Tired of Being Let Down
I want to start this post off with an oft-cited quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. because I think it really strikes at the heart of what I have been feeling for a while. It is from his brilliant “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” which is worth a full examination. You can read it here in its entirety. The quote goes as follows:
First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
What King is saying here, among other things, is that the greatest threat to Black progress is not the cross-burning racist or the Klansman but your everyday, average white person. The kind of person who might agree that discrimination exists and that it’s bad but does nothing about it other than post memes on Facebook because anything else causes discomfort. I know lots of these kinds of white people. And while I don’t expect everyone to grab a sign and join the BLM protest line, there is a lot for white people to do beyond that.
First, you can educate yourself about the situation you find yourself in. Or rather, the situation our white ancestors have deliberately created to maintain their supreme position in our society. America might be The Great Experiment but it isn’t an accident. Learning about how we got here is a good first step towards understanding how we can get ourselves to a better place.
Second, you can vote for and support people who talk honestly about our racial circumstances. Someone like Cori Bush, from St. Louis as an example, who was recently the target of online hate by people who were upset about this tweet:
Nothing she said here isn’t true. Our country does exist upon stolen land. That’s not me saying that, it’s the Supreme Court. We’re in hock to the tune of about a BILLION dollars to just one tribe. And that’s only one case. Furthermore, to say that the 4th of July is about freedom for ALL misses the point entirely. Empty words are easy to speak. Simply saying “everyone is free” does nothing. I’m not sure what you’d call it when a group of people is systematically discriminated against in almost every facet of life. The police stop, arrest, and jail Black people at a disproportionately higher rate than whites. Only 23% of congresspeople are ethnic or racial minorities, out-of-balance with the population as a whole. Employment and educational opportunities exist for whites that do not for minorities. In more than a dozen states, you can still be fired or denied work for being gay.
Freedom is a lot more than someone else telling you that you’re free. It is the ability to have a voice in government, to be able to create generational wealth, to be able to live in society without agents of the state harassing and jailing you. It would be wonderful if simply saying “you’re free” actually did the work that is required.
The third thing I would suggest to my fellow whites who want to make racial justice a priority is to confront and educate their friends. If you find yourself at a party and someone tells a joke or says something off-color about Black people, say something to them. Don’t excuse it by saying “oh, that just Mike. That’s how he is. He don’t mean nothing by it.” Bullshit. One of the reasons that supremacy has survived is because of white safe spaces. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll explain.
When white people gather together, absent people of color, there’s a test of sorts that takes place. Usually, it starts with someone, likely a white man, making a slightly cringe-worthy comment or joke about non-whites. Sometimes it’s an impression of how a minority speaks. This is done to test the waters. Are we all cool here? Is this a safe place for white racism? If no one says anything, it usually means things will escalate. If you genuinely care about our brothers and sisters of color, it is your duty to stop it and say something. You must destroy white safe spaces. Nothing good has ever come from them.
I would also suggest diversifying your friend groups. If you work with a person of color, ask them to grab a drink after work one day. They might not accept the invitation (which is fine) but make an effort to have more than just white people in your circle of friends. This isn’t about tokenism or collecting people of color like Pokemon but having a multiracial group of people you care about will do wonders to your understanding of the world. Listen to them when they talk but be careful not to use them as educational resources. If you have questions about race, Google it. Black folks aren’t here to cleanse your ignorance. And if you cross a line or say something that hurts them, apologize! I’ve messed up before. It’s OK to admit to mistakes when it comes to stuff like this. Ignorance can be defeated through love and listening.
Lastly, it is important that we educate children about our past. Only by learning from past mistakes can we hope to avoid them in the future. The notion that America was perfect when founded and needed no fixes is defeated by the existence of almost two dozen amendments to the Constitution. In 1776, there was one group of people granted freedom and power: white men. And it largely stayed that way for two centuries. The Founders, the vast majority of which owned slaves, might not have liked it but they did little to change it.
The recent scaremongering happening around “Critical Race Theory” is nothing but hype and an excuse to re-write American history. If you think you know what CRT is and didn’t go to college, then trust me, you don’t. It’s a highly advanced thing to teach and there is no way for second graders to understand it. But if you DO think CRT is equivalent to teaching children about racial justice, inequality, and systemic supremacy, then you’re a confused white person.
As more and more people have been ginned up against the evils of CRT, it has become clear that these folks don’t understand what it is. Teaching children things that make whites uncomfortable is necessary to gain any kind of progress. In some states, legislatures have banned teaching anything that includes slavery, inequality, and the mention of the civil rights movement of the 60s. In Tennesee, when asked what parts of the curriculum the white parents objected to, they responded. Here is a sampling:
To the people who object to Ruby Bridges’ account of her own journey, allow me to ask you one question. If it were not white people subjecting her to racial hatred then who was it? I look at the photos from that time and I don’t see anyone but white people. See for yourself:
Or how about the hate faced by the so-called “Little Rock Nine” when they tried to go to a school they had every right to attend?
Our history is full of examples like this. To deny it is to deny history, our shared history. It is vital that children understand all of it, even at the expense of the comfort of the moderate white.
I want to close by telling a personal story. Last weekend we attended a cookout hosted by our friends. They happen to be Black. They have two beautiful children, both girls, who have the most incredible personalities and souls. I was watching them play around an inflatable sprinkler, running and laughing without a care in the world. It was adorable.
But then I had a moment that hit me so hard I had to leave the party for a moment to collect myself. I was overcome with grief and sadness for these two children. Because they are young and have involved, caring parents, they are protected from what America will eventually show them. It is something that white parents never have to worry about. And, sadly, it is inevitable. At some point in their futures, they are all but guaranteed to experience prejudice and racism. These two innocent girls will someday be shown the worst of our country.
I was at turns furious and overcome with sadness. Angry because the very same people who inflict this kind of pain upon innocents will never have to face it themselves. White parents do not have to worry about someone refusing their children work because of their hair, their name, or their vernacular. Instead, supremacy has protected their white children and ensured them a life free from racial prejudice. Because of this, they do not think that systemic racism even exists and if it does, it isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. “Things are a lot better,” they might say, which is the equivalent of saying “I used to punch you ten times a day, now it’s only three.” Is that really progress?
Everywhere I go in Minnesota, I am reminded of how much white people have. From possessions like cars, homes, cabins, boats, and RVs to wealth like property, businesses, and political influence (which I think is a form of wealth), white people have SO MUCH. That is not an accident. It isn’t because white folks work harder or have better brains. It’s because the system from which we benefited for generations was designed to make it happen.
Like Dr. King, I too am most worried about the moderate white and their lack of impact upon progress. I am also so very tired of being let down by my fellow whites. What more evidence do we need to finally start making real change? Our brothers and sisters of color have been telling us what reality is for decades. And yet, we continue to ignore them and do nothing. Maybe we acknowledge the most egregious examples of racial hatred and say “what a pity” but beyond that? People of color are not held back by the obvious. Unlike most whites, supremacy has learned from history and created new systems in which to prevent upward mobility and progress for them. These are the systems we must confront and strike down.
White people created the cage in which we force our fellow citizens to live. To demand that they dismantle it from within is absurd. We designed the world they live in and only we can change it. We must be the ones to tear down the bars. Progress will only go so far as the moderate whites allow it to.
I, for one, am tired of waiting and being let down by them. It is time for us to change.