Dear White People,
Racism is still alive and well, flowing through the soil of each country built on the foundation of colonisation. Not to mention the countries that are now racist because it’s trendy, and idolised by the capitalist icon, The United States of America. We as people have led ourselves to believe we are a progressive bunch, smiling every time a state decriminalises marijuana or throwing street parties because another country is running on wind power, all of which are crucial factors in our lives, but the truth is none of it matters if we can’t learn to respect one another at the bare minimum. The continuous belief that racism ended with slavery is a fool’s game, and simply enables racism, xenophobia, misogynoir, and all-around hatred to grow and permeate the structure of our society.
More than 150 years since slavery was supposedly abolished, and we are continuing to see its negative impact on the black community. A study by YouGov found that 75% of the black community in America believe that racism has gotten worse under the Trump administration. More frequently are we seeing racist figures rise to power, which allows the sugarcoated racists that exist among us to feel enabled to act out.
Most of us ignore the daily reminders that racism still exists, such as every racist remark made by our fellow white friends, which we justify by calling it ill-humour, we don’t question why every time a white woman sees a black man she clutches her purse, we even allow stereotypes based on ignorance to be broadcast across the world in pop culture. These all may seem like minuscule things but this lack of retaliation creates the perfect environment for racists and white supremecists to thrive in without facing any consequences for their actions. And then we act shocked that cases like Ahmaud Arbery can still take place when we have essentially welcomed this kind of behaviour. There is no use in us only remembering that racism exists only when the thousandth video of a young black man being shot surfaces the internet. Those moments seem to be the only times that our minds wake up the cruel reality of things, but even so, we do nothing.
The Black community accounts for 13.4% of the US population compared to the 76% of white people, and yet, at the end of 2017, federal and state prisons in the United States held about 475,900 inmates who were black and 436,500 who were white – a difference of 39,400. Even if all these absurd stereotypes that are reinforced by the mainstream media about black people committing more crimes were true, these numbers are extremely excessive and a clear indication of institutionalised racism. For as long as the issue of racism remains unrelieved, every new creation and invention by the white man will be based on the same vile values, which exclude the needs of black people, and in some cases work against them.
White people love to shift the blame by saying they are not at fault for the actions of their ancestors, and as correct as they may be, it does not mean it isn’t our responsibility to right their wrong. See, cause we (white people) feel no type of way about the fact that it was our ancestors loafing actions that helped us get a promotion at work over the black man or woman, a cheaper price on a house, a better education, or a lesser chance of being arrested for the same crime a black man would get life in prison for. In times where structural racism and the inequalities set in place by slavery, work in our favour, we accept it into our lives. But the moment we are called upon to use our privilege to change the racist social narrative that exists, we claim it has nothing to do with us. The white man’s attempt to end racism was as futile as putting a plaster on a broken leg.
According to one study by Demos, white families hold 90% of the national wealth, while black families hold 2.6%, cementing the fact that the white man controls the overall public narrative. So those of us (white people) who continue to believe that equality exists just because slavery was abolished further fuel the fire with their ignorance.
Racism and white privilege come hand in hand and no matter how much we try to deny it, they will continue to exist. Now, I understand that some of us don’t wish to employ this privilege but it happens, and rather than sit around and do nothing, we can use it to better the lives of those not as privileged as you, and reverse some of the devastating attitudes towards black people set in place by our predecessors. The next time you’re out and you overhear a white person calling someone the n-word, call them out on it, if you’re at a jury service and you feel as if prejudice is present due to the defendant’s skin colour, say something or if you see misrepresentation in the media, say something. Because unfortunately in the world, we live in the colour of your skin determines not only your social status but also the amount of respect and empathy people show you, so if we (white people) highlight that racial biases still drive our society, it will have more of an impact.
That is why we (white people) need to stop saying #SorryNotSorry and actually do something.
Kind regards,
A Fellow White Person
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