5 Concrete Ways In Which White People Can Fight Racism
Because let’s face it, you really can’t just sit there and do nothing
Ever since I started writing about racism, white people have reached out to me to ask how they can fight against racism or even better become antiracists. Some think that it is easy because “they don’t see color”, and others are afraid that it will expose them to uncomfortable conversations and painful confrontations. And while yes, confrontations can and will happen, you cannot ignore or put up with racism simply to preserve your inner peace. That’s just not morally, ethically, and socially acceptable anymore. Not standing up to racism when you aren’t a racist yourself says a lot about you as a person. It says that you lack courage.
The unfortunate murder of George Floyd has given the world the freedom to discuss racism more openly and to find solutions to address racial inequities that have trapped black and brown and indigenous communities in cycles of poverty for decades. As a white person, here are some ways in which you can fight racism and make a difference in your community. Your efforts no matter how small will positively impact someone’s life.
- Educate yourself, educate others and speak up!
There is no excuse today to not know about racism and its insidious effects on the lives of many people. By typing up racism in a search engine, you will find a slew of content ranging from personal essays about racism to scientific peer-reviewed publications that explain anything from racial microaggressions to white privilege, to systemic racism to antiracism. While this does not make for pleasant bedtime reading, it is absolutely necessary to seek and understand this information to educate oneself on the topic.
You then have a responsibility to share what you have learned with your family and friends. Sometimes, these conversations will be difficult. You might even discover that your good old Uncle James or middle-school friend Jenny are in fact racists. Still, be courageous and have those discussions. You might agree to disagree with your relatives and friends, and that might be an unsavory compromise, but whatever you do, let them know that you are not a racist and that you will not accept them making racist jokes or calling black and brown people derogatory names in your presence. Be firm about that.
2. Raise your children to be courageous antiracists
If you have children, you have a responsibility to raise them to be accepting and respectful of all people. You should strive to make them antiracists, this is what they will need to meaningfully contribute to the betterment of humanity in generations to come.
If you think of it, raising children to be racists is actually a form of abuse. Unlike physical abuse, there might not be any visible scars, but the mental trauma is there and it will arrest the social development of your children. Sometimes you will have to make difficult choices, like forego family gatherings if your relatives are racists, but you have a responsibility to your kids to not make them grow up in hatred of the “other”.
3. Vote for non-racist and or antiracist leaders and politicians
One of the most effective ways in which you can fight racism is with your vote. Use it. Make sure you use this “superpower” to ensure that your leaders are staunch antiracists keen to foster and nurture a world where everyone is respected and considered equal. It might be tempting to vote for politicians that promise to lower your taxes or support your pro-life convictions, but if at the end of the day these politicians preach hatred and non-tolerance for those with a different skin color, don’t stoop to their level, don’t vote them into office. Hate begets hate, and if you vote for more hate, you will be doing a disservice to the entire human race.
4. Share your thoughts about racism — write, and leverage your social media platforms
Leverage your freedom of expression. Write and speak about racism on your social media platforms. Share your thoughts on racism from your perspective. Share your ideas about how this ancient scourge can be dismantled. Yes, a lot of people that write about racism are black and brown, but there is nothing wrong with white people expressing their opinions on the topic as well. Racism will only be dismantled when we all — white, black and brown people put our heads together to overthrow it. Give yourself the permission to write about the problem, join the army of antiracism writers and make your voice heard.
5. Provide financial or in-kind support to organizations or advocates seeking to dismantle racism
Antiracism organizations and advocates need your help — whether it be financial or in-kind. With funding, you can enable an antiracism writer to live off their writing. This will enable that person to deliver more quality content to help educate you and your family and friends.
Antiracism organizations need funding too, but they could also benefit from your expertise in the space of accounting, legal, communication, or fundraising. There is a myriad of ways in which you can help. Offer your expertise pro-bono and don’t give up if you get turned down the first time. Try to build a rapport of trust with these organizations — it will be a lot easier for them to work with you when you do.
Conclusion
As a white person, these are 5 concrete ways in which you can engage in the fight against racism. You must understand that racism isn’t a problem for black and brown people only. It is a problem that affects the whole of humanity.
While we spend time maltreating others because they have a different skin color to our own, we are not putting our heads together to resolve some of the most pressing challenges of our times. There are issues like global health security: how do we prevent another pandemic from happening? And then there is global warming, food and water scarcity and so many other worrisome things coming our way. As a human race, it is clear that united we will stand, but divided we will most certainly fall. So let’s dismantle racism and start working together hand in hand to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
Thank you for reading my perspective.
And for another perspective on concrete ways in which to fight racism and become antiracist, please read this article by Michael Burg, MD (AKA Medium Michael Burg): https://readmedium.com/becoming-actively-anti-racist-actionable-advice-summarized-a973d50385d0