Correcting Systemic Racism Doesn’t Have To Be Difficult

5 Things To Bring Change & Help EVERYONE

1. Empathy

Often, a lot of people will respond to my articles on racism and say things like:

“And yet you don’t present any actual evidence for systemic racism in general or police violence specifically. The best study I’ve found finds NO systematic bias in police shootings but some evidence of systematic bias in manhandling.”

"There are more unarmed whites shot by police than black. Look it up. And when you see this fact just see what happens when you admit it to all your friends. But I know for another fact you won’t. You would not get the response you expect, and demand from white people to your accusations of white supremacy. Its a lie you want white people just to understand. You want them to pay. Which still won’t be enough. Maybe that is why you're not invited. Angry, judgmental, morally superior attitude is not fun to be around. But that will always always be proof to you as white supremacy. Believe it or not there is more to a person’s personality than their skin color."

"Respectfully D, I do not understand how you can say this, that “there is no argument…” for police perpetrating systematic racism. This had been PREACHED by mainstream media, with no evidence. This is what BLM rioters screamed in the streets last year when they burned down multiple businesses.

This is what democratic politicians have claimed. After the Capital riots, Biden claimed that if the rioters were black, this [their gentle response to the mostly white rioters] would not have happened because the police would have been more aggressive in pushing them back. However, he stated that they did not because they are systematically racist. This has been a foundational point of the Biden/ Harris Administration on the campaign trail and now, still, in office.

It is a blatant lie."

"I don’t [believe in system racism] either."

It is more productive to be a protagonist than an antagonist, but people choose pain (racism) — the hard way — instead, which continues to create havoc amongst minorities.

If you are not a Black individual and don’t believe in systemic racism, I’m not surprised. You’re not Black. You weren’t born black. You haven’t lived life as a Black individual.

BUT, if you desire to be a better human being and live a better life, developing empathy for others is invaluable, transformative, and empowering. BUT, this takes effort, time, energy, and uncomfortable feelings; most people don’t want to deal with any of this.

I’m not going to trivialize or nullify any others’ experiences, which is another way for me to display empathy. I’m not going to understand your life experience because I am a Black female, which means I best understand Black experiences. Still, even then, there are unique Black experiences that I will never relate to because of my own privilege. There are layers to this shit.

I will never 100% relate to others’ experiences, and I don’t even try. However, I do try and empathize with people’s experiences and accept them as true.

2. Acceptance

Society could be so much further if they simply accepted others’ truths; it doesn’t have to be hard. We don’t have to resist everything different from us. You don’t have to resist everything different from you.

One of the best gifts you can give to a minority person is acceptance. Accept their truths. Accept their agony. Accept their pain. Accept their troubles. Accept their unique experiences in a world founded upon racism.

Example: Voter Suppression

Voter suppression has been a problem since the beginning of time. Many people don’t want to hear this, but many white people want to keep other white people in the power seats, and usually, these people are other white men.

Side Note: Thankfully, this is changing, and William Spivey said it perfectly: “It is anticipated that by the year 2045, white people will be a minority in American, and many white people are already scared as hell.[…] White people are worried that when they become the minority, they will be treated like they treated minorities, which they’re already working on, to maintain power even after they lose their majority.”

Moving Forward…

Here’s A Problem: Voter suppression Here’s A Solution: Allow voters to vote easily

But instead, we now see people rummaging to change voter laws, so people like Trump can win elections again. Furthermore, we see people foam at the mouth over absentee ballots — something that's been around since 1864. Absentee ballots are nothing new; in fact, they helped millions of people vote during a pandemic, but somehow people don’t view it that way.

What is democracy? A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

If we can’t even elect our representatives fairly, then our whole democracy is non-existent.

American society needs to accept that not everyone is white, which means not all of our problems and experiences are the same. America is one big gigantic melting pot, and it’s time to wake up and realize that we need to start acting like a multi-racial country. It’s not about the one anymore; it’s about the many.

3. Self-Education

We are constantly fed information that is biased, limited in thought, ignorant, and unproductive.

Three of the best ways to ensure you lead your own successful life that is not negatively infiltrated by outside thought and opinion is to:

1. Rigorously educate your mind. 2. Empower your economic position. 3. Think for yourself — individual thought.

Where do you obtain the majority of your information? Is it from news outlets, social media, family, and the like? Is it from credible educational resources such as books, academic articles, and other unbiased sources?

Question: Why is it consequential that we obtain information from multiple credible sources?

Answer: So that we can make rational decisions in addition to conscious choice in what we choose to believe. Acquiring information from multiple credible sources ensures we have as much perspective as possible to determine what is true.

Instead, many of us are lead to believe whatever social media, our families, and skewed/biased news outlets tell us to believe.

Educate your mind, educate your thoughts, train your thinking habits, and educate yourself wholeheartedly — with zeal.

One of the most powerful ways we can tackle systemic racism is self-education.

During the slavery periods, many slave masters were able to control their slaves by keeping the slaves ignorant and not providing them sound education.

When you don’t know better, you don’t do better.

We are now living in a world where we have access to an influx of information that can elevate our lives and economic statuses. Instead of getting caught up in a victim mentality, fight for equality and your rights through educating yourself and others.

• Education: A powerful tool that can create change.
• Money: A powerful tool that can create change when combined with education.
• Individual Thought: One of the most powerful habits that can keep a woman or man free in an enslaved world.

4. The 13th Documentary — By Ava DuVernay

I always recommend this documentary as a place to start if you want to understand the effects of racism. It’s a quick hour that won’t take up your entire day to watch; Ava DuVernay did a fabulous job of trimming the fat to convey strong and sticking points that will resonate with any soul. I repeatedly encouraged one of my friends, who happens to be white, to watch this documentary to help her understand everything I tried to express to her most patiently.

Documentary Context

“In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.”

Intriguing Fact: ~97% of the prison population has never had a trial, which means they have not received their fundamental rights. This is daunting because this means many people are sitting in prison for no reason — except that they look different from a white person. Many inmates are also too scared to go to trial because it could lead to perceivably longer punishment. And many times, inmates don’t have the resources to fight back, which is devastating.

Uncomfortable Truth: Rich criminals are rewarded with freedom, and poor “criminals” are punished with captivity.

Quotables: One of my favorite sayings from this documentary discusses how systemic racism is like cancer.

Permutations continue to form to ensure racism — and essentially slavery — stay alive due to capitalistic and white supremacist reasons. Blacks in America were to remain and always be second-class citizens.

Example of the constant evolution of slavery and racism for minorities — specifically black individuals:

Slavery → convict leasing → disproportionate mass incarceration of minorities for minor offenses→ GPS monitoring, house arrest, ankle/wrist monitors

This doesn’t include plenty of other factors such as: segregated housing, gentrification, and being turned down over an extended period of time for:

• Housing
• Loans
• Educational opportunities
• Voting
• Employment
• Medical access
• Etcetera — because the list keeps going

Example: A friend sent me this a couple of days ago. I was surprised and not surprised…

5. Speak Out & Ask Uncomfortable Questions

I asked the CEO of my company to make Juneteenth a company holiday. And he did.

Why don’t we ask more uncomfortable questions? If we did, we could bring about a monstrosity of empowering change in our world. But instead, many of us choose to hold back our thoughts, beliefs, pain, opinions, and voices.

How much more pain, injustice, and inequality will it take for you to utilize your voice to speak out and ask the uncomfortable questions?

Use your voice.

Destiny S. Harris is a writer, poet, entrepreneur, teacher, and techie who offers free books daily on amazon. Destiny obtained three degrees in political science, psychology, and women’s studies. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or @ destinyh.com