Across the country, there are organizations dedicated to eradicating racism and White Supremacy through education and action. If you're white like myself, it is IMPERATIVE that we talk about race within the white community. As Malcolm X said, "Whites who are sincere should organize themselves and figure out some strategies to break down the prejudice that exists in white communities. This is where they can function more intelligently and more effectively, in the white community itself, and this has never been done" (interview with Jack Barnes and Barry Sheppard, Young Socialist [March-April, 1965]).
So, if you fellow white people want to get involved and actually make a difference when it comes to eradicating White Supremacy, here are some ways you can take action:
Discuss race with your white friends. As a white person, you don't have to discuss race in your daily life, that is a major aspect of our white privilege (and no, white privilege doesn't mean you've never experienced anything bad in your life; it means that nothing bad in your life was ever caused by your whiteness). Ask questions, work through your discomfort, be honest about your own racial biases, and make plans to make change together. This leads to my next point.
Go to protests and/or get involved with a local organization that deals with racial justice reforms. You can check out SURJ's (Showing Up for Racial Justice) website to see chapters they have in your area.
Read, read, listen, listen, read some more. With the plethora of movies, books, articles, TV shows, and documentaries available on race, ethnicity, and White Supremacy—you have a host of information available at your fingertips. Yes, you'll make mistakes in your journey to becoming more racially-aware, but it's better to keep moving forward, listening to constructive criticism, and making better choices moving forward—than doing absolutely nothing. As Desmond Tutu wisely said, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
Keep your foot on the gas. You're going to get uncomfortable, you're going to feel initial feelings of guilt, and much more—but the important thing is that you keep making the effort to tear down White Supremacy. Look around your office/work spaces to see how many Black people/POC are beside you; look at who occupies seats of power in your community; look at the level of diversity on your Instagram feed; how many Black-owned businesses you support; and so on. Race permeates practically every way of life in the U.S.; once you as a white person finally recognize this, you wonder how you've never seen it before.
Keep in mind that we as white people need to be lifelong students when it comes to being more racially-aware and stepping up to defeat White Supremacy. Since we will never fully understand what it means to be a Black person or POC, we need to constantly listen and do our research. It's very easy for us to slip back into our "normal" of not thinking about race because we don't "have" to; but it's imperative that we do. If our white ancestors are the ones who built and upheld White Supremacy, we as their descendants need to eradicate it. We're the ones who need to do the work. So get up, do your research, and take action. We're in it for the long haul.
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