Don’t Be an Oxymoron!
Is there a tendency to blindness in those who overvalue their whiteness? … Even in those who cannot be called racists there is blindness.
Smith, L., 1949. Killers of the Dream. New York, NY: Norton.
1. Be Courageous
Taking courage is the first step. Be courageous and make a real commitment to being a white antiracist. You will need to build, strengthen, and maintain that bravery. White supremacy works overtime to defend its position of power. Sometimes our friends and family may try awfully hard to convince us how tough we’re going to have it. Do not listen. No, this is not an easy path, but you are here to clear the weeds and vines and travel down it and make it your own. Yes, it is the path that should have been navigated generations and centuries ago. But it’s our time, so now you – We! Each of us! – are going to blaze our way through this mess. You’ve got courage and support – We are here! It took amazing nerve for Lillian Smith to write the honest words she shared in Killers of the Dream and white supremacy predictably tried to erase it – but it’s in our hands now. Lillian Smith lived so white people could know these truths. Her legacy is in her courage and it is ours for the taking.
2. Be Conscious
Being conscious has many meanings. Being awake and aware. Being intentional, concerned, and self-conscious. As white anti-racists, we need to keep all of them top of mind. There is room in this work for the mistakes we will make and we will learn to consciously recognize and atone. With due respect to the eloquence of Lillian Smith, I took the liberty of rewriting a brief passage from Killers of the Dream: Do not split, but keep as one whole of you, body and soul. Keep your conscious well aware of your actions, and do not use religion as an excuse for racial harm or violence in any form, for any reason.
3. Get Organized
Organize within your sphere of influence. Maybe you’ve heard this before? It can happen done in small ways too. Whose ear do you have or attention can you get? Or does your social or business circle run in differently influential ways? In any and all areas you are able, you can and should put something together. What have you learned about yourself as you’ve been practicing anti-racist education and historical truths – how can you engage others in the information? In 1930, a group of courageous white women practiced antiracist behavior by gathering in small groups to eat with Black women. A taboo of the time deeply and rooted in delusional anti-Black fears these woman rose up against a chivalrous patriarchy and the Southern Institution. Equally delusional is the fact that white anti-racist historical evidence has been a casualty of white historical erasure … until now. Spread the word!
4. Be Aware of Emotions
Violence, enslavement, sharecropping, and segregation were not new concepts to southern white women, but speaking out against taboos of the Southern Tradition was. Though very brave for their time, these women were unaware of how harmful it is for people of color to bear witness to white anti-racist “awakenings”. Still entirely true today, being around white people who are unlearning racism and re-learning historical truths can be deeply painful for Black and other non-white people. If you experience extra-powerful feelings that are hard to wrap your head around, find support from white accountability groups and process with other white folks on this somber and critical introspective journey – odds are they will want to connect and learn with you too!
5. Open your Imagination
Open your imagination wide and allow in both the hurt and the joy of others. There are many extremely intense truths to be learned about our country’s history and white supremacy. So much pain and violence has been perpetrated. History continues to work hard to dehumanize Black men, women, and children. But, the sum of Black people is not their pain. Be absolutely sure to prioritize the humanity of others as you absorb and grapple with these new informaiton and ideas. Layer your learning to experience the whole of others, and of yourself. Ask those in your white accountibility groups what resources they recommend to stay engaged. Be proactive and creative!
6. Be Open and Accepting
Most of us try hard to live by these words. Yet, the goal of white supremacy is to segregate and isolate us. There are amazing human beings out there who are doing the same work, find them! Remember, it is not a competition, but a building of community. Our common goal is liberation for Black people, Latine and Asian American people, Native Americans and Indigenous people. Nobody is unaffected by the pathology of white supremacy ideals. The way we do this is in fellowship with other white people. In white affinity groups, we learn to support each other through sharing our experiences and recognizing where we are experiencing similar feelings and emotions. Talk it out and learn, then pass the learning on! Accept others as allies whose perspectives and understanding of the world may lessen our own hurt and expand our own sense of joy.
7. Stop Intellectualizing
I really have to work at this one! Hiding behind academia is a form of intellectual deafness, deflection, and resistance to racial learning. It’s so important to remember that one of the many benefits of whiteness is the privilege to simply step away when we are tired or overwhelmed by racism’s vast reach. But here’s the thing. Black, Latinx, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Indigenous people do not have this luxury. They can never step away because they are tired of racism. That’s not an option for them since they experience racism throughout their lives, which means being antiracist at all times too. Let this move you to action.
8. Be Vigilant
Apathy, ambivalence, and blindness are only a few of white supremacy’s ways of derailing our anti-racist agenda and truth processing. Being anti-racist as a white person requires levels of awareness and heightened perception we may not have needed to – or been expected to – achieve in the past. Through vigilance comes the layers and levels of learning required to see, comprehend, and dismantle the innumerable tentacles of white supremacy. It is literally everywhere, and it wants to dismantle your mission at every opportunity. Build the skills to recognize and resist white supremacy in its overt and innocuous forms.
9. Stop Compartmentalizing
Logic-tight compartmentalizing is the foundation of the Southern Tradition and paternalistic white supremacy. It causes great harm in its delusions of racial superiority. It falsely equates violence with safety. It encourages the lie that violence toward others is a white person’s right. Compartmentalizing is a form of mental gymnastics needed to believe lies as truths. Work through the truths as best you can, set aside for the moment what needs extra attention (see #10) and let the conflicting or disturbing information that you can process make its way in your mind and body. Stop again, set aside, do something different for five minutes, then return to the topic. Let new information settle in its rightful place, use alternate methods to process the truths that make you uncomfortable. Working through discomfort is how we strengthen our racial muscles.
10. Accept Truth as Truth!
Don’t try to hide, suppress, or erase racial truths. Be very aware of your reactions as a white person when hearing new-to-you information and perspectives, particularly when in mixed racial groups. Remember, this information is not new to most other individuals. If you need to step away from a workshop or go off screen for a few moments of privacy to process – your self-awareness will be greatly appreciated by your facilitators and your colleagues. If you need to work through facts that are new to you, open up dialogue with a knowledgeable white person from your accountability group. Ask questions, do research, grapple as you need, then get back to learning!