What white people can do to fight injustice in a pandemic
Quarantining is no excuse not to be an ally
As if living in a global pandemic wasn’t enough, it turns out, we’re also living in a society with systemic, deeply rooted racial injustice. Maybe this is something you’ve been aware of for years, or maybe it’s just coming into your consciousness now. But now that we’re awake to injustice, we need to act.
I’ve heard people critiquing the protests, asking, how can people risk spreading the virus? For Black people, the police pose a more immediate threat to their lives than the virus. Even though that same virus disproportionately kills Black and brown people.
I’ve been feeling helpless, quarantining with a parent who has a preexisting condition. What can I do? I can’t protest and risk infecting my family. I’m not in New York to support my community in person. Maybe you feel the same. It took talking to a Black friend of mine to realize I’m not helpless. None of us are.
White people have disproportionate privilege and power in America. It’s sad but true that more white people speaking up = higher likelihood of change. Imagine if the whole country said we won’t stand for police brutality. We won’t stand for intolerance. We won’t stand for hate. To make this vision a reality, we all need to contribute.
I don’t believe I’m uniquely qualified to speak up about prejudice. I’m a writer and I almost never publicly share my work because I often tell myself, why me? Well, here is why: Black people need our support.
So where do we begin?
Change starts at home
For those of us locked in a house with our relatives, the quarantine has handed us a unique opportunity. There are fewer distractions from injustice. We are forced to reflect.
Start a conversation with your family. You don’t have to be an expert on social justice to make them aware of the facts around the murders and police brutality that reignited the Black Lives Matter movement.
Ask them to imagine being the family of those who were murdered. What if every time you went for a run, or went for a drive, or went for a walk in the park, they were afraid that you might be killed?
If you’re upset and distraught, try to explain to your family how you’re feeling. Your vulnurability will open the door for these kinds of conversations. Racism won’t be solved over one dinner, but telling your family why YOU care will help them understand.
Text your Black friends
While there are no words for the horrors Black people have endured in our country, ignoring those injustices because you don’t know what to say will not help anyone.
You can start just by asking how they feel. Tell them you’re thinking of them. Show solidarity and send them your love. Create a space for them to share and for you to listen. If they don’t want to talk about it, they have that right. If they do, listening is enough. Validate their feelings by showing you care.
A multiracial friend told me that she feels like a mediator. Like she has to explain both sides of this crisis to her white and Black friends. Black people should not have to explain themselves to white people. We cannot place the burden of this work on Black folks. This problem is ours to fix. Don’t ask them to explain why protests turn violent. One person is not the voice of all Black people — and all Black people are not the same. Seek to learn about their individual experience.
Call your white friends
Working at a liberal nonprofit in left-wing NYC, I often think I live in a bubble of white liberalism, where everyone is of the same mind as me and understands the need for social justice. But as we all witnessed with Amy Cooper, just because you’re liberal doesn’t mean you’re immune from racial prejudice.
We need to hold each other accountable. Talk to your friends, and tell them to talk to their friends and family. By making conversations around injustice commonplace, we bring it to the attention of white folks who might not realize there’s still work to do.
If you don’t feel equipped to have these conversations, start reading up and educate yourself about the impact of racism, hate and intolerance in this country. The goal is to help your white friends understand we all have a role to play in fighting bias and racism.
If you have the means, donate to bail funds and social justice initiatives
Many people have been laid off and taken pay cuts, and are cutting back on expenses to try to make up for that loss. If you’re one of those people, I understand this might not be an option for you.
But if you can, this is so important. The nonprofits and initiatives that allow protestors and community organizers and activists to do their work cannot function without funding.
You can look up your local bail fund here. And The Cut compiled a great list of Black justice initiatives to donate to here.
Fill in your knowledge gaps
There are lots of resources circulating around, including anti-racist toolkits and reading lists. I wanted to highlight some podcasts/newsletters I regularly listen to/read that have opened my eyes to systemic inequality:
- Still Processing Podcast
- Pod Save The People Podcast
- Code Switch Podcast
- Baratunde Thurston’s Newsletter
Last but not least: Call your representatives
Now that you’re channeling your power and privilege for good, the next step is to move beyond your inner circle and advocate for policy change. This is the most powerful thing you can do to end police violence and mass incarceration in our country. Do your research on policing and criminal justice reforms. Campaign Zero is a great resource.
President Obama just shared a Medium post on this, where he explains, “the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.” It’s mayors and county executives, district attorneys and state’s attorneys. So make sure to go vote in those elections, too.
One of my favorite TED talks by social psychologist Dolly Chugh tells us our preconceived notions of being a “good person” stop us from actually becoming better. No one is perfect at this, myself included. We ALL have unconscious bias. Which is exactly why we need to check ourselves and hold each other accountable. The journey to justice starts with one.
