Thread by @crazypastor

I’ve been asked recently, especially during #WhitenessHistoryMonth, what white people can *do* when confronting white supremacy.

First off, I super appreciate the question. It’s something that gives me pause. (And it should tbh.)

[1] We cannot do the work of anti-racism for points. Or for nods from influential black and brown people.

And Lord knows, I’ve tried. I’ve wanted the affirmation from people of color for this work. (And, sure, sometimes it arrives; but it cannot be our basis for action.)

We have to do the work of anti-racism and dismantling white supremacy BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Period.

We have to do it because whiteness is killing us, too.

[2] We have to talk to other white people.

It’s easy to preach about the sin of racism in black churches, or to decry white supremacy among radical PoC activists.

Nah, it’s in the trenches where this work comes into fruition.

It’s among white people where we get our reps in.

It’s deep down in FB threads and combating every “#NotAllWhitePeople” comment. That’s where we can effect the most change.

Or is it ‘affect’?

Ugh. I think it’s affect.

Fuck this lack of edit button, Twitter. C’mon.

Anyways.

[3] It’s not about you.

Again, white people: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.

The ability to personalize everything is such a (seemingly surface-level but deeply powerful) sign of white privilege.

White supremacy is killing all of us, but it’s killing people of color most intensely and intentionally.

And if our only contribution to the argument is “not all white people” and an obsession that *we* are the good ones, then whiteness remains untouched.

Look at anti-racists like @HowNowBrownDowd, @benjancewicz, @VeryWhiteGuy, @lura_groen, @expandyourfocus (and others!) — they never make it personal.

They recognize white supremacy for what it is, and they act accordingly.

Which leads me to...

[4] Start looking at everything differently.

Wanna #staywoke? Then you need to recognize that this country was created for white straight men — and it has only *slightly* deviated from that game plan over the last 340 years or so.

Get the following phrases out of your vocabulary (and quit bitching about ‘political correctness’ — words matter and have power):

“I don’t see race.”
“Black on black violence.”
“All lives matter.”

These are dog whistles for a reason. Expand your language.

Start looking with new eyes at education, healthcare, politics, religion, the prison system — all of it.

Recognize what it means to be a person of color in our white supremacy system.

Stop sharing anecdotes from people of color who seem to be adored by white people yet have zero credibility in their own communities.

People like Ben Carson, Candace Owens, Dinesh D’Souza, etc…

They exist in the sunken place. Look it up.

[5] Befriend actual people of color.

Not as tokens, not as props.

Do the work to legitimately form relationships with black and brown people. And then fucking listen to them.

It will change your life, I promise you.

And I’m talking about people of color who trust you with their real experiences.

Who can talk about their trials within white supremacy and trust you to believe them.

Because if they really trust you — get this — they’ll call you out.

They’ll take the time to say ‘You can be better.’ And it’s a gift.

[6] Repeat this mantra: “White supremacy doesn’t mean that white people don’t struggle; it means that if you struggle, it’s not because you’re white.”

Seriously. Commit this to memory.

Almost every substantive conversation on race I’ve witnessed has been derailed with the fact that poor white people exist.

You must push back against this. Steel yourself. Be ready for it. It’s one of whiteness’ Greatest Hits.

Read up on the fact that white supremacy counts on poor white folk demonizing PoC to do its dirty work.

It’s called ‘divide and conquer,’ and it’s worked for millennia.

And I’ll give you a real-world example:

My dad, who has become an angry old white man after digesting Fox News for a few decades, has so much more in common with working class PoC than he does the obscenely rich racists in the White House.

But guess what? He’s conditioned to believe and trust the white people at the top.

And he uses racist tropes to prove his points. And I call him out every chance I get.

It’s not perfect, but I try.

I haven’t changed his mind, most likely. But, goddamnit, I try. Because he’s my father.

We have to stop giving the “he’s old, it’s his generation” excuse. My grandfather was born in 1919 and he fucking learned from his mistakes up until his death.

(Rest well, Grandpa.)

He died at 96, and from the time I knew him, he routinely stopped using racist tropes and advocated for better representation from people of color in his California hometown.

Greatest Generation, amen to that.

And, finally…

[7] Be open to subtlety.

There are white-appearing people — those who, like Ashkenazim, are assumed to have privilege that is nonexistent in the face of anti-Semitism — who also work hard to fight white supremacy.

Alright, how are y’all feeling?

If you’re exhausted, welcome to the world of those who struggle every day to be counted as human beings in this worldwide system of white supremacy.

Rinse and repeat. You’ll be okay.

My DMs are open. Hit me up.