Is Your White Guilt Useless?
How we can mobilise our guilt to dismantle white supremacy
As a white woman, a feeling I am quite familiar with is guilt. Specifically, of course, “White Guilt.” Comedians have long been making jokes about the phenomenon as just something white folks all experience. Anti-racists have long been deeming it useless, too — even harmful.
But what is white guilt, really? And is it completely useless? This is what I have learned from my own experiences of white guilt.
What Is White Guilt and Where Is It Really Coming From?
The best sources to consult here are White Fragility by Robin J DiAngelo and Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. These books have helped me unpack where my white guilt comes from.
One way in which I understand my white guilt is that it is often a means for me to excuse myself from the movement. Of course, I never intentionally deploy this! I’m sure most white folks don’t knowingly say, “I’m going to use my guilt to avoid the issue.”
But often unconsciously, white folks can use their guilt as an excuse not to address their role in upholding white supremacy. For centuries, white folks have had it affirmed that their feelings matter more than that of their Black counterpart, or…
