@lausten
Once we start to ask for equality for all, which is the actual meaning of equality, then all of us will feel some of the pain. That is what you are resisting right now. You are resisting some discomfort so others can simply breathe and get the freedoms you already have. But when we all are doing better, then we will all benefit, so suck it up buttercup.
Exactly! You hit the nail on the head and I think that is what some are reacting to concerning this article and taking it out on me. I posted something they don’t want to face in themselves. Every time a white person feels uncomfortable, especially one who just goes through life without getting to know anyone of a different colour personally, only works with them, goes along to get along, not rock the boat, then when confronted with even the slightest talk of even passive racism, they take it personally, because it hits home to them.
For those who think posting this means I’m racist @mitch70 here is one of the 10 in the article I can easily work with and tell you why it’s a problem:
8. “I don’t see color…”
Congratulations! You’re lying to yourself. Of course you see color. And that’s good! Black people want you to see their color. Their colors are beautiful and the very foundation of who they are. If you don’t see their color, then you also don’t see their culture. If you don’t see color then you erase their very identity. If you don’t see their color, then you also can’t see the pattern of violence they’re confronted with every day. If you don’t see color, then you’re blind to more than just racial injustice. You’re blind to the world.
When it comes to my sons, the first thing that comes to mind when I look at them is that they are my sons. I carried them for (first son) 9 months and 3 days and (second son) 8 months, barely. However, that does not negate that they are 1/2 black. I know this and I know that I know this in the back of my mind. To society (here in the U.S., Great Britain, S. Africa, only to name a few), I gave birth to black children. I cannot deny how society sees them or even views me (a N lover, a traitor to my “race”, for two popular racist terms). Schools, as they were growing up, attempted to categorize them as just “black” and I hated that, because I’m their mama, and I’m white. I felt like they were ignoring one side of their heritage everytime, all for the “one drop” rule and to get government funds for the free lunch program and other programs, that even poor little white kids get too. Yet there were people who said, “I don’t see colour”. You don’t? Then why did you just think my sons are Latino? That’s a lie. Everyone can see skin colour, but in some cases, with some people, it maybe not be the first thing that comes to a person’s mind when they talk about a family member or a close personal friend, but it is there, on some level. I know because I live it, every day. When I was married to their father, I could not ignore that he is black, because society wouldn’t let us. We’d go out and people would stare as we ate dinner and this was late 80s and early 90s, but that wasn’t what led to divorce. I cannot be blind to colour just because I gave birth to two sons who are 1/2 black and maybe more because of slavery and looking at my ex-husband’s mother, who is light complected too. Society won’t let us be blind to it, even though we are family with varying degrees of complexion. I’m obviously white, my older son is light complected, and my younger son is almost as dark as his father. My grandson is light complected too- competes with his uncle, my older son. Society won’t let us ignore color though, because there are even subtle reminders. However, I love my sons, so I never hid, couldn’t hide their ancestry from them, so I educated them as to why some people are overtly and obviously racist, even took college courses to learn about Black history so I could teach them. The professors, who were also black, thought it was very admirable that that was why I took Black history classes, even said so when they went around the room asking students why they took the class. I was not shy about why I was taking the classes and I even encouraged my sons to some of their own research. Sadly, this racism is even in religion, but that’s another subject in racism.
The thing is, this article isn’t wrong and it has nothing to do with me liking or hating white people, which would be silly, because it would mean I hate a part of myself that I can’t ignore. Yes, I am part Native American, which is also another topic in racism too, but I am obviously white too, which isn’t a race anymore than black is. Those are skin colours and there is only one race, the human race. Black is beautiful. Brown eyes are beautiful (and some white people have brown eyes too). Redheads are beautiful (my mother is a blue eyed redhead, which makes me a little bias there too). I think that’s the word that those who are feeling ill at ease about this topic of racism are looking for. This is a different sort of bias than racism though. We all have tribal bias, which is also another topic, but these aren’t necessarily good or bad. I favour my family, just as everyone else does and that is why Black Lives Matter. I don’t want a cop killing either of my sons because they are black and had a cell phone in their hand. I’d be with that mother, who is black, and just lost her child to police brutality and crying and angry due to the murder of her child. If one can’t grasp that much about BLM, then they are really blind to what happens in society.