This is for people who are white and want to do the right thing on a societal level but who need guidance digesting on the personal level.
Hello. I am a person and my skin is white. My whiteness has both benefitted and hurt me. Life has brought me success and struggle. It’s easy to remember the latter and see how my difficulties have directly affected my trajectory. I admit, therefore, that at first, I had some difficulty digesting the word “privilege”.
Overall, I have organized the parts of me that this word and its ideas have upturned. I am in a healthy, peaceful place. But it has not been easy, it is not easy, and it will not be always easy. But it can get easier.
Making it easier— and making sense— is why I write this. I hope that is why you read this. Let’s figure that out, if you haven’t already:
Are you a person who is white?
Have you tried your best to live morally and do what’s right?
Have you felt deep pain and/or faced deep struggles?
Do you have people you love?
Are you interested in racial justice?
Do you attempt to learn and listen more about racism in America and feel it’s something we must address?
As you learn and listen, does some part of you still have questions you are afraid to ask ? Or parts of the rhetoric that don’t sit right with you?
If you are a ‘yes’ to most or all of these, then I am writing for you. If not, then you can stay with us if you’d like. You are included amongst we humans, though you may not be able to directly relate to all the topics discussed.
Things you may feel that you’re afraid or embarassed to admit:
How do I have ‘white privilege’ when such shitty things have happened to me?
I know people who are black that seem way more privileged than me.
I feel defensive when my ‘white privilege’ or ‘fragility’ is mentioned.
I hate being grouped in with ‘white people’.
Sometimes, I feel attacked.
I feel I need to hate myself for being white, and that feels unfair and wrong.
Violence makes me uncomfortable.
I’m terrified to say the wrong thing.
How do I be an ‘ally’ without being a ‘white savior’? Is being an ‘ally’ even a good thing anymore?
I do feel guilty for being white.
Sometimes I do feel racism towards white people, and that upsets me.
I feel like I’m only allowed to be ‘white’ and not a full person.
If you’ve engaged in the movement at all, you’ve certainly heard activists imploring white people to educate themselves. It is necessary to learn about history, policy, society, and everything in between, and there are so many amazing resources besides this to do such. This is to help process it all.