A month ago, I would have been so utterly offended if someone tried to claim that I am racist, but now I read numerous articles each week explaining why every white person feeds the racism in our society and cannot help but agree. In no way am I proud to contribute to systematic injustices (especially those targeted at individuals due to their racial identity), yet I will humbly admit that my own ignorance encourages segregation right underneath my nose.
One day, I was sitting in class discussing why noticing racism in the world around you but doing nothing is so harmful. Our discussion focused strongly on the US government, and we talked about other examples of racist actions that none of us could ever see ourselves doing. We were all baffled by the reality that people genuinely do not believe they even have the potential to be racist. Eventually, one brave individual in our class brought up the fact that all of the people of color (POC) in our class sit on one side of the room. This small fact immediately brought out the realization that everyone in the class had contributed to a segregated dynamic in a class focused on learning about racism to ultimately become anti-racist! I had not even realized this segregation was occurring, and I pride myself in being inclusive and advocating for what is morally right… I instantly became embarrassed by my ignorance. At that moment, I felt as though my white privilege slapped me across the face.
This event reminded me of a podcast I listened to that questioned why white people suddenly began to speak out about racism in the summer of 2020. The podcasters attributed this to various possible causes such as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, COVID, and Trump’s presidency. They described a shift in “peer permission” occurring in 2020. White people finally felt comfortable speaking up about racial prejudice amongst their mainly (if not solely) white social circles. It became socially unacceptable to stay silent which likely influenced even more individuals to use their platforms to talk about racism. However, what was their intent in doing so?
Did the white individuals who began to advocate for the importance of Black lives truly care about these Black lives? I fear that the social repercussions theory that arose in the podcast led me to believe that some people had selfish intentions even while advocating for others. The podcast mentioned that the seemingly random spur of passion for the BLM movement might be displaced anger at the government and/or the state of the world. People were stuck at home, wearing masks, limiting their social interactions, and fearing for their lives. Trump’s prejudice was consistently revealed, and people needed a space to let out the overwhelming emotions caused by all of these things. I love that more people began to fight for the BLM movement, but is it truly anti-racist if white people only do so intending to remain higher in the social chain?
The anger at the world and polarized atmosphere around any political topics at that point in time lead me to believe that white people did so for personal gain. They became embarrassed about their ignorance regarding racism, but they only felt this way when thinking about how others perceive this ignorance. White people experienced a slap in the face from their ignorance as they watched the president they elected make openly prejudiced remarks on live television. As my example about the instance in one of my classes demonstrates, white people continue to segregate themselves from POC and remain naive to racism due to their privilege.
How have you witnessed segregation in the spaces around you?