Moving from “Not Racist” to Anti-Racist
Growing up in the South is no joke. I was taught some really interesting things in school, like it was ok for us to take the Native Americans land because we “saved” them by introducing them to Christianity. I was also led to believe that we were in a post-racial world because we didn’t have slavery any more. I grew up in a white neighborhood. There was maybe one Black kid at my elementary school and handful at my junior high.
Of course I wasn’t racist! Of course I thought slavery was wrong! Of course we should all be judged by our actions and our character!
It wasn’t until later in life that I learned that being “not racist” is not enough to correct the wrongs of 400+ years of discrimination, colonization, and white supremacy. Perhaps being “not racist” might be enough if we all live in a vacuum, where past experiences and other people’s situations did not affect our lives. But we don’t live in a vacuum, we live in an ecosystem of interconnected beings.
While I may feel disconnected from slavery because I do not see it or hear about it today, that does not mean that slavery does not affect my life. The system in which I live in the United States was built by white men in power, and today white men remain in power. The system was designed to keep white male property and business owners in power. Rich white men made the laws, set cultural norms, built the churches, and created the system of government. Government did not just mean legislative activities written down but also the postal system, qualifiers and prices of land ownership, compensation of the military, penal codes and the prison system for criminals, health care systems, school admittance, school curriculum, teachers, voting processes, allocation of business licenses, taxes, languages, burial traditions, and every other part of life.
Certainly, corrections have been attempted. Abolitionists fought in the Civil War to end slavery and the Civil Rights Movement caused a cultural shift. Women were permitted to get their own bank account and credit card in the 1970s. We celebrate these advancements and we are grateful, but they are not enough to correct the 400+ years of wrongdoing. We’ve talked about the system designed to keep white male business owners in power, but there is also the trauma. Trauma lives in the body and is passed down from generation to generation. A study in mice found that when mice are given an electric shock when stepping on a pad, these mice will birth and raise mice that avoid the pad, even if there is no longer an electric shock present. Trauma is stored and handed down. If one is denied education and opportunity and had their dignity taken from them, it would be hard to raise a generation with ideas of hope, prosperity, and fairness.
There is nothing white supremacy doesn’t touch in the United States. Staying neutral and inactive in racial discussions may seem like a peaceful and calm way to live. However, if racism is baked into the system, then going along with the system is actually being a part of racism. In order to move towards justice and fairness, we must actually move against the system to make corrections. Complying with the system allows the system to continue.
There is a famous quote attributed to Edmund Burke that rings true: “The only thing necessary for triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
How do I get started in a practice of Anti-Racism? How do I know how to actively become Anti-Racist?
I have another blog post on this topic. However, my strong recommendation for white people is consume books and training offered by People of Color. Do not ask People of Color to educate you for free. It is not their job to make you into a good person and teach you how to behave. They face injustice and discrimination every day, and they do not need to relive it for your benefit. There are brave volunteers who offer this training, and they deserve to be highly compensated for their lived experience and patience with white people as we slowly learn how to deconstruct things that People of Color have always known.
Here are some training resources and books available for your journey:
Soul Fire Farm’s Uprooting Racism Training: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/programs/urfs/
Collective on Racial Equity in Food Systems - https://coreliberative.org/
