A lot of plants have racist names too if you go back far enough. The thing to do is come up with a new name that isn’t hurtful to a minority population.

This is a great bit of writing that clearly encapsulates all that you have felt in that moment, but also something that feels like a social illness, a notion that a culture that builds vibrant and unique communities can be, and often are, completely ignored and disregarded, leading to instances like the one you experienced where a culture, a community, a people can be shrunk down so small that it is just a joke or funny costume that gets a laugh out of other people who also don’t understand what it means when the essence of who they are is diminished.

This post really caught my eye especially with the creative title! I really liked how you included a personal experience. I think this is a really big issue and I am glad you brought it up and I really liked the use of the question. I am not fully sure how to answer it, but yes this holiday should be about havin fun and it is definitely not ok to be racist. I think one way of teaching White students is to start by encouraging them to take classes like this one so that they can become more educated.

We’re the only country that uses the word America in our name. It’s kind of hard to de-emphasize that in an honest way.

I absolutely agree.Defunding and deconstructing the police force, would lead to a permanent solution to counter the dehumanization of people of color. But, as a temporary relief, we could institute cultural competency (especially in the neighborhoods these police were found), and immersive anti-bias training, to at least disrupt their biases and equip them to have enough cognitive power to not fall into implicit biases/instincts.

Here is an article about this ruling’s effect on HBCUs:
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-09-22/after-scotus-decision-hbcus-brace-for-flood-of-applications

I am also really fond of the idea of amending the faculty code of conduct to explicitly include some policies about microaggressions. Having it there as a cushion for other with types out consequences would be helpful.

Great blog post.

Could not agree more Joe. More psychological mind warp to reject genuinely good colour-blind people who just like and want to help and be with other people like good Christians of ALL races want to do. I reject this communist manifesto mind warp

I recognize white saviors. The problem is that while the stereotype exists, it is not a fundamental characteristic of all white people. Many white people are genuinely trying to help. What we are supposed to do changes every few years. A few years ago, many black people on campus agreed white people should not talk about traumatic things or raise awareness. With Black Lives Matter, it was changed to “Silence is Violence” and they should speak out and raise awareness.
While these stereotypes are significant, all white people are judged by this a stereotype before they open their mouth. “White supremacy” is a loaded word. I don’t want to be judged by what white people in the KKK did just because of my skin color, any more than someone of color wants to be associated with black people who committed genocide in Rwanda or an Asian person being associated with the Khmer Rouge.
I notice the “sorry not sorry” approach by people who think the white savior complex is the norm for white people. I also notice the “white-splaining” approach.
People think Western whites are uniquely racist in the world. They are often unable to see people genuinely trying to help others for the right reasons because they are already expecting them to be white saviors. POC are not removed from racism, even in its most extreme forms. Many white people are trying to help, but get conflicting wisdom from POC (e.g. “Silence is violence” and “Don’t talk about police brutality because it’s traumatizing”).

White people are often faced with a lose-lose approach. If they help, they’re demonized as a ‘white savior’ or someone fishing for Facebook likes. If they don’t help, they’re demonized “as complicit with white supremacy.”

White people are not uniquely racist. Many white people are genuinely trying.

How can anyone engage in meaningful dialogue if they weigh an entire population to a stereotype? ( a white savior).
How can anyone claim to be anti-racist when they dehumanize an entire demographic based on skin color?

“What should white people do if they’re afraid to help African Americans because they’ll be labeled as Racist?”

Do it anyway to see if it even happens at all. If you are genuinely afraid, perhaps there is like a community coordinator if you’re volunteering who would be willing to discuss things with you. The point however will be to close yer snout and listen.

NOW there’s a big caveat in that it’s not other races’ job to educate us on how to be anti-racist, and its not other races’ jobs to fix the system that’s been wrought by people who look like us. We have to have conversations like this, which I imagine will be painful (I’ve been there) but absolutely necessary.

The main thing is to just kinda, sorry but shut up and listen. That goes for me too. It’s really as easy as not talking and listening to what the other person has to say.

If you bristle when folks suggest that you might have racist thoughts or actions, or are racist I believe it’s (y)our job to ask (y)ourselves why we feel that way. It can go a long way in a short time towards realigning your thought processes towards antiracism.

Blarg I just whitesplained to whitepeople, I’m sorry not sorry it has to be done.

Extrapolating from conversations with people in my past, I think many white people reject the term reflexively because they feel like being called a racist is a permanent indictment on their character, rather than a temporary problem that they can fix one thought at a time and one behavior at a time. I certainly started like this, but only realized it as I listened to these behind-the-door conversations. When you believe something is a permanent internal failing, it’s easy to get defensive and just say, “Well, I’m obviously not a racist”, by which you mean, “I can’t possibly be permanently flawed, so this must be name calling. I have flaws, but I am a generally good person!”

