Brief Reportback Nextdoor Tuesday 9/8 Zoom "What Will White Womyn Do To End Racism"

After sharing the challenges and successes of our recent anti-racism journeys, we began by talking about The 1619 Project and the kickass fierce Peabody and Pulitzer prize winning Nikole Hannah-Jones introduction where she lays out not only the depth of historic and present-day racism but the immense contributions to our country that Black people in particular have made.

Not just the enormous wealth Black bodies and labor produce(d), but Black people have spearheaded and been responsible for the fight to align the ideals of this country of freedom, justice, and democracy with the reality of not just the absence of these ideals but the actions, laws, mores counter to and erasing these ideals in real life in our country.

Nikole Hannah-Jones breaks it down for us – as does the entire 1619 Project, which every white person – especially children and youth – need to consume.

Again we spoke of our anger at not just our ignorance of racism but of the lies that were & are carefully taught in our white homes, communities, schools – both the lies and omissions of our true history: for example white people not knowing about Tulsa and the many other “Tulsa’s” in other counties and states; or being taught Malcolm X was a bad person.

We spoke of white people’s (our) responsibility in confronting and changing racism, racist behaviors and thoughts. When we see and know racism is a weapon, is a matter of life and death, we must figure out how to disarm our fellow white friends/family/neighbors. We cannot let Ron, Bern, Mooney, Gretchen, Sophia, Brandon “off the hook” any more.

“Are you content in your hatred?” “I am intolerant of your viewpoints.” “I was not aware you have such a hateful heart.” We have to stand vocal and present in the midst of white deniers, perpetrators, (un)intentional racism/racists.

We spoke of sacrifice – as part of white privilege we get to decide what comforts, what relationships, what friendships we are willing to risk when we challenge racism. We must make the discussion and dismantling of racism as “normal”, an everyday practice among white people, as talking about the weather and going to work.

But is it really a ‘sacrifice’ or a ‘cost’? Because racism has ‘cost’ white people our humanity – we are no longer human when we are willing to engage and bask in the fruits of genocide, colonization, war, and slavery. Anti-racism affords white people the opportunity to regain our humanity, making no sacrifice a sacrifice in reality or too great in order to become human.

We spoke of that ubiquitous privileges that white people are granted by racism: can we ever really get rid of privilege? Or do we grab our privilege like a bat and use it to smash injustice, racism, misogyny? How one of our privileges is to decide how our shared wealth is to be spent: if we decide to give someone a dollar do we deny that person money if we believe they will spend it not how we think they should? We talked about the lengths to which homeless people have to go in order to trigger compassion in those of us who choose to share money, like it is not difficult nor stirring enough for another human being to say “I need money” but they have to be in a wheel chair or with children/mouths to feed, etc. in order to inspire those with more money than a homeless person to share with them.

We spoke of how do white people speak with Black or brown people who appear not to be on the same “liberal” page with whites, about their views that we judge as conservative, bigoted. Is it our place of privilege to challenge Black and/or brown friends, how do we acknowledge that privilege while carrying on a conversation with people who already know through their own personal experience what we are merely talking about. How white people should be sooooo busy confronting racism among whites and spending our time listening to Black and brown people then telling Black or brown people how to feel/think/believe = instead asking and figuring out why they believe what they do, what has been their experience forming their conclusions. And how we go about doing that in an anti-racist way.

Do we focus on changing hearts and minds of white people, is it even possible to change hearts and minds – especially when racism is killing people every single moment of every single day? Or do we focus on changing behavior of white people? How to figure out how to make racism and the dismantling of racism PERSONAL for other white people – if they do not have personal loving relationships with Black and/or brown people and are not motivated by ending the violence and oppression of Black and brown people which enrages and motivates us but also how our white rage comes from the maintaining of racism to ensure white supremacy and white privilege by our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, peers.

We spoke of white fragility, which none of us have read but is on ‘to read’ lists – but the mere reactions of other white people who have read it makes it a great potential read. We cannot be ‘polite’ about racism, once we know and understand it is a matter of life or death.

Other recommended reading includes “The New Jim Crow” and “The Autobiography of Malcolm 

Actions include: signing petitions and taking those petitions to the streets, to letters to the editor; participating in local politics as city councils, neighborhood groups, school boards, local and state agencies. Organizing white people in our neighborhoods, especially white people that are gentrifying. Posting notices on Nextdoor about homeless people down the street – after asking them what they need – more often and more willing to share (& organizing the sharing) as we post about and care for loose dogs in the neighborhood. Being present and supportive at Black Lives Matter protests/actions, supporting Black organizations with our money. Being in the streets with banners, signs, flyers on a daily or weekly basis: bannering on a corner, on a freeway overpass, signs in our windows, yards. Confronting police brutality, spreading their names and pictures as we follow up on police who have murdered not just filing charges but following them and making sure they are not re-hired at other police departments, etc.

SOOOOOO many things we can be spending every moment of our lives doing.

See you next Tuesday 6pm September 15^th