Here are 22 Situations that Characters in “Dear White People” Experienced That I Haven’t Since I’m White

Image courtesy of ONE Media’s YouTube video

Violence against Black people has been used since the time of slavery in the U.S. to oppress Black people. Even though the violence against them has become more visible recently, that doesn’t mean violence in its various forms wasn’t a rampant issue throughout the past couple centuries.

We white people have a responsibility to educate ourselves and be allies to the best of our ability. To start, I suggest watching “Dear White People,” a powerful and humorous show on Netflix. After watching the first volume yesterday, here are 22 experiences Black people have that I witnessed on this show. I’m noting these experiences because as white people, we don’t experience them whereas they’re commonplace for Black people to experience.

1. Black people are forced into or Photoshopped onto group pictures at colleges to make it seem like the college is more diverse in admissions brochures. This happens even at schools that pride themselves on “diversity.”
2. Black people are called upon to lead class discussions on slavery and other racial topics. In addition, by nearly always being one of few Black people in class, they are often put on the spot and singled out by professors and teachers — further contributing to a sense of “otherness”…