This qualitative study examines the white racial literacy of white educators working in multi-racial institutions of higher learning. As institutional actors in positions of power, white faculty and administrators have responsibility for distributing educational resources and setting institutional priorities. Understanding the racial literacy of these educational leaders is, therefore, crucial for understanding the pathways (and pitfalls) to implementing critical multiculturalism in higher education. Based on interviews with thirty white-identified faculty, staff, and administrators, this paper describes and analyses the 'defensive moves' and 'counter-moves' made by white educators working in predominantly white-run multiracial minority-majority educational institutions. This analysis centres on two of the most frequent 'defensive moves' enacted by white educators and pairs each with a 'counter-move' that "in their effect" have the potential to transform white racist and racialized moments into libratory ones. Article concludes with implications of findings for critical multiculturalism.