Disclaimer: I am not speaking on behalf of ALL people of color. I am simply speaking off of the common experience that people of color encounter, along with common opinions regarding this topic. Nor am I generalizing all white people. I would also like to say that these actions and comments are not exclusive to only white people. But, are more commonly expressed by white people.
Is it just me or does it seem like hating white people is a trend? Everyday we take constant jabs at white people with hashtags like #StopWhitePeople2k16, #WhitePeopling and get this…#BlackLivesMatter.
We preach about white supremacy, we blame our classmates, because of course it was their fault that it began in the first place!!
But do we really?
Listen up white folks. People of color did not squad up and hold a secret meeting where we all collectively decided that we were going to identify as prejudice and act upon it. (Note: people of color being tired of explaining things to white people does not equate to being prejudice.)
So, back to what I said earlier. Why does it seem like hating white people is a trend? Well recently in the U.S, people have been broadcasting the horrors of police brutality- and the correlation to racial profiling is right in our faces. This is what influenced the creation of the Black Lives Matter Movement. In the process, young people have started to realize that White Supremacy (and privilege) exist. Now, we’re in the middle of a war on race. Casual conversations in class are all fun and games until the white kid in the back says something problematic in regards to race. At first, you think “well maybe they just don’t know.” So you proceed by nicely enlightening them. That doesn’t work. From then on, the entire school year is a constant argument between the people of color and the white kids who just don’t seem to get it. “All Lives Matter!”, “But..black on black crime!”, “Racism is over, we have a black president!”
So, dear white kid. We do not hate you. We are just tired.
We’re tired of explaining why you don’t have a #WhiteOutDay a #WhiteGirlsBreakTheInternet, or a White History Month. We’re tired of putting our time and energy pouring out our hearts and pulling statistics and telling you our experiences just for you to invalidate it. We are relying on you guys to understand. We are relying on you guys to do something, to speak up and fix it. Because well, you’re the only ones who can. So yea. Its frustrating, and as a result a lot of people of color develop an intolerance towards you guys. But don’t confuse it with hate or prejudice.
Hopefully you want to know how you can contribute ending this war on race. Read. Watch. Listen. Educate yourself, and most importantly, don’t be silent. March with us.
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