NewsVine_Mariyam
Platinum Member
In Zone 1 of this forum, a constant refrain is heard about Black members "bringing up racism" as to a reason race relations have not and will not improve. Apparently, the reasoning behind this complaint is that if we would simply stop talking about racism, as it has existed in the United States - past and present, then it will simply cease to exist, or in the very least, make it easier for those non-affected to enjoy their time on the "Race Relations/Racism" forum.
In any case, I ran across this article yesterday and could not help but think of this forum:
In any case, I ran across this article yesterday and could not help but think of this forum:
Think you can't make a difference every single day? You can. Here's how.
The racial unrest currently escalating in the United States has been unlike anything the country has seen since the L.A. riots over the Rodney King verdict in 1992. Sadly, unnecessary police brutality against Blacks in America persists, and in the age of phone cameras and social media, disturbing images bombard us with increasing frequency. On May 25, a modern-day lynching was caught on camera, sparking a wave of possibly game-changing protests. For eight minutes and 46 seconds, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis cop, leaned his knee into the neck of George Floyd, killing the handcuffed black man who had been arrested over a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd’s pleas for life now have a permanent spot on the soundtrack of American history.
My white friends have been asking me what they can do to help conquer that savage beast that is racism once and for all. If a change is ever going to come, we need to be mindful of our everyday actions that hinder it. Here’s where I think we can begin.
Don’t be afraid of the word “racist”
Nobody wants to be called the dreaded “R-word.” It is to many white people what the N-word is to black people. However, racism doesn’t always wear a white robe and burn crosses. It’s lurking in everyday microaggressions, from offhand comments (for example, “your people” when talking to a Black person about Black people) to blanket assumptions made about minority groups based on the actions of just one. “It serves us perfectly to be exempt. It’s the root of virtually all-white defensiveness on this topic,” White Fragility author Robin DiAngelo said in a 2018 Elle interview. Until we acknowledge the racism we all harbor, we can’t begin to effectively address it, in others and in ourselves. In case you were wondering, this is why desegregation didn’t put an end to racism in America.
Call out loved ones when they say or do racist things
“They’re from a different generation” is no longer a valid excuse for a racist family member.
continued here: 14 Small Ways You Can Fight Racism Every Day