I responded to an article in a California college's publication. The issue at hand is essentially RACE IN AMERICA. I am particularly fond of one article - the ARC preamble - and I have attached it at the end of this post. These are my thoughts:
"I am a student at a liberal arts school in MN and I am currently researching "racial equity" and "economic justice". I find it FASCINATING that you have a group of "white" students for racial equity. I can see where a person of color might find this threatening, offensive, and counter-productive, but I would like to say that I understand the sentiments of WSRE. I would also like to point out that civil rights leaders from W.E.B. DuBois and Malcom X to Audre Lorde emphasized the importance of ACKNOWLEDGING the difference between "races". According to Lorde, one of the worst sins we can commit is pretending that these differences do not exist. I think that WSRE can serve as an invaluable asset to achieving equity - IF - they/you can work toward educating those who identify as "white" about the implicit advantages of being a fair-skinned American. BECAUSE racism IS institutionalized and reinforced through social and academic media, it is ESSENTIAL to bring awareness to those who identify as "white" that the messages they are receiving about themselves and non-white people are skewed.
And shouldn't white people feel proud and safe being WHITE people who want equity and justice? Isn't it possible that "non-white" groups/organizations are less accessible to white people who want to be part of the solution? (e.g. are there any white people on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People?) Why would there be anything wrong with someone saying, "I am white and I think there is something wrong with the ingrained racial inequities in this country," ?
As an aside, I happen to be a "mixed" American and my particular group has been referred to as, "white with an asterisk". I am "fair-skinned" but I am "non-white-enough" to get stopped in airport. Through my research this year, I am beginning to understand the depth and power of the fallacy of "race". While our genetic differences are negligible, it would be profoundly ignorant to say that race "does not exist". It DOES (as an idea, a VERY powerful idea) and it is just as important for white people to be openly on-board with racial equity as it is for "non-white" people.
I urge you and your readers to check out the information at the following addresses. (I do not represent, nor am I employed by either of these agencies. This is JUST information that I have come across in my research. Thank you for your candid efforts to live in the solution. Yes we can."
And shouldn't white people feel proud and safe being WHITE people who want equity and justice? Isn't it possible that "non-white" groups/organizations are less accessible to white people who want to be part of the solution? (e.g. are there any white people on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People?) Why would there be anything wrong with someone saying, "I am white and I think there is something wrong with the ingrained racial inequities in this country," ?
As an aside, I happen to be a "mixed" American and my particular group has been referred to as, "white with an asterisk". I am "fair-skinned" but I am "non-white-enough" to get stopped in airport. Through my research this year, I am beginning to understand the depth and power of the fallacy of "race". While our genetic differences are negligible, it would be profoundly ignorant to say that race "does not exist". It DOES (as an idea, a VERY powerful idea) and it is just as important for white people to be openly on-board with racial equity as it is for "non-white" people.
I urge you and your readers to check out the information at the following addresses. (I do not represent, nor am I employed by either of these agencies. This is JUST information that I have come across in my research. Thank you for your candid efforts to live in the solution. Yes we can."
http://www.arc.org/images/fr08/compact/ARC_compact_preamble.pdf