The Work White People Must Do


The Work White People Must Do.

It is not anothers' responsibility to tell us whether
or not
we are acting, perceiving, being, racist. 
It is ours. It has always been ours. 
We hide
obfuscate
blame others.
If only...
But he...
Why didn't she just...
Yet We, the White Folk, don't even follow these rules
ourselves. 
We are the rioters. 
We are the betrayers. 
The Police, and the Criminals. 
We cannot ask
demand
request
that our Black 
and 
Brown fellow citizens 
teach us how to not be racist. 
We must change. 
One day, one moment, one interaction at a time.

I will also add this. A book club will not fix this problem. Posting a black square on your Instagram will not fix this. This problem – the systematic influence of racism on our institutions and society in the United States and around the world – is bigger than you or I. But we can push for changes to the system.

The challenge is avoiding the ‘false success’ idea. Making one thing change, isn’t actually change. To maintain the political will for change, we – White allies – must use our voices to press for change. Change that makes a difference, not simply ‘let’s establish a commission.” There are many places to learn more, and the process of education and training yourself in the manner of anti-racist teaching/learning/acting is ongoing.

 

Author: Daniel Ottalini

Author of the Award-Winning Steam Empire Chronicles Series

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