I saw a protest sign, held by a white woman, that touched on how I feel. Her sign read “I understand that I will never understand, and I stand with you.”
For as long as I’ve been alive I’ve believed in equality, I’ve thought things like skin color didn’t matter if it didn’t matter to me. But gone are the days of me foolishly sticking my head in the clouds and skipping through life while gleefully saying “One Human Family” as if that makes any goddamn difference.
I cannot pretend to comprehend the degree of terror black people feel in this country on any given day. Hell, every single day. I’m white and a woman. And that means two things: I can go anywhere and do just about anything without being questioned and I also have the uncanny ability to make just about anything about me. And because I’m aware of these things, I’ve been struggling with what to say - and more importantly, what to do. My process is flawed and humble, but here’s what I’ve figured out so far.
Those with privilege must educate ourselves. We all need to acknowledge and understand the significant impact of passive and systemic racism. While we may not be racists, my god have we got much to learn. We can watch documentaries, read highly regarding books, and listen to speeches, testimonies, and podcasts by those who are qualified to speak on racism and our role in dismantling it.
We can donate to organizations that further the mission of racial equality, like the Black Lives Matter movement and the ACLU. Remember, equal rights for others does not mean less rights for us.
To connect on a human level, we should look for ways to expand our physical and virtual communities to include people of different races, ethnicities, beliefs, and backgrounds by joining various groups and participating in volunteer activities.
We must hold our legislators accountable for implementing reform. The only way to accomplish this is by making specific demands of our current legislators and then following through with our votes should they refuse to listen to their constituents.
Lastly, we should use our new understanding to help teach others. One way we can inspire others to broaden or change their perspectives is by calling out instances of racism when we see it. If we don’t, our silence is our complicity.
It is the murders of countless black lives* and Black Lives Matter movement that have launched this demand for change, but it was our privileged white ancestors who set these standards in motion to begin with. And personally I feel that means it is our responsibility to see to it this mess ends now.
*George Floyd, Eric Garner, Treyvon Martin, Natasha McKenna, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, so, so many more.
… because we need to say their names.
… because we need to say their names.
