Because our white lives STILL matter...

Those of you who know me know that I’m FURIOUS white people get to 'lovingly' embrace and perpetuate the myths and lies of ThanksTaking this time of year, the gratitude shit that springs directly from white privilege – and now the “great” things that have happened this 'rough' year.

A white facebook friend of mine, who her white privilege is challenged becomes enraged, and fervently denies she’s white because she’s Italian. Recently she put a post up on facebook asking us to make a list of what’s been “GREAT” this “rough” year.

Really Giovanna? “Rough?” Police murderers killing with impunity? White vigilantes stalking, hunting down and murdering young men for jogging while Black? White male murderer stomping a man to death on camera as if he was squishing a spider? Police and white vigilantes attacking BLM protesters with increased horrific violence? Black and brown people dying from covid at a much greater rate than white people?

Well here’s her post in green so you can see for yourselves and my hurried response along with the ensuing dialogue - well dialogue ended actually along with unfriending and blocking....

Giovanna: "Yes 2020 has been rough. But what great things have happened for you this year? Let's start a list."

Me: "Let's start this list of the "great" things that have not been brought to those of us who are white by our white privilege."

She very politely responded to me with: start your own thread on your own page.

This is a womon who is supposed to be much more than a friend but a sistar compañera.

Me: "You don't get it Giovanna and it hurts me so much. I'm just asking us to remember that Black lives STILL don't matter - to be aware like white people don't have to even think about our privilege when we think of what is "great" about our lives. Let alone when characterizing this past year as “rough”.

Our attention to racism is so short lived - as it is part of our privilege, as you embraced & are reminding me here - we not only don't HAVE to think about it but we get to flaunt our privilege publicly in the face of Black & brown people. We don't have to consider disparities impacting Black people STILL being shot by police, being incarcerated, Black womyn & infants dying during childbirth 8 times more than white womyn, that Black womyn pay the highest mortgage rates in the country, that fewer Black people own homes today than when housing discrimination was legal in 1968.

And much more: the average white woman has TEN - 10 - times the wealth of the average Black womon. And that white people are surviving covid in much greater numbers than Black & brown people.

And we can't even ask ourselves to think about where our "great" advantages are coming to us from during this past “rough” year?

Because our white lives matter.