(Let
me start by saying that I’m a white male, over sixty years of age, and I don’t
claim to be anything but that. I’m no expert – just a guy going through life
and learning a little bit more every day. I admit that I’m a racist and I work
to become less of one every day. I work to make the world better every day.
This post is dedicated to that.)
Last
fall, I was talking with one of my less liberal friends (okay, he’s MAGAT) and
he said to me at some point,
“Obama
was the most racist SOB I’ve ever seen in my life and took this country back 50
years!”
When I
asked him how he’d arrived at that opinion, he said,
“Are
you deaf? All he ever talks about is race and black people and helping the
black people. He’s got the Presidency. What more does he want?”
When I
pointed out that he’d been elected by the majority and was only looking to
continue work that had been done before him, namely working for justice, he
said,
“All
he did was stir people up. He’s caused more division than ever before. Things
were moving along just fine before he was elected.”
The
conversation ended soon after but it stuck with me for a very long time.
I’ve
been saying for years that we, as a nation, are headed for a civil war – this
time between the haves and the have nots. The latter is made up of an abundance
of black people and while there have been strides made over the last 50 years,
they’ve been slow to come. Equality has been achieved, at least on paper, and
equity has been given in miniscule doses. Justice, which is what Dr. Martin
Luther King advocated for, has never gotten much movement.
Justice,
as this picture shows, is the removal of the barriers that cause black people
to suffer inequity and inequality. And removing them requires a major shift in
some things that can’t be legislated – culture and belief.
Why?
Because the culture of racism, the belief that one group is better than another
solely because of skin color, is the driving force behind those barriers. If
one group believes they are better than another, even if it’s subconscious
bias, the barriers will be erected and nourished. Or at the very least, left in
place.
But
I’m NOT a racist!
I used
to say that. Until I was shown the concept of white privilege and came to
understand that some of the things in my life were the direct result of being
white. (I admit, this took a long time for me to get. I knew how hard I’d
worked, how I’d made something of myself. And often, I thought, with no one’s
help. It’s taken a great deal to admit that I’d gotten a leg up because I’m
white.)
And
learning about it stopped me in my tracks. It made me look inside myself to
understand how I could be blind to my fellow humans’ mistreatment. After a good
bit of reflection, I realized I am racist (spoiler alert – we all are) and I
decided that I would change it. Interested?
White
Privilege – I’ve heard of it and I don’t believe it. Everything I got I worked
for!
White
privilege takes many forms and is difficult, for me at least, to define. I
understand it, one level, to be: getting more opportunities because your skin
is not black. On another level, it’s having obstacles put in front of you because
you’re black. What makes it difficult for white people to see is that we’ve
been getting it for so long, we just assume it’s normal. Here are some
examples.
Studies
have shown that when two people who are applying for the same job have similar
qualifications, experiences, and education, the person with the more “whiter
sounding name” is more likely to be called for an interview by a factor of more
than 3 to 2. (The “white” name had to send 10 resumes for a call back. “Black”
names had to send 15. That’s from the National Bureau of Economic Research, a
non-partisan research firm.)
Are
you wondering if that’s true? Okay, here’s a little test for you. Here are some
names of people applying for a job. Which name sounds white or black to you?
Jamaal Washington versus Jim
Washington
Sandy Van Cleve versus
Shami’qua Van Cleve
Stone Harris versus Stephan
Harris
Did
you catch yourself putting them into categories? That just makes you average!
Now you’re going to be looking out for it but before this exercise, you may not
have even thought about it.
The
Traffic Stop
If
you’ve ever been pulled over by a police officer while driving your car, what
were you thinking as you slowed down and stopped? Was it focused on getting out
your driver’s license/registration/insurance card? Was it focused on the reason
as in, why did he stop me? Was it focused around the excuse you’d use for
speeding? If it was any of these, you are most probably a white person.
Black
people tell me that their first thoughts are focused on keeping their hands in
plain sight, at all times, and waiting to be given instructions. Or their
thoughts are focused on how reasonable the police officer is or how likely he
is to abuse them. Or to remind themselves to be as low-key, respectful, and
follow every request of the police officer and don’t give them a reason to kill
you.
That’s
right, they’re worried about being killed or injured during an act that almost
no white person would ever worry about being killed. The. Same. Act.
Next
time you’re pulled over, think about how it must feel to worry about being
roughed up and possibly killed for having an expired license plate, or a burned-out
taillight. As the police officer walks
to your car, think about sitting very still, with your hands up on the
dashboard or hanging out the window so he can see them, hoping he’s not one of
those types.
