Skip to main content

When You Say, "I'm Not Racist"


When you say, 
"I'm not racist,"
you deny the complexity
of a system built on the racist ideas
born of white supremacy.

When you say, 
"I don't see color,"
you do not understand that
making judgements based
on color is the problem,
not seeing color. 

When you say, 
"I was taught to treat everyone the same,"
you deny the limitations of your being kind
when the system denies my dignity.

When you say, 
"But, I'm a Christian,"
you deny the whitening of Jesus' body
and the distortion of his Gospel
for economic gain through
the genocide of indigenous people,
the enslavement of Africans,
and other atrocities against
people of color.

When you say, 
"My child is Black,"
you conflate your love for one person
with a love for all.

When you say, 
"My family never enslaved people"
you deny how the injustices of slavery
were transformed to perpetuate
your illusion of white supremacy.

When you say, 
"My ancestors were wronged for being Irish or Italian,"
you deny that people of Irish and Italian ancestry 
now identify as white.

When you say, 
"My ancestors arrived after slavery,"
you deny that their white skin
privileges you today.

When you say, 
"The Constitution says all men are created  equal,"
you deny ongoing legal battles to make it realized.

When you say,
"All lives matter,"
you deny our lived experience.

When you say,
"I want to learn,"
you take a step forward.

When you say,
"I want to be an ally,"
the hard work begins.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Site

  To read the latest on Leslye's Labyrinth, visit http://bit.ly/leslyeslabyrinth

Your Heart Outweighs Your Heritage

I have always thought it racist and unpatriotic to celebrate the confederacy for any reason. Over the past decade, those who choose to do so allege it to be a celebration of their heritage, but not hate. The confederacy cannot be separated from the enslavement of Africans, my ancestors, and its continuing legacy in direct conflict with all that is holy. While my family tree includes a confederate general, even he said the battle flag should be put away and there should be no monuments after the war. Of course the confederacy did not establish the slave trade and chattel slavery, but it seceded from the nation and risked the lives of its men to protect it. The word "heritage" is such a complex one especially when you realize the absence of muted voices speaking of a history more expansive than that promoted by the dominant group. While millions of people share the heritage of being from my home state, Alabama, we embrace different and often conflicting perspectives on what tha...