This is aimed at anyone who feels bad for what's happening in the US but also "I'm not racist".
It's aimed at: white, black, yellow, brown and red people. Anyone who's part of society.
I'm white and I'm racist. It sounds horrible to me to say these words, but they're true.
Everyone is racist: everyone has a race-based bias. It's with us since birth, because of society, family and culture: we see somebody who's different and we recognise they are different. Colourblindness is an absurd concept.
Please stop thinking this doesn't concern you: everything concerns you. You are part of society, aren't you? Nobody chose for this to happen, did they? Do you think black people chose to see their rights violated for centuries? Bad news, somebody DID choose this, and it's likely to be your ancestors at some point -- and even if not, it's hardly the point of who caused this and more of how we stop this.
All that is needed for bad people to succeed is for good people to do nothing. It's high time we stop this inequality, brutality and violence: we need you. Please help us build a better present and future.
There are really good guidelines out there on how to be a good white ally. Please read as much as you can, and if you are white, please acknowledge that whether you like it or not, you have a privilege since birth, which others just don't. So educate yourself as much as you can and LISTEN. You will never be able to understand how it feels to be born without that privilege, but that's okay if you are willing to listen and do your best.
And you're not a hero, for doing that. George Floyd wasn't a hero nor a martyr. He was a person, an innocent person who was brutally killed, like many many others, but this was on camera from beginning to end in a highly globalised world, so it had a huge impact also on the heart of those who (see the first line of this blogpost). There have been literally centuries of this happening, and black people know and live this on their skin, so enough with the being shocked. Be shocked in your heart but now just stand up and do something: read, listen, help educate, don't whitesplain, stop pretending you don't see colour.
"But colour really doesn't matter to me", you're thinking. Well, good! It shouldn't. You should be free to talk about issues without feeling fear of raising eyebrows with people pointing out at your whitesplaining, white privilege or even racism only because you said the words "Black people (insert something here)". But the world is not what it SHOULD be. That is why even though ALL lives matter, folks worldwide are now shouting #BlackLivesMatter.
Because they Don't. Matter. Enough.
You're not being a hero for helping. You're just being an indolent. And Dante Alighieri wrote that indolents go to hell, you know. I don't believe in hell but I still think he had a point there.
Do something, please. Stop accepting the little racist things that are being said everyday, start noticing these if you didn't: I can assure you, it's full of them everywhere on TV, radio, online and all around us. Ask people what they think about that, from any ethnic background. Discuss, talk, but mainly LISTEN.
So yes, I'm white, I acknowledge the racism inside me and I'm doing EVERYTHING in my power to erase it. I'm not asking you to hate yourself if you're white: just acknowledging that bias inside you and trying to do something about it is a great start. Just don't pretend you don't have it, please.
I'm going to shut up now.
Oh, wait, one more thing: Stop using the word RACE: the right word is ETHNICITY. The ethnic groups discrimination is not based on skin colour: do you think a black dog and a white dog are different races? There is only one human race.
Thank you so much for reading this and for whatever your efforts are.
A white ally.
