Dear white friends, A lot of you have expressed hurt feelings and concern regarding the looting that took place in the aftermath of the cold blooded murder of Michael Brown. But now is not the time to espouse the virtue or pacifism in the face of white supremacist brutality. Its too late for us to talk about turning the other cheek, especially when we continue to benefit on a daily basis from the ongoing legacies of slavery, settler colonialism, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, and white supremacy in all of its ugly, brutal, violent forms. We will never and can never experience racism, but we can and do benefit from it every day. White head-in-the-sand guilt helps nobody, and sure as hell doesnt dismantle white supremacy. We can face the reality of racism, and start educating ourselves, breaking down our privilege, and working with communities of color to end structures of oppression and violence. Or, we can continue to wring our hands about looting, play the insipid both sides are to blame card, and stand in the way of justice and on the backs and necks of people of color. I urge you to read the work of journalists and scholars of color, learn the histories and current realities of racism, and begin to challenge your and other white peoples patterns of thought and action as well as the systemic forces that maintain white supremacy. This can be difficult work, but it is most definitely work worth doing. Sincerely, Quin Rich
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 03:09:02 +0000
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