Written by Kennisa Ragland
Dear White Friend,
I don’t think you’re racist. You don’t have to convince me that you’re not; I don’t want you to. I’m a pretty good judge of character and if I thought you were racist, you wouldn’t be my friend. Now, you may not be one of the racists in this country, but you are one of the privileged. If you can’t see that or you don’t believe it, please allow me to wake you up a little.I don’t know if you know this, but African Americans make up 12-13 percent of the population. Despite that fact, they make up 42-43 percent of those incarcerated in this country. That means out of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S., blacks account for 900,000. Whites make up 64 percent of the population, but only account for 39 percent of those incarcerated. If the trends in the criminal justice system continue, 1 out of every 3 black male children can expect to spend a day in jail in their lifetime. And this War On Drugs that I’m sure you’ve heard of…it is bullshit. Statistics show that whites, blacks, and Latinos all use or sell illegal drugs at the same rates, about 12 percent.
You’re imagining that that percentage remains pretty consistent when it comes to drug arrests and convictions, right? Wrong. Thirty-seven percent of all people arrested for drugs are black. Fifty-three percent of all people convicted for drugs are black. Sixty-two percent of those in state prisons for drug offenses are comprised of African Americans and Latinos.You know what happened to the student at Spring Valley High? What happened there might be a rarity, but it took place as a result of something all too familiar in schools across the country. Students of color have and continue to face harsher punishments than their white-counterparts. More than 70 percent of students involved in school-related arrests or referred to law enforcement are black or Latino. During the 2011-12 school year, 16 percent of black K-12 students were suspended, compared with seven percent of Latino students and five percent of white students. One more fact before I get personal: More African Americans are under the control of the criminal justice system today – in prison or jail, on probation or parole – than were enslaved in 1850. Let that sink in if you need to, I know I did. I graduated high school on May 23. It was probably one of the greatest days of my life. There was this inexplicable joy that manifested during the weeks leading up to and following that special occasion. An aura of grimness, however, managed to linger as well. I went to about four graduation parties and they all had one thing in common. There was at least (sometimes more than) one adult who included in their well-wishes/farewell speech, a warning. If you graduated high school I’m sure you heard some of the same cautions me and my friends did about the “real world”. One of the most famous, “Don’t leave your drink unattended” has been declared for generations. But there are a few you are clueless about. At every graduation party I attended, my peers and I were essentially given the same message by an adult there. “No matter what keep your hands up in the presence of the police, do exactly as you’re told, be nothing short of perfect in their eyes, and come back home alive.” When these words of advice were bestowed upon us, the joy was replaced with silence. Other adults would agree and we would simply digest it, as everyone there knew what had been spoken…was reality.
Another thing: that line you hear on television and in the movies “you have to be twice as good” is no fallacy. That wasn’t created by the industry; rather it’s been passed down for generations in the black community. Our parents, like yours, want nothing but the best for us. They know, however, that we don’t start the race at the same position you do. I’ve heard it more times than I can count, from a variety of the adults present in my life. Unemployment rates for blacks are twice that for whites. What’s entertainment for all is reality for some. A lot of the time, racists will proclaim with great pride, “I have a black friend” as some diluted and ridiculous form of self-defense. I wouldn’t expect racists to ask their black friend to recount a time when they experienced racism. But because you are a friend I want you to read mine and then go ask one of your friends. One day I was in Walmart with my younger sister. I can’t remember exactly, but I’m guessing I was anywhere between 13-15. We were browsing the posters they have on display while my mom was shopping in another department. This little white boy, who looked about four or five years old, came up to the posters and started going through them even though my sister and I were clearly still looking. We didn’t mind, though. We started looking at the ones he liked, engaged him a little, and even got him to giggle. His mom came out of nowhere and rushed to us apologizing profusely on behalf of her son for bothering us.
We told her it was no problem with great big smiles on our face. She smiled and whisked her son away. “I thought I told you not to talk to black people” is what the mother sternly whispered when she was only feet away from us. I’m assuming she didn’t intend for us to hear her on account of her performance beforehand. That was one of many, and surprisingly one of the least hurtful of my experiences with racism. If you read this all the way to the end, I know you care. Or you were at least interested. Either is fine by me. I needed you to feel one or the other because your care and/or curiosity can be the precipice for investigation. Inquire the empirical and anecdotal evidence available and I guarantee you will wake up to find that your privilege is absolutely true and absolutely disturbing. But hopefully, a transformation will accompany your epiphany. You will add to the role of white friend the responsibility of white ally.
Sincerely,
Your black friend
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