In recent days, there’s been so little social progress that we clap and applaud white people for doing and saying morally obvious things. We respond to declarations like
“Hey white people, don’t oppress people of color”,
with
“OMG! He’s so woke”, “You’re top 5 greatest activists man!”.
The standard for woke white people is so low that problematic women like Lena Dunham are glorified as feminists and liberal white people are sensationalized for pointing out oppression on black bodies instead of actually doing something about it. Black voices are still considerably silenced and instead, woke white liberals are exalted. Their perception of black experiences is the new gospel.
“Today most white people, even the most liberal, are oblivious to the psychological and political weight of their whiteness” -Maurice Berger
This is not an attack on white people themselves, it is shining light on a system or structure that deprives black voices, deprives black activism and deprives black revolutionaries. It’s like when you say a joke and no one hears you and when your friend repeats the same thing everyone laughs. We’re incognito. Black people are incognito and it speaks to inequality, it speaks to how far we still have to go and if you’re an ally, it should appeal to your conscience.
Where do we draw the line between being an ally and speaking over black voices? This is a genuine question. If you’re trying to use your white privilege to dismantle a system that you understand oppresses another group then why not offer your platform to the oppressed group itself? What are you physically doing (besides tweeting) to help black people?
Your friendship is useless if I don’t have the same opportunities that you have. It’s useless if you’re only tweeting about my problems and not actively doing something about it. It’s useless if you’re getting book deals for your pro-black views and I have to survive this blackness every day without compensation.
Black activists can’t separate themselves from being pro-black, it’s the only way they know how to help other black people, but it’s something white activists can wake up one day and discard when they no longer profit from it. If you’re using your white privilege for the better, good for you but you have to be consistent. You have to help dismantle ‘white savior’ perceptions.
When white people ask you about people of color, REFER them to people of color. If you get a book deal for your pro-black views, hand it over to a person of color so we know it’s real. White allies that are selective about their privilege are problematic. It’s betrayal in it’s coldest form to selectively be someone’s friend when it suits you.
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