Shirley,
Glendale, CA.
I find it heartbreaking and appalling when we have the likes of Bill O’Reilly and those in the conservative right say that say “All Lives Matter.” To me, that is as oppressive and violent as Jim Crow Laws. From a Latina feminist perspective, Black Live Do Matter as long as Black African Americans and communities of color continue to be violently oppressed and disadvantaged at the advantage of “white privilege.”
Let’s talk about “white fragility” which is the inability for all those who identify as “white” or just “Americans” to engage in conversations about the legacy of racism and racial terrorism that has afforded them their hierarchal and privileged place in this society.
Let’s talk about the legacy of racism that falsely justifies this myth of assigning value and ranking to individuals based on their presumed racial category. White people and those who identify with them by virtue of legalization of US Census racial categories through the years, and who by that virtue (Germans, Irish, Italians, Eastern Europeans) assumed themselves to be superior in almost every form of human expression and activity including beauty, ability, potential, hygiene, health, intelligence, judgment, leadership as we have been witness to the nationwide blatant disrespect and believed incompetence of President Barack Obama.
Blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, Middle Easterns and Asian Americans will continue to be seen as the perpetual foreigners – let’s talk about that.
Thank you for the opportunity to offer these issues for dialogue
#mysoapbox
When I entered high school, I quickly learned terms like white privilege, white fragility, and microaggressions, which challenged my identity. While I understood I benefited from white privilege, I did not like the label. Still, the racism embedded in our institutions and the frustrated feelings of my friends motivates me to want to be part of the conversation. If I want to be able to meaningfully address the social justice issues in our society, I need to understand race.