For me, it’s been much more helpful to think of myself (and all people) as having varying levels of internalized racist beliefs. It’s our job to pause, sort back through our recent thoughts, pluck out that one twisted or stained by racist beliefs, and put it up to the sunlight. When we examine it, does it assume something is true simply because of someone’s skin color or race? Then that’s a racist belief. Even something as simple as, “Oh, of course she did well on that test, because she’s Asian.” (Self response: does that mean that all people who are Asian HAVE to do well on tests? Surely they are not perfect all the time). Or “How dare she treat me that way? Do I LOOK like a criminal?” (Self response: Hmm. Wait. What am I saying a criminal DOES look like?). Then once I have gently observed my reactions and dug through the background that may have led to it, I try to replace it with a more balanced thought. (“She tends to work much harder than I do on studying. Maybe I should ask to studying alongside her and see if she has any good tips for focusing. Or she may also be under extra pressure from home that I’m not experiencing.” Or “While that neighbor was being incredibly unreasonable, it is still true that criminals can look like me. It looks liks I’ve internalized a very particular picture of criminality.”). For me this unwinding process can take quite a while, involves quite a bit of journaling, and requires that I observe my thought processes with nonjudgmental curiosity.

Whether or not someone else thinks I’m racist is mostly irrelevant, especially if they are using it just as an attack. They don’t have access to my thoughts to see which ones might have racist overtones or blatantly racist beliefs, and they have no way of knowing if I’m doing the work to root things out. If I think there’s even the tiniest seed of truth in their accusation, though, I definitely begin the process of combing through my thoughts and words to see if there’s racism hidden in there. Sometimes I conclude that the person was just angry and lashing out at me. Sometimes I realize there was a piece there that was truly problematic and that needs to get processed.

Beyond that, I think the best thing is to keep learning to see if there are blind spots I’ve missed (there always are) and to keep listening, listening, listening to hopefully understand someone else’s lived experiences and where the system keeps tripping people to eventually deny them opportunities. And then when I realize I’ve caused someone pain, to apologize.

I just came from a racial equity training that I was excited to attend, and was surprised and incredibly upset when one of the Black partipants stood up partway through and accused the white participants of this very thing, or coming because we were “indifferent enjoying the theatre of our Black pain as your sick form of entertainment.” She also accused us of, at best, having a white savior complex. I don’t remember all the specific accusations, but it went on for over ten minutes and most of the white people there were in tears. As a survivor of childhood abuse, I froze and, as usual, only discovered my anger after it was safe for me to leave and I could escape outside. I also endured a much milder version of this the last time I came to participate in a community discussion on race. In both cases, I was automatically assumed to be a fake *because* I am white and was attacked accordingly.

I don’t think that either of these partipants was speaking for all Black people, and obviously each carries an enormous amount of pain and trauma in their background (racial, familial, or others in combination). I will still go on seeking out the experiences and voices of people of color so I can change the systems I have access to (in who I hire, in my church leadership, the HOA board, the bicycle advocacy community, etc.). I will always listen to help ease pain, but I need not be the object of attack for others’ trauma.

As far as what I do in the future, I’ve decided that if these two people or anyone else is convinced I am working for change for self serving reasons, I will never convince them otherwise. If the choice is between helping someone and automatically being labeled as having a white savior complex versus not helping them at all, I’d rather help and deal with the flack.

Thank you for your post.

I wrote a blog post similar to this about letting Black children be Black children. I found it extremely disgusting that Black children as young as 9 years old are treated like adults. It all stems from dehumanization. The want to dehumanize every person of color even if they are innocent and small children. I think one thing I would add to your question is to make it specific to Black children. How can we get White adults, White people in general, to learn about the dangers of prejudice and dehumanization toward Black children? I think that this is something that is taught through environment and social networks. Are you surrounding yourself with people different from you? Are you trying to learn about different cultures? There are so many things that the White adults should and need to partake in.

It reminds me a lot of the looking glass self, but instead of constantly looking at yourself through the way in which others see you in that big mirror, more like a pocket mirror that is with you when you take a selfie on your front camera but when you’re not looking at that camera you still know who you are and recognize yourself for other ways and things than what’s being reflected from societal norms and structures.

I think the answer above maybe to simplistic. Many students at Muhlenberg Identify as Multiracial and have chosen to focus on whatever salient characteristic connect them to their peers or they refuse to focus on any.

In my time st Muhlenberg I have never met a student who has requested a multiracial group but if they wanted one it would be supported.

Never put students of color, LGBTQIA or multi racial students against one another—that to me is the way racism and homophobia operates to ensure infighting.

Also, I noticed that you said faculty typically “rileave,” I am wondering what this means.

To lessen the stigmas of mental illness, and promote a society in which people can openly and unabashedly discuss such a sensitive topic, we need more articles like this. Also, having celebrities “come out as mentally ill” is not a solution, and should not be forced, but it is definitely helpful for everyday people who suffer from this often invisible illness. I know that I personally have found it comforting to know that I’m not alone.