I never know what to say.
Sydney,
KS.
I do the best I can to be an ally for my friends of color. Sometimes, though, I stay silent on issues. Not because I am not being the best I can be- but because often I say things as a white person that offends my friends because the language I use isn’t right. It seems as though, even though I try my best to not, every single thing I say is met with some sort of “Well, that’s great but here’s what you did wrong..” type of statement. I came from a small, homogenous western KS town. I do my best to meet my friends where they are, but often feel like they do not try to understand how much it takes to break out of a mold of small-town thinking in certain instances. Racism and race is hard to talk about, especially when you are just trying to learn and grow, but can’t do it without stepping on the toes of absolutely everyone.
My mom said don’t say n*****.
David Thomas,
Austin, TX
Submitted via Twitter: @DavidRT
A Note from Michele:
David said his submission was “difficult to write”.
Say Hello First Then Think Twice
Lauri McNamara,
Greenfield, MA.
I see strangers in my neighborhood when I walk my dog and instead of being afraid and making snap assessments based on their age, skin, group, I slow myself down and try to make eye contact, say hello and take it from there. I wish more people would give it a try. Connect with other humans, whether they are familiar or not. Say Hello.
Whatever I say, I’m always wrong.
Lorrell Holtz-Oxley
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
I’m white, watch what I say
Meagan Cromer
Manassas, VA
Since I am white, I always feel that I have to be cautious of what I say when talking about race, because if I say the wrong thing people automatically assume I’m racist.
