I want to clarify: Yes, Tolkien often uses the color white as a designation of goodness that is not necessarily tied to race, as in the case of wizard garments. But the idea of whiteness being representative of purity is intertwined with racism, too. We can’t ignore that. https://twitter.com/megannfontenot1/status/1301849457294585856

Honestly, if we have to make convoluted semantic arguments to prove that Tolkien’s work isn’t racist... well, it seems like that might be the biggest clue that we’re deceiving ourselves in order to feel more comfortable about a world and a text that we love.

This doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t still love it and learn from it and share it. We just need to also be honest with ourselves and others about the systems of injustice that it buys into.