This paper delves into the responses of two preservice teachers (PTs) in a book club on children's literature depicting activism and critical social issues. Through multiple sessions of reading, reflecting on, and discussing activism in various picturebooks, the PTs grappled with their own beliefs and connections to activism. Employing Bahktin's theory of authoritative discourse(s) and a lens of #CurriculumSoWhite, we examine how the two PTs navigated the discourses of neutrality and apolitical teaching with an imposing discourse around activism in education. These frames together highlight the pervasiveness of whiteness in education. Findings indicate how the PTs engaged in the zone of conflict and created their own discourse of being a "good" teacher in both these spaces. While trying to save face in the imposing discourse of activism, the study amplifies the pervasive presence of whiteness in teaching and teacher education, unveiling how PTs navigate or appeal to these discourses in their reflections. The significance of this research lies in highlighting the complex negotiation of authoritative discourses and the implications for fostering transformative pedagogies centered around activism and critical social issues in the classroom. It underscores the need for longitudinal work in fostering communities of teachers prepared to challenge authoritative discourses of whiteness and embrace justice-oriented pedagogies.