In the wake of recent events in
Ferguson and New York, many people sigh in dismay at the news and scroll to the
next item in their newsfeed. Still
others think to themselves, “What can I do about this?”, and when they console
themselves that the problem is too big for them to take on by themselves they
move on to the next thing on their to-do list.
Some even get so far as to voice their question of what to do,
unfortunately it is often to a black person expected to represent the entire
race. Why do some of us get the privilege
of scrolling past this news story or of choosing not to talk about it with our
friends, parents, and colleagues?
Recently
at work, my black, female supervisor said to our staff that she is tired of
hearing the question “What can I do?”
With exasperation and exhaustion, she talked about what it was like to
go home to her children and have to explain what happened in Ferguson. With tears in her eyes, she told the story of
when her daughter said that sometimes she wishes she was white. The point she was making, and I want to make
too, is that not everyone gets the privilege of forgetting what occurred in
Ferguson, or in New York, or at times, in every city in America. Those of us who are white cannot let
ourselves scroll past the news story or drive by five cop cars surrounding one
black man. We have to stop overlooking
subtle racism and speak up when we notice that a black person is being treated
differently than we are.
This kind of response isn’t often
the answer we want to hear when we ask “What can I do?” It isn’t something we can do sitting comfortably
in our living room, hiding behind our privilege. This is the kind of response that requires
action and daily commitment to the idea that what happened in Ferguson is far
too common and is a result of systemic racism that is unfair and should never
happen again. This requires the
understanding that the world in which we live is different for people of
different races. Living in black America
is not the same as living in white America. Talk to any black person, or any other
non-white person, about microagressions they’ve experienced or instances of
overt racism and they will unfortunately have a story to tell you. Changing this requires the commitment of
others who recognize that there is an issue.
It cannot just be black voices fighting for black lives; everyone’s voice
is needed. Instead of using our
privilege to forget Ferguson and New York, we need to use our privilege to
remember and help others tempted to forget to remember it, too. By doing this, we can remember the inequality
in America and motivate ourselves to be part of the change.
As my
colleague, Tangela Roberts, points out #BlackLivesMatter is a feminist
issue. It’s an issue because as long as
the system maintains the power all other marginalized groups are fragmented and
pitted against one another. Women
against men, black against white, Latino against Asian, heterosexual against
homosexual, transgender against gay, and the list goes on and on. Until all oppressed people are against the
system and not against each other, the system won’t change. This change begins with acknowledging
oppression and refusing to stay silent.
-Written by Alyssa
Tedder-King
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