Thread by @Cajsa

If you're a white person & have a brilliant idea of how to strike back against white supremacy, please check with more than a few Black people before announcing it to the world. If you're not Black, you may be unaware of how your brilliant idea might actually work in their lives

Let's consider the Racial Privacy Initiative, or Prop 54, that was on the ballot in 2003. I am aware of it because my organization sent some staff to help work to defeat it. Ward Connerly, an anti-AA multi-racial Californian was the public face of the proposition.

If passed, the collection of race information in education, employment, housing, etc. It did exempt medical data collection, law enforcement, policing, etc. Its purpose was to end any form of affirmative action, but would allow discrimination in housing & employment by hiding it

If you cannot measure it, does it exist?

Thankfully, California voters were sensible and it was defeated by nearly a 2 to 1 majority.

But make no mistake, this was all about allowing systemic racism to exist by making it immeasurable.

Why would Ward Connerly, who always made it a point to note he is only 1/4 Black, but who certainly experienced racism, push for this? He's not the first to think because he succeeded, everyone else can while pulling up the ladders.

I mention Ward Connerly because checking with one Black person means you might check with your local Ward Connerly. Check with several, women and men, because it's likely your brilliant idea to end racism has been thought of before & won't work because racism is endemic.