To the open-minded, privilege-understanding, coalition-building white people ready to kick out/abandon all of the racists: we need to talk

Lora Mitchell
Jul 10, 2017 · 4 min read

I have seen a trend in conversations and ideologues in the last few days that have struck me in an uncomfortable way.

1. It contends that we have “finally discovered” that problems with this election and conversations about justice, politics, police reform, education…etc. are about race.

- The problem, of course with this “discovery” is almost any person of color could’ve told you that at any given point for the past 400 years. It’s about race.

2. Then the ideologues/think pieces, special reports, opinion articles, proceed to have someone from “that part of America” to explain what we are seeing to the rest of us and what we should do about it.

- Whether “that part” is the South, Middle America, Evangelical Christianity, Rust Belt…etc

- A person from “that culture” explains what it was like being raised there, how good the people are and the core of their beliefs.

- They talk about where those beliefs came from and how they won’t change because…(insert the author’s answers)

The conclusion: don’t focus on them.

3. The answer that is usually given: we need to instead focus on “coalition building” across racial/social/religious/sexuality/identity lines

Here’s my take on this and the problems I see.

1. I believe coalition building is greatly important right now. Numbers matter in fighting for justice.

- It’s imperative for all involved to realize we have an enemy that seeks to destroy the fabric of our society and the people within it.

- It’s name is fear.

- That being said: a true coalition involves all voices in the coalition being heard and having seats at the table. It takes listening and working together.

2. As important as coalition-building is, for white people, you have an additional task: you need to start/continue to talk to your “racists” people.

- This is imperative in ways I can’t describe. One of the problems I have with many of the think pieces I mentioned above is that they try to isolate racism to a specific part of the country. That is a lie.

- On every coast and in every corner of American society, systemic and individual racism exists.

- The other reality of racism is that it is taught and embedded within families and communities by people we love.

- That will be the only way to break its power as well.

- This is why the “lets not focus on them” idea, at least for white people is not a good idea and is actually dangerous for rest of us.

Silence around issues of race is how we got to the point where so many are “surprised” by the rise in hate crimes and normalization of hate speech. “Not focusing on them” is how many of the most extreme groups were able to recruit and develop while “the world wasn’t watching”.

You need to have conversations with your family members and friends. You are the only ones who can. They fear people like me. They still love you.

Your grandma who clutches her purse when a black man walks by will not listen to my analysis of why that’s wrong and based in fear. She will tell me “I’m not a racist. You’re race-baiting. Leave me alone.” And move on with her life. She might though listen to you explain it.

Your cousin who is planning the black-face party at her college for Halloween/Homecoming is not trying to hear me explain the history of black-face/appropriation. She will tell me it is all in good fun, no big deal, and get over it because she is not a racist. She voted for Obama.

Your Papaw/best friend who would just as quickly kill me as they would spit on the ground is not going to have a heart-to-heart with me. But since they have pictures of you in their wallet and are proud of you, they may let you talk to them about why violence against others is wrong, especially when based on identity.

Your banker father, police officer uncle/aunt, your school admissions family friend, your neighbor who always calls the cops, your pastor. The people in your communities, whether your current or former, are statistically more likely to listen to you than me in matters of race and other isms because those are the very places and people where we learn ideas, assumptions, and practices of how to treat others in the first place: homes, schools, communities.

If you truly have become “woke” to the issues going on in the world around us, it is imperative for the lives of people of color, women, and LGBTQ people that you speak up to the people you know and speak truth to power about the truth and experiences of those people in your spaces.

Many of us are too busy grieving, counting our dead, coming up with next steps, preparing our children for an uncertain world, trying to stay sane and keep our dignity, to have conversations we know won’t go anywhere.

You have better chances and access to those producing these actions of violence than we do.

Use that access for change.

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