culture Blind," James explores "a full gamut of topics," including cultural sensitivity and the effects of slavery on cultural awareness.
He credits his wife, Teresa, with pushing him to write the book, a process he called scary.
"I'm horrible at promoting myself. This is hard for me," James said. "This is just not a comfortable place for me."
He will hold a book signing from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at Relax, It's Just Coffee, 105 N. Main St.
"When people read this book, I want them to see there is no mountaintop for being a better person," James said. "We could all treat people better."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield OH author Effie James publishes first book, 'Culture Blind'
