Erica Santiago / Staff Writer
With racism and police brutality receiving mainstream attention, it seems as if history is repeating itself. Watching unarmed black citizens gunned down for minor offenses by white police officers and seeing zero justice being served feels too similar to the days where “white only” signs lines the streets of every community. But in reality, history isn’t repeating itself.
The justice system has always been flawed, to the detriment of communities of color. To those who have never experienced systemic oppression, conversations of racism and police brutality are quite new. However, as an Afro-latina I can guarantee that many black Americans have had these kinds of conversations and have had their own experiences with systemic racism long before it received mainstream attention.
Why is it that decades after segregation was abolished and our government ruled that minorities must be treated with equality, racism still plagues this country?
There are plenty of reasons as to why this is so, but the most basic reason has to do with the way conversations about racism are conducted.
As a black person, I have to tiptoe around certain buzzwords in order to keep the conversation civil with my white colleagues. Words like “white people,” “white supremacy” and “privilege” must be omitted, otherwise my rhetoric is mistaken for a personal attack against white people.
However, it’s important to understand that talking about white supremacy and the way it hurts people of color while simultaneously granting white people certain privileges, is not a personal attack against white people. I am not saying all white people are racist or that all white people live a life of luxury. Instead, I am saying that white supremacy benefits white people and allows for them to have certain privileges.
White supremacy allows for white and white passing people to be overrepresented in media.
White supremacy allowed a police officer to get away with the murder of a 12 year old black child.
White supremacy allows for so many unarmed black citizens to be gunned down for little to no reason by the very people who are supposed to “serve and protect” them.
It’s an uncomfortable truth and it may be a tough pill to swallow, but the strength and history of white supremacy must be included in conversations about racism; pretending white supremacy doesn’t fuel the system that is racism would only be dishonest.
When I say “white supremacy systematically oppresses black people,” the response from my white colleagues is almost always “But I’m white and I’m not racist.” I’m glad you have the basic human decency to not oppress people based on their race, but that’s not relevant. This isn’t about you. You’re not racist? Great! But white supremacy still exists and it is still harmful. And yes, you still benefit from it. The same why I as a straight woman benefit from homophobia and transphobia. I may not harbor prejudice against gay and trans people, but I still have privileges that allow me to not face the issues they face.
If you’re a white person reading this, know that this is not a personal attack; it’s an honest discussion.
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