Lately, many of us have been watching what is happening across the United States of America. While reading this article, “The Books We Read to Help Us Understand Racism”, I am reminded of a “Social Issues” class I had while in college, which is where I learned a lot about “white privilege”.
I remember sitting in class thinking, I grew up in an inner-city I was with friends when we all were stopped by police because our group was too large and they thought we were a gang.
I was stopped and pulled out of a car thrown over the trunk and handcuffed and questioned – after using the bathroom in my own home and leaving. All because the cops were watching the wrong place for drugs.
“So where was my white privilege???”
I learned in this class privilege doesn’t mean that you haven’t experienced struggle.
I learned, my white privilege allowed me to walk into a store and not have to worry about being profiled. Have I been followed in a store? Yep. I have been treated as though I couldn’t afford something in an upscale store many times too. Did I have to worry police or security would be called because I was browsing? No.
It also means, I don’t have to worry about the following:
– My sons being pulled over for a random stop and being brutalized or worse killed. All because they were driving while black.
– My sons running down a street and being hunted like an animal and shot. All because they running while black.
– My sons shopping and being profiled and arrested for false allegations of shoplifting. All because they were shopping while black.
– I don’t have to worry that my sons will have people looking at them suspiciously while walking down the street of what is thought to be “not their neighborhood”. All due to their being black.
This is a common-day occurrence for millions of blacks
So as a person with white privilege it’s not enough to say around a dinner table “it’s sad or not right”. White individuals must take a stand and scream on top of our lungs to all who will listen especially those who have the power to change things and let it be know this racism must STOP!!
Humans are humans – I learned in college that race is a social construct. Therefore, we have the power to stop it. We can refuse to use it … do not place people in a category, stop labeling everyone as black, white, Asian, etc. Select the “other” option and in the blank write “human”. Treat everyone as one race – HUMAN!!! We are all one – we all bleed red… we all reproduce the same way… we all eat the same things.. we all love the same way.
For those born with white-privilege we are all able to breathe when stopped by police – use that breath for good – make a difference for those who have voices and yet no one hears them when they speak.
Read books about racism in our society. I am reading a book right now titled, “Parable of the Brown Girl” by Khristi Adams. “Parable of the Brown Girl; The Sacred Lives of Girls of Color“. If you take an interest and we learn more on our own about our brothers and sisters we can take a stand on principles we now better understand and stop what was started years ago.
I read this article earlier and it sparked me to write this post – I hope it lights a fire in you to help others who need our voices to help theirs to be heard.
Stop the hate and make this world a better place for all!!
Until then…
Keep Sparkling~
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