I’m not here to guilt you like all the other “Dear White People” articles and tweets you might’ve read.
Dear white people,
As a woman of color, I’m not mad at you for being white. I don’t automatically assume you are racist and “your people” are a oppressive force against communities of color. In fact, if I thought that, I might actually consider myself racist. I’m sorry for how you and your people are portrayed in the media and social media today. Drowning in guilt because of your race is not the way to go, and I’m sorry if you’ve ever been there. Isn’t it funny, the ones who complain most about “racism” are often the ones discriminating against other people because of their race. I understand that you didn’t choose to be white. Before your creation you didn’t request to be white so you can oppress people of color as long as you live on this earth. You didn’t come out of your mother’s womb dripping in privilege and superiority because of your whiteness. You’re a human being, just like the rest of us. Maybe you had privileges growing up, but who am I to say it’s because of your race? You might’ve grown up economically or socially disadvantaged, yet feel you don’t have a right to complain since you are white, because Twitter makes sure you know the person of color always has it worse. I understand that it’s ridiculous (and honestly, not that I care, politically incorrect) to cluster white people into one group as the media tends to do nowadays. Your cultures are so diverse and not limited to this country. I understand you did not own slaves, nor did your parents, or even your grandparents. Perhaps you or your family came to America long after slavery was abolished. Yet here you are, being blamed for crimes you never committed and ideologies you never had. Where is the social justice in that? People of color reading this open letter might think I am brainwashed, or what they call “whitewashed.” They might think I’m not really understanding what goes on or the apparent oppression people of color are inherently subjected to. But, I do. It wasn’t until about a year ago, maybe less, that I truly started to understand race and how it’s impacting the society we live in. I used to believe I was oppressed, and that most white people were racist. To me, a white person was racist until proven not racist (imagine living in a society where you are guilty until proven innocent). After my first semester of college and getting a taste of “the real world”, I soon discovered that racism was existent, if not more prevalent, in communities of color. I guess it started with being an active internet and social media user. I constantly saw things being posted that made me question if the people of color who swore they hated racism were actually doing anything to change it, or change their hearts towards it. A favorite quote of mine by Martin Luther King Jr. says,
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
I began to see how people were trying to defeat hate (whether that hate actually existed or was exaggerated is a post for another day) with more hate. This is exactly what MLK would not want. If by some miracle he came to America right now, I think he would be severely disappointed with us. All of us. White people and people of color. It’s disappointing that from all the social justice initiatives that have been sparked over the last few years, we don’t really have much to show for it.
Dear white people, please do not let anyone make you feel guilty or ashamed of your race. Truth be told, if you were to treat them with the same contempt they treat you with regarding race, they would call you racist. Your feelings are valid too, and I’m sorry people of color have been unwilling to hear you out, as being white seems to instantly discredit your voice on topics of social justice. But, like my mom says, “Truth is truth no matter where you find it.” We will continue to be a divided society until we start listening to each other, and that goes for both sides. It shouldn’t be whites against color or color against whites. At the end of the day, we’re all equal, and I’m sorry the ones demanding equality are the first to abuse it.
