Guess What? The Race War is Already Here
A few years ago, one of my White colleagues said that she had friends who were afraid. They feared that if they started having conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion, if they opened up opportunities for people of color, if they apologized for colonialism, etc. that there would be a race war.
White supremacists have been calling for an apocalyptic race war for a long time. I’m not sure why. Because the race war is already here. The dominant culture, Whites, have waged wars on communities of color for generations. It’s become so embedded in how we live (think: structures and policies), that members of the dominant culture don’t even realize it. Here’s the thing:
When you colonize and break up parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East for your country and allies in Europe, you have waged war.
When you say you’ve “discovered” America, bring diseases that kill Native Americans, and then put them all on reservations, you have waged war.
When you claim that the U.S. is the “world’s policeman”, you have waged war.
When you pass laws and use resources to divide communities of color to prevent them from organizing together for racial justice, you have waged war.
Need a few more examples?
When White people go free for committing mass shootings and murder but unarmed black men are killed for allegedly committing crimes, you are waging war.
When White politicians challenge the legitimacy of Native land and work to take away reservations from current tribes, you are waging war.
When Latinx(e) children are rounded up, separated from their parents, and put into detention centers, you are waging war.
When news anchors like Chris Cuomo says he had no idea why Asians wore masks in Asia all these years and now he gets it… as though Whites are the only ones who can put best practices into place... you are waging war.
This war has been fought all over the world (even Antartica has been divided up). People of color are exhausted. We are tired of oppression. We are sick of being told to wait our turn. We are angry, and we will not be silenced. We did not start the war, but we sure as hell are going to fight for our lives.
If you’re a part of the dominant culture, here are a few ways you can help end this war:
Stop trying to be our ally. We don’t need you to be our allies. Put your pins away. Stop forcing yourself to post the obligatory FaceBook post. We don’t need your sympathy. But we do need you to be our co-conspirators. We need you to take a risk. Demonstrate what your commitment is to our movement. Be in solidarity with us and let us lead. After all, we’re the ones on the front lines.
Quit saying that you are woke because being woke isn’t enough. Learn how to challenge the status quo even if it means your reputation is on the line. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Protest with us. Plan for your resignation if you’re a White leader in an organization full of White leaders. Insist that a person of color fill that position. Mourn on the 4th of July and Thanksgiving instead of celebrating White colonization of Native land.
Hold other white people accountable for their actions. Vote out White politicians who actively work to keep white supremacy in place. If you have the funds, move to a state where your vote to end white supremacy will count more.
Recognize that this is a war that you’re going to be fighting in for the rest of your life. Does it sound exhausting? It should. People of color are exhausted. We want this war to end. But we won’t rest until racial justice and equity are fully achieved.
Because there are still too many Amy Coopers. Too many Jennifer Schultes. Too many Derek Chauvins and Tom Austins. And because inaction is still an action. And silence is not silence. If you aren’t doing something, then you are complicit in what is happening. There is no such thing as being neutral in this. Think about what side of history you want to be on. Because you have the power to help stop this war.