How to be a White supporter of Black Lives Matter...
I am writing this in Portland after going to a protest hosted by #rosecityjustice
The protest was brought about after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis after his neck was knelt on for just under 9 minutes by a police officer, who is now in jail.
These protests are deep and multifaceted, just like our history with racial injustice itself.
I don't know enough about racial injustice,
or the prejudice against having darker skin
This lack of knowing and understanding about #racialinequality has often prevented me from speaking out in support of the cause, as well as prevented me from asking questions for fear of sounding ignorant.
Unfortunately my silence can only add to the problem from here on out.
I will never understand, but with you I stand
Thankfully we live in an age of knowledge, and misinformation too.
So staying informed can be crucial to our power.
We all have power.
Last night was my first every protest; for anything.
I didn't feel right adding my voice at first to the chants of "Say his name!" "GEORGE FLOYD" or "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE" because I truly felt I had no right to say I belonged with the passionate people rallied together.
After about 10 minutes of protest, I started to chant with crowd.
And I immediately started crying.
I hate crying, and especially in public.
It's difficult to be on the front line of something so powerful, and not be emotional.
Emotional for the people who suffer
Emotional for the system that is broken
Emotional for the minorities who have unjustly died. murdered
Emotional that I may be part of the problem
Emotional for people who refuse to see
Emotional to use my voice to say ENOUGH
But I am trying to honor my feelings lately.
It was very emotional to realize I have no idea the pain that people are born into.
I spent most of the protest trying to document the intensity and fire of the people gathered to protest in peace.
I want to address some misinformation before getting into how we all have something to contribute to the movement of Equality for All
Protests are different from Riots. I know a lot of businesses and cities are suffering vandalism right now. I can tell you that in Portland the organizers of Rose City Justice were very clear they do not support any violence and rioting and vandalism. They even had volunteers follow the end of the protests picking up every single scrap of trash, leaving the city cleaner than when we got there. Riots and vandalism happening have NOTHING to do with these protests for equality and justice.
Black Lives Matter, does not mean that ALL lives aren't as valuable. It means Black Lives are being treated as less valuable, so we need to have a clear voice and intention to insist that their lives matter, just like everyone elses' lives. Yes, all lives matter, but BLM is a necessary phrase and movement to shed light on the inequity of social justice
It's not about hating law enforcement. There were definitely people at the rally who had their own agendas of shouting violent slurs against law enforcements, and certain people in the spotlight, but those rally cries died quickly and were not taken up by many protesters. What I did see a lot of, was a call to reform.
People have their own agendas. Like I spoke about above, people come with their own agendas, and it's easy to harp on the negative things we see, especially when we are scared or don't understand what is going on in the world. It's easy to point at the vandals who come out at night after protest and say "yeah but these people are being violent!" or it's easy to see what mainstream media is coining as 'explosions of riots' and judge from the couch on what we think people should or should not be doing. We can't stand in the forest of social justice and reform and scream at a few trees who are blocking our view.
What I've found helpful in my recent journey to stand:
--Ask questions. Instead of sticking my head in the sand and pretending none of this is happening to me, I need to be curious and work hard to be empathetic.
--Find sources I trust to gain information (trustworthy source don't try to make you fearful of things or situations or people) (here are some of my trustworthy sources on Instagram @aoc @betches_sup @feminist @buzzfeednews @thedailyshow @npr @cnn @washingtonpost etc! Find who you trust, but don't let it pull you toward fear, news needs to be inspiring.
--Only do what you feel comfortable with. If you're fearful of big crowds, be an online warrior! share helpful posts to your Instagram story! Voice your support of the movement around your personal circles. Donate to a reputable cause. Put a Black Lives Matter sticker or sign in your front yard. Or stand on the outskirts of the protests and offer waters or snacks for protesters as they pass. There were SO many people in Downtown Portland offering snacks and First Aid.
Ask yourself a few questions and decide for yourself what you want to do:
Do you support equality?
Do you want people to safe in their skin/bodies/cars/neighborhoods/lives?
Do all people have a right to the pursuit of happiness, per the Constitution?
What side of history do you want to be on?
Would you want support if the tables were turned?
Things to consider
Social researchers are noticing White people have a tendency to become defensive about topics of race. Called "White Fragility", according to Dr. DiAngelo, Caucasians might have beliefs that they are good people (and of course most people are good people!); and this belief makes them feel above the fray of racism, like it is not their problem because they aren't outwardly racist. This belief in their inherent goodness causes them to feel defensive when black people call out the social and justice inequity. It's like some of us are feeling personally attacked when the black community identifies systematic racism.
Social equality movements are not an attack on you as an individual. It is an attack on systems that were built lopsided, to favor white men. So white people need to use their systematically inherited power to stand with those who need more support, like minorities.
Still feeling confused? Talk to a black person, ask them how they feel about everything going on. Ask questions. Questions break down barriers and minimize the ego, coming instead from a place of compassion.
Being born into privilege or lack of privilege goes beyond color as well, but being darker skinned stacks the cards against you. Being a mental health counselor in the Addiction Recovery field has shown me plight hits everybody, and yet people of color statistically suffer more at the hands of the systems we put into place.
Judging people is a natural part of our psychological make up. Making quick judgements is an automatic process that helps keep us safe, but just like other Reptilian Brain functions, like stress and desire for sex and food, we can control and mitigate them. Our middle brain, Limbic Brain, processes emotions and has the final say about decisions. So motivations and judgements may be present, but can be overridden by our ability to empathize, have compassion, and our morality.
Just because you don't contribute to a problem outwardly, doesn't mean you aren't a cog in the vast machine. Racism is about more than outward hate; it's about privilege, generational access to resourced and accumulated wealth, and apathy. Our systems are statistically racist. According to DoSomething.com, "Black Americans and white Americans use drugs at similar rates, but Black Americans are 6 times more likely to be arrested for it", "On average, Black men in the US receive sentences that are 19.1% longer than those of white men convicted for the same crimes" and "In the US, Black individuals are twice as likely to be unemployed than white individuals. Once employed, Black individuals earn nearly 25% less than their white counterparts"
Be a good listener, and willing to learn. As a white person, it is important to NOT make racism about you with thought or words like "I am not a racist, so I am exempt" or "I have struggled too, and I am white!". Those things can be true and we still live in a racist society where minorities need us to stand with them
What You Can Do
So glad you asked.
Here are some simple and Powerful things you can do to help support equality
https://www.array101.org/ Watch this docu-series on the Exonerated Five, a story of how some black youth were drug through the judicial system without a fair fight
Check out these sites to discover a cause you want to get behind, or petitions you can sign https://unitedtalent.app.box.com/s/kzlewp908z1hqm3jftqh5ibmpv58f95j https://www.dosomething.org/us/causes/racial-justice
Support Black Owned businesses. Google, "black owned businesses near me", the buyer typically has all the power in a capitalist economy, use your money to show the systems who you support, Local and Minority owned!
Or donate to social justice and grassroots organizations, who push for legislation based in equality, better minority representation in our culture, and justice for injuries wrongfully caused on minorities. https://blacklivesmatter.com/ is a great place to start.
Feel the Feelings. Being White in a time like this, times highlighting our privilege and the injustice faced by others, you might discover feelings of shame, helplessness, anger, compassion. Go through these feelings, this will definitely bring you closer to yourself and to our brothers and sisters of different races.
I Am Still Learning
This is written from my perspective: a young white woman who is just beginning to learn how to use her voice and how she can help others.
This list is not exhaustive of all the injustice other people face, nor how you can help.
I invite you to join forces with me in learning more and more through these enflamed times.
Blessings,
MaryLisa
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