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Keep The Conversation Going: Racism
Three White Men Told Me The Black Experience Is Not Unique
Here’s my response to them.
Three white men reached out to me and made the following statements and claims to me:
Police brutality isn’t a thing.
Affirmative action isn’t fair to white people.
White people have it harder than Black people.
They can’t get jobs because of affirmative action.
Black people are addicted to victimizing themselves.
White people’s lives are just as hard as Black people’s.
The laws that have been ratified should be enough for Black people.
More White people are killed, but nobody cares to talk about these deaths.
I was flabbergasted by some of their statements. Whenever I’m shocked about something, I have to write about it.
Stop Speaking Confidently On Issues You’re Uneducated About.
To speak on someone else’s pain and history is at times reasonable if you have invested the time and effort to develop a genuine empathy and objective understanding of their culture and people.
However, today, many speak on issues and events they have never experienced themselves.
It is easy to believe that other people’s issues do not exist when you have been born into privilege or a background that is not disenfranchised. No matter how you slice or dice it, you can’t directly relate to specific individuals if you were not born into that particular group.
Ignorance has been the most consistent pandemic that has resulted in the demise of many people’s lives, freedom, and opportunities. Not only death (lynchings, beating, shootings, and other forms of inhumane mistreatment) has come about due to ignorance and hate, but the lives of many have become unnecessarily painful, burdensome, and unlucky.
Black People Aren’t Victims; They’re Trying To Regain Control of The Power They’ve Lost for Centuries.
Speaking about the pain and history one has experienced – on top of taking direct productive actions – is not being a victim; on the contrary, it helps bring about awareness and change for issues that still need resolution. Many Black people are tired and enraged at still being second-class citizens in the free world.
To be a negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in rage almost all the time. – James Baldwin
The last century and the current century have both fought for similar things. Those who think the present century doesn’t compare to the previous century is another way of pacifying the ongoing pain of Black communities.
We are still fighting for the same issues:
Unnecessary killing of Black people.
Mass minority incarceration (the new slavery/free labor).
Being targeted and discriminated against for merely being Black.
Subtle and direct racism in the workplace, education systems, and residential communities.
Equitable Laws Are Made, But Not Always Followed.
Some laws can help bring change within different communities, but laws do not remove racism. If laws in place for Black people were so powerful, we would be much farther than we are now.
Rights and laws have been created to maintain equality within all communities, yet many still have trouble accessing or exercising their rights without barriers.
We could see this happening in Georgia – not too long ago – during the multiple voting events that took place without integrity. Many people showed up to vote, yet machines were broken, and lines were unrealistically long – preventing many from having a voice in the democratic process. If people entered a tiny thing wrong on their license (when their identity could be verified otherwise), they still couldn’t vote.
Innocence
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Yes, there are minority individuals that commit crimes – all races do – but does being a minority make it okay to:
Punish them more severely than their white counterparts?
Send them to jail or prison longer than white people?
Shoot them in more significant numbers than their white counterparts?
Abuse them in larger quantities than their white counterparts?
Permanently revoke their voting rights if they have a prison or jail record?
Steal their futures in significant numbers compared to others if they make a small mistake?
No, it doesn’t. Minorities deserve the same equitable treatment that many white people receive. Can we get to this point – equitable treatment across the board?
Is Affirmative Action Hurting White People?
We need affirmative action because generations upon generations have been DENIED the same opportunities as others. Yes, a white person may be turned down for a job today over a diverse candidate, but our community has been turned down too many times even to count.
Being turned down for a job – as a white male – is something one can easily overcome.
Over an extended period, it takes a lot more strength to overcome repeatedly being turned down for housing, loans, educational opportunities, voting, employment, and medical access.
White = Black. Not White > Black.
This is not a race war. This is not White vs. Black. This is not my pain > your pain. This is not my country is worst off than your country.
The purpose of this whole conversation is to convey: When Black people create a movement, when Black people use their voices when Black people try to bring awareness to the issues they face daily, other communities don’t need to come in and say things like:
1. What about the white kid killed by a Black person?
2. What about the white kid suffocated by cops that no one paid attention to?
3. What about the white people being shot in large numbers?
4. What about the fact that you all aren’t slaves anymore?
5. What about the fact that this century is nothing compared to the last century for Blacks?
6. What about the fact that you all have equal rights just like us?
7. What about the fact that laws have been passed to empower black people?
8. What about this, what about that, what about……. [fill in the blank]?
All I ask is that you put yourselves in the shoes of a Black woman or Black man. Oh right, this is impossible because you never will be Black.
This goes for other minorities too. All minorities have unique issues. Just because you are a minority does not mean you completely understand the pain we go through as a Black race. You will never hear me trivializing, nullifying, or speaking from “first-hand experience” on other minorities’ problems because I am Black and only Black.
Supporting Our Community.
When Black people come together, we need everyone to support us, understand us, and not try to detract from the cause of our movement. If you do not understand the movement, I recommend educating yourself on Black History.
Think twice before you:
Speak about others’ experiences – even when you educate yourself on the issues.
Bring up another community’s experience and make the moment about you.
Trivialize the pain that many Black people still face today.
Because when you do this, you are only showing the world that Black Lives do not matter as much to you.
Closing Thoughts
I will always welcome a conversation with others to learn more about their POV and experiences. Everyone is equal. No one is better than the other. Once we get to this point, we can work together as a global world to elevate everyone’s lives – together. I encourage everyone to avoid nullifying anyone’s pain or history.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.