Two Questions for White People in America

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll just ask, Why is it so difficult for white people to acknowledge White People’s role in the demise of Black People? Why do black people get called ‘lazy’ when your white ancestors stood around watching us work? I mean, the pathology of thinking you can actually OWN another person has yet to be addressed. No one wants to talk about slavery. “That was so long ago”, I hear. The reality is, the dismissal of the consequences of slavery is a form of avoiding responsibility. I’m guessing that you, personally, didn’t own slaves. And maybe your direct ancestors, didn’t own slaves. But unless your ancestors were active abolitionists, they were passive enablers (thanks, Kate) and that’s messed up. YES, White People, your ancestors (collectively) jacked my ancestors up. The system they created was broken then, it is still broken now, it needs to be fixed, and YES, you need to help to fix it (all these years later).

I can certainly appreciate desegregated workplaces, businesses, churches, schools, hospitals, etc. The extent of the damage, however, is not just in access. Access, I believe, was the fight of the former generation. But for this generation, my generation, we’ve grown up together. We’ve been in each other’s spaces. This proximity has led some to believe that systemic and structural racism no longer exist. Quite the contrary. I mean, what exactly is psychological impact of being considered America’s dirt? W.E.B. Dubois’ called it “double consciousness” — the psychological challenge of reconsidering an African heritage with a European upbringing in slavery and education.

White People took us from our native land, language, family, religion, education, economy, tradition, and brought us here for generations of servitude, under the constant threat of violence, to a nation with no personal benefit or gain. And yet, we continue to get blamed, en masse, for the manifestations of instability in our communities. It’s like having your car stolen, then being blamed for not having a way to get around. Blamed for not being able to afford a new one. Accused of causing “division” by talking about it at all, or asking for your car back, or wanting compensation for its worth. Loosely fictionalized:

Black People: You stole my car.

White People: Let’s not talk about that.

Black People: Um…can I have my car back?

White People: Stop begging. You’re a low life…always wanting a handout.

Black People: Stop playing. I really want my car.

White People: Why? That was a long time ago. Can’t you find another way to get around? We’ve done it.

Black People: Ok. I’ll just tell the authorities you stole my car.

White People: How do we even know it was your car? Prove it.

It’s like…this crazy cycle of constantly trying to dig ourselves out of a hole (that your people pushed us into). Constantly trying to prove our lives matter (even though your people didn’t even consider us to BE people). Constantly trying to speak, act, do in a manner that makes you comfortable (because your people are in charge…of everything).

And it’s exhausting.

I heard a white celebrity ask recently, “What more do black people want?” I am certainly no representative of all black people. What I want, is for resources to continue to be directed toward the building up of things that slavery tore down. Is there any way to ever fully measure the generational reach of dismembering a people? A culture? A history? How much longer IS it going to take? I have no idea. What I do know, is that White People (still) benefit from the nearly 300 years of enslaving us, contributing to the overall health and wealth of this nation. And rather than receiving a return on that investment, Black People continue to be oppressed in new ways.

Will you help to make a difference?

In your circles and spheres of influence, acknowledge that Black People helped to make America great. Respect and value black contributions to the American success story. There is no such thing as a self-made man. People need people. Somehow, White People continue to relegate Black People to the margins, the footnotes, of American history, but really, what would (white) America be without us? We are inextricably woven into the fabric of what makes America strong. Not a stage hand, not a supplement, not an accessory.

Support policies and programs that help to restore what was taken (education, healthcare, finances, housing, community, civic participation) and continue to champion access, diversity, and inclusion. Black People didn’t voluntarily venture to America. And it’s not like your ancestors kept accurate records of where we came from even if we wanted to “go back” to our unrecognizable origin. Nonetheless, like any good bridge, social justice requires maintenance to retain its structural integrity. So continue to help. Continue to be a light. Continue to have compassion. And continue to examine practical ways to make up for lost time, bad intentions, and the exploitation of our existence.

Stop pretending racism doesn’t exist. Stop relegating racism to individual racist comments and actions. And please, for the love of God, stop insisting that racial discrimination must be predicated on intent. I know you love black people, have black friends, live around black people, your niece is half-black, your relative married a black person, and so on (that’s great, by the way). On a macro level, however, systems and structures don’t necessarily require discriminatory intent to have discriminatory outcomes or a disproportionate effect. Oppression takes on many forms as those in power go to great lengths to maintain that power, including disenfranchising those who don’t yet realize how incredibly powerful they really are. At the same time, consider that some racial discrimination IS intentional. It serves a purpose. If and when you see it, say something. Call it what it is.

Be mindful. We’re trying to make sense of this mess, too. As we embrace this American ideal, sometimes we need space. Sometimes we need proximity. And what we always need is authenticity. If you don’t like us, if you don’t want us to be successful, if you don’t care whether or not we stay in chains, please just be real about it. Many of us really would rather you be openly against us, than pretend to be for us…or even worse, indifferent. Some of us see the big picture better than others. Some of us navigate this space in ways that are more palatable than others. This can be confusing, I know. But please don’t be surprised when the enlightened mind refuses to sit idly by as your white privilege advances the peril of our black experience.

Finally, by no stretch of the imagination am I suggesting that Black People are absolved from responsibility for the state of Black Americans. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about how to make a difference in the lives of My People. What I am saying, however, is that White People, you are responsible for fixing this too. Supply and demand plus the means of captivity forged a grave error in judgment, a charge against humanity, in a nation founded on the ideals of liberty and equality while simultaneously denying the liberty and freedom of others — the hypocrisy of which is a curse to be dealt with indefinitely.

For those who embrace the challenge, onward.