You're not racist. And you want that recognized. Is that so wrong?
When
I was in undergrad, an otherwise insufferable Sociology professor
provided me with one of the most important experiences of my life. He
wrote on the board before class instructions about where to sit in the
room, based on our race/ethnicity. (A lot of people ended up sitting on
the steps because they had a multiracial identity.) Then, he said, "Now
let's talk about race."
I don't remember much of the
conversation, but I remember one woman, who was Black, speaking up.
Now, I'd had occasion to interact with her, and she seemed unfriendly as
heck; I was quite put off by her. So I wasn't surprised (and was
substantially indignant) when she said, "I expect white people to be
racist."
But she went on.
"Because,
in my experience, they usually are. And it saves me a lot of trouble
and heartache to assume it from the outset, and let them prove they're
not."
Oh. OH. That was important.
And now here we are again, still. We are debating whether it's okay to talk about white people and our role in institutional racism. And some white people are getting mighty indignant. They are offended that one would characterize "white people" as racist. They want their feelings protected so they can safely engage.
Going all #Notallwhitepeople
about stuff like this is basically expecting black people to *keep*
giving us a chance, no matter HOW many times they've been hurt and
damaged... to never, ever develop any defense against the constant
onslaught of microaggressions and macroaggressions, to turn the other
cheek over and over, day after day, their entire lives.
It is, in fact, putting yourself above them, because they are black and you are white. Which we have a word for.
