Hi, white people. My name is Michael and I’m here to help explain how you can help make the world a better place for non-white people without further antagonizing racial minorities with your whiteness (unconsciously or not). Now, I have to be blunt: I don’t have much faith in your ability as a collective to help achieve racial equality. You shouldn’t have to fault any high school graduate who paid even half-attention in history class to understand why. The same can be said of the current news cycle. However, I’m going to try to assist you because I feel like I shouldn’t give up. Well, not until y’all are no longer the majority, anyway. Tuck your privilege in and let’s get started.
Call out your fellow white people on their racism.
Why is the onus of curbing racism so often placed upon victims as opposed to perpetrators? White folks, get your racist white brethren together! And no, I don’t just mean Donald Trump or just about every Fox News anchor (yes, including Megyn Kelly). I mean, the next time you catch Bill and Hillary Clinton employing racially-coded language to advance their political agenda, hit them just as hard. Then again, the Clintons need people of color to win the presidency, so they’ll be whispering sweet nothings in our ear from now until November 2016. But, you get it.
Call out your racist conservative uncle at Thanksgiving. And your “liberal” but equally racist mom. The same goes for your boyfriend or girlfriend when they say something racially insensitive or complain about why they can’t use the “n-word” in a rap song. Or those in media whom you know damn well are doing it. You can also alert your fellow white people that they needn’t constantly call the cops on their black neighbors. I read that Washington Post story. Can y’all get a life that doesn’t include unnecessary fear of anyone different than you?
By the way, when I say racism, I am not speaking in absolutes. Racism is nuanced and varied. A racist act may not make a person a racist, but they are a person who committed an act of racism all the same. As a white person, you benefit from white supremacy and systemic racism by default, so if it really bugs you that much, speak against it when the opportunity presents itself. It’s the least you could do.
Please stop saying you’re colorblind.
Do you know why non-white people are annoyed when a white person says they “don’t see color?” It’s because as a white person, they can elect to bypass color and race. White people are considered the norm and everyone else, an outlier. That means you can ignore color because your color is never questioned—a privilege some of us don’t have. It’s like, of course you don’t see color, dumb ass. No one is worried about yours. When you try to argue otherwise, you are pretending that you are not white, which in this life, is like winning a lottery ticket at birth. Ain’t no colorblind, bih. Cut that out.
Stop quoting the “I Have A Dream” speech.
I know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been made into a Disney-like character in the civil rights movement, but whenever something racially volatile happens, people—yes, including our white allies—love to invoke three sentences from this speech, thinking they just said something profound. Reading other speeches and proceeding to stop invoking King’s name as if his words are like a spray you can mist over righteous indignation will do a world of good for racial harmony, as it will lead to white people irritating black folks less.
Learn when to shut up.
This is self-explanatory, but because I’m a black man directing my comments to white people, I know I’ll have to further explain myself. When a black person (or any minority) is articulating their frustration, don’t just hear them—actually listen. There have been moments where I have tried to explain my feelings only to be interrupted by someone white who has the unfortunate belief that they are better at explaining my feelings than I am. I don’t need your vanilla-flavored assistance to formulate my views on being a negro in this country. Got it?
Please look beyond mass media to assess the temperament of black people.
Whether or not you realize it, there is a reason why people like Whoopi Goldberg, Stacey Dash, Don Lemon, and Raven-Symoné are given major platforms to openly and routinely deny the effects of racism in various instances. Diversity in aesthetics alone is not necessarily diversity. ‘Tis why black media still exists and remains important because they are people who speak truth to power, only they’re not given as loud a megaphone. Seek these perspectives out. It will help you have a more nuanced view of race and racism. You can also tap a white TV exec on the shoulder and say, “Neighbor, can we get some black people who don’t sound crazy on the telly? K thanks.”
Buy Janet Jackson’s forthcoming album.
YOU OWE HER. Don’t think black folks don’t know the racial and sexual politics behind the de facto blacklisting she received as a result of her nipple flying freely at the Super Bowl halftime show thanks to Justin Timberlake’s sloppy grip. Y’all forgave him, but Janet ain’t been right since. MAKE IT RIGHT, WHITE PEOPLE.
Reparations.
There’s no way in hell this is going to happen, but it should. So, I'll just leave this here...
Stop being terrible.
This will only offend you if you are indeed guilty. Since we’re being honest, though, don’t tell me to pull up my pants. Don’t ask to touch my homegirl’s hair. Don’t immediately assume I want fried chicken even if I do. Don’t tell me why you think Beyoncé and Rihanna are not feminist enough to fit your white, racist standards. Be better. Do better. Give black people a break. Have y’all not terrorized us enough?
Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem, and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him @youngsinick.
