In response to the post that was just uploaded to the page and what Ive been seeing on Twitter and other social media since the demonstration yesterday, a lot of my fellow white students are missing the point of what our black and brown peers are trying to get at. Talking about white privilege and sharing statements like “Black Lives Matter” are NOT hate towards white people. They are NOT discriminating against us. As a white person, I get that it’s hard to acknowledge white privilege, no one wants to be associated with being in charge of a system of oppression and hate. But that’s the reality. What many of my white peers are ignoring is that WE BENEFIT FROM RACISM. We don’t have to be worried about being profiled by the police or having professors constantly be surprised by our intelligence because of our skin color. We get to operate as INDIVIDUALS versus as representatives of all people of similar skin complexion. So while yes, as an individual, you might not be oppressing people, but that’s ignoring the fact that white people are the ones with power in society. The structures and systems of our society benefit people with my skin color and oppress those who don’t. I can’t speak for people of color, but from what I understand, their anger isn’t directed at white people because of their skin color, but at the fact that we are the ones with the privilege and power to change this problematic and oppressive system, but we’re doing nothing about it. To another point brought up my white peer, being blind to the many colors of our peers denies their unique experiences. Yes we’re all human and that’s a great starting point for establishing common ground, but we can’t ignore race. It’s not going to go away if we just pretend it’s not real. By acknowledging race and talking about how it operates in our lives and experiences, it’s possible to break down racism. And a last point that I feel like I really need to address: Why should people of color trust white people to do the right thing? Take a look at history. White people have CONTINUOUSLY screwed over people of color again and again. So many students of color are doing all they can do to make this campus safe and open for all identities (which includes being able to speak about and share the anger and frustration they feel on a daily basis). So as a white person, I have NO PLACE to say, “why don’t you trust us to do the right thing?” Because, honestly, white people are NOT doing the right things on this campus or elsewhere in this country. It is not our job to tell people of color how they should act or how they should speak. IT IS NOT OUR JOB. That just furthers the oppression that already exists. As white students it is our DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to use our privilege for good. We cannot be neutral because being neutral only perpetuates the unfair system that has been in place for way too long. LISTEN to the experiences and stories of your peers of color. They are the leaders of this movement. They are the voices of this movement.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 03:59:08 +0000
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