First, read
read this piece from
Atlanta Blackstar published on Tuesday. It will save us all some time.
A few key points:
All Black Folks Experience Racism
Black People Own the Conversation on Racism
Black people know better than Webster’s Dictionary what racism actually means. We’re living it. We don’t need it to be whitesplained to us.
There is No Such Thing as a Post-Racial Society
Black People Are Punished for Being Themselves Around White Folks
Black people have to often racially code switch as a method of survival and getting ahead because our authentic expressions are seen as inferior to whites.
The Existence of Poor White People Doesn’t Negate the Reality of Racism
So What if Black People Are Angry
And, now, below the fold for two people who don't get it and maybe why.
And, yes, I'm a straight white cis male. Me too. I don't get it because I never will face the same things even when I lived in DC, the city not the federal part, where I was a stark minority and faced a lot of anger. You know what I did? I took it and it hurt like hell.
#YesAllWhiteFolks
You heard it right:
“We do not do justice in America in the streets though. We have legal processes that are set in motion, that are designed after centuries of Anglo-American jurisprudence tradition, they’re designed to protect the rights and liberties of everyone involved.”.
AND
“That’s one of the great advances of Anglo-American civilization, is that that we do not have politicized trials. We let the justice system work it out.”
Please read the linked blog post for your IOKIYAR daily jollies.
Yes, THAT Selma:
A sixth grade Brantley Elementary teacher was put on paid administrative leave Wednesday after a Facebook post revealed the teacher allegedly instructed the students Tuesday to reenact a Ferguson, Mo. shooting known nationwide.
Dallas County Schools Superintendent of Education Don Willingham said an instructor was teaching about current events, as planned, when someone brought up the Brown shooting. He said the class conducted a “skit” about the Brown incident, but declined to give further details of the “skit” or who suggested it.
Watch an interview with parent Jessica Lynn Baughn
at RawStory
White Self-Segregation
From The Atlantic: "One reason for the racial divide over Michael Brown's death is that white Americans tend to talk mostly to other white people."
A Huffington Post/YouGov poll reported that 76% of black respondents say the shooting of Michael Brown is part of a larger pattern while 40% of white respondents see it that way.
Similarly, a Pew Research Poll as reported by The Atlantic showed:
overall the country is divided over whether Brown’s shooting “raises important issues about race that need to be discussed” (44 percent) or whether “the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves” (40 percent). However, black Americans favor the former statement by a four-to-one margin (80 percent vs. 18 percent) and at more than twice the level of whites (37 percent); among whites, nearly half (47 percent) believe the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves.
Is it any wonder than that The Huffington Post ran a piece in it's "Black Voices" section titled Black Americans Much More Likely To See Race As Factor In Michael Brown Shooting in response to the same polls?
But Hey, That Black Guy On FoxNews Said It Wasn't Racial!
I can't speak to that but I'm guessing that there is some money in denying racism. Take The Wall Street Journal editorial board member Jason Riley talking about the response that President Obama and AG Holder need to do regarding events in Ferguson.
“These looters and rioters do not need to hear from the attorney general that criticism of Obama is race-based,” Riley told host Bret Bauer. “What they need to hear from this Black man in this position — the nation’s leading law enforcement official — is that they need to stay out of trouble with the law. They need to pull up their pants and finish school and take care of their kids. That is the message they need to hear.”
Or, take Johnathan Gentry who went viral with a YouTube rant that landed him on the teevee.
My Advice To My Fellow White Folks
Ask yourself how you feel about this man.
And read 2 things:
"7 Actual Facts That Prove White Privilege Exists in America"
1. You are less likely to be arrested.
2. You are more likely to get into college.
3. You are more likely to "fit in" and get called back for a job.
4. You are less likely to be perceived as a "thug."
5. You are less likely to be labeled "angry."
6. You are more likely to make headlines when missing.
7. You are more likely to find adequate housing.
"Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person"
hint: the author redirects you to White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
We now sign off from WELUV Radio!