You
don’t have to, of course, because of white privilege.
Income
and Jobs
When
white people and black people are in the same job, the black employee earns
about 20% less, on average. Same experience level, same education, same
training, but different pay. Just because of the different pigmentation of
one’s skin.
And
black people are less likely to picked for the same job as white people or need
more qualifications to get the same job as a white person. This data exists in
every study that’s been done by every institution.
Every.
Single. One.
Housing
and Schooling
There’s
a trickle-down effect to the income and jobs piece. It means that black people
are less likely to own a home and if they do, it’s less expensive than a white
person’s home. Since it’s probably in a less expensive neighborhood, the tax
base is smaller. As such, the public schools don’t get as much funding and probably
aren’t as new, as good, as well appointed, and struggle to turn out high test
scores. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for black people to get into colleges
and universities – those that do are more likely to have higher student loans
that they struggle to pay back, assuming they’re able to break through and
graduate. And it continues again.
It’s a
Black and White Cycle
White
privilege creates a cycle of white opportunities and more chances to be
successful. It expands the chances for you and others like you to flower and
grow.
And you don’t even realize it.
In so
doing, it creates a cycle of black oppression as explained above that becomes
harder and harder to break through. It means that black people get fewer and
fewer chances to flower and grow. The difference is, they realize it and fight
like crazy to break out. Frankly, I’m amazed that so many have been able to!
Racism
has gone on for centuries. Finally, America seems to have reached a turning
point that needed to come, the “civil war” I referenced earlier. These last
couple of weeks have been painful with hundreds of demonstrations, some turning
violent, and rioting and looting. I’m hoping it doesn’t escalate any farther
than that. Dr. King wrote that “riots are the voice of the unheard” when asked
why people do it.
Think
about this; three years ago, Colin Kaepernick was vilified for protesting
police brutality by taking a knee during the National Anthem. White people,
including the President, called him out for doing it and the NFL shut down the
act in all their games. (That’s not the right was to protest this! You’re
disrespecting the Flag, the Anthem, America, the Military! Stop!)
Now,
black people (joined by white people who are fed up, too) are marching against
police brutality and systemic racism and a very small percentage of those people
are setting fire to businesses and looting. Again, white people are saying “that’s
not the way to protest!”
So,
what is the right way? When will white people (the ones in charge) say, “Oh,
now we hear you! That’s the right way to protest!” And then do something about
it????
These
marches and protests will not be the big event that changes everything all at
once. Culture doesn’t change (trust me, I’m an expert on this; it’s my job) as
if a switch has been flipped. It will take at least a generation to change and
that’s if everyone commits to working at it. Without full commitment it could
take several generations.
Was my
MAGAT friend correct? Was Obama a racist?
If I
go with the belief that everyone is at least a little bit racist, then yes,
President Obama was a racist. That’s an oversimplification, of course. More
importantly, he called out racism when he saw it in action which causes
discomfort among those continuing the cycle of white privilege. Their response,
rather than to own their own issues and have a conversation that could result
in understanding and change, was to go “underground” with their feelings. And
then, after he served his two terms, elect someone to the role who is all about
White Privilege, writ large! That has allowed them to come back out into the
mainstream, talk about what a racist he was and put all the white privilege
cycle back into place – returning it to the status quo.
The
results have been devastating to black people for the past three years.
Finally, with the clearly recorded murder of George Floyd, the time came.
Enough white people were appalled to get up and say, “Enough! This must
change!”
If
that group all remains engaged, and listens and takes their lead from black
people, we have a chance to slow and eventually stop this vicious cycle.
Diligence will be required as work like this is ever easy. In fact, it’s damned
hard. I’ve decided I’m going to do my share.
How am
I getting better?
I’m
asking questions (of black people, if possible) and then I’m shutting my mouth
and listening. The questions are those that I’ve never asked before, like:
“Should
black people be called that or African-Americans or what?” (Black people is a
better choice unless you hear differently)
“Is
white privilege really a thing? What does it look like?” (See above)
“How
do I become less racist?” (See above)
“What’s
the best way for me to be an ally?” (listen to black people, hear them stand
with them, don’t pretend to know how they feel, and look for ways to block
systemic racism)
I’m
also doing research on the web, reading and watching videos. A recent series
just began called “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel
Acho. It’s an outstanding series and I highly recommend it. (Google it.)
In the
future I’ll post books and other things I’ve found. Thanks for listening.
