Me and White Supremacy : Day 4 Journal Questions
I’m leading a group discussion circle on “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla F. Saad. I’m taking the journaling challenge daily throughout February even though I’m not white. If you happen to be white, why not take the challenge? If I can do it, you can do it too.
Day 4 Questions (from the text):
1. How have you stayed silent when it comes to race and racism?
2. What types of situations elicit the most white silence from you?
3. How has your silence been complicit in upholding racist behavior?
4. How do you benefit from white silence?
5. Whom in your life do you harm with your white silence?
- — -
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must — at that moment — become the center of the universe”
- Elie Weisel
“One either allows racism to persevere, as a racist,
or confronts racial inequities as an anti-racist.
There is no inbetween safe space of ‘not racist’.”
- Ibram X. Kendi
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
- MLK Jr.
Oh boy. If there’s one greatest impediment to the advancement of racial equity, this is the one.
Notice that in the personal example that Saad gives, the excuse her former friend gives is that she felt her support wasn’t needed. That the other black women were enough to support her. I’m here to tell you firsthand that there is no such thing as too much support.
I’ve known people to use their whiteness as an excuse to step back from antiracism work. Figuring that it isn’t their lane to speak or not their charge to lead — that BIPOC should take charge of defining what antiracism looks like and how it manifests. While that sentiment is not entirely off base, too many times I’ve seen it used as an excuse for inaction. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again — if BIPOC could on our own dismantle systemic oppression it would have been done already. White people we need your help. This effort will only be realized through active unity.
I’ve known people to attend marches for veganism/animal rights and post about it on their socials. Yet not a finger lifted for a BLM march. Even in the heyday of 2020. What message does that send?
I’ve known people to retreat into silence so that it does not appear that they are “taking sides”. Notice that in the very first sentence of the chapter Saad accurately uses the term “complicitly silent” to describe white silence. To that I say re-read all three quotes above.
I’ve personally stayed mostly silent on racial matters for the majority of my life. And no I‘m not white, but being white-adjacent, I have had numerous opportunities to disrupt racist conversations, misconceptions, and intentions that I did not take for fear of making my white friends, co-workers, neighbors and also myself too uncomfortable. Little did I know that by not taking action, it was myself that I was harming the most. It’s one of the many reasons I’m so vocal now — it’s a way of making up for lost time.
White people, we need you (yes, you) to not remain silent on this. It’s quite literally the worst thing you can do. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again and again — when enough white folks want white supremacy to be over in this country hard enough, just like that — it will be.
