Whether You Stepped on This Train Intentionally or Not, You Can’t Deny the Motion

There’s I’m going to push my knee into your neck, on camera, with my hands in my pockets, until you die racism.

There’s I’m going to defend what he just did as standard practice racism.

There’s I’m going to call the cops hoping they do that to you too racism.

There’s I’m going to look the other way because it doesn’t affect me racism.

There’s I use racial slurs (perhaps just at home) and fly confederate flags racism.

There’s I can’t be racist because I have a black friend racism.

There’s I don’t see race (so I can’t see racism) racism.

There’s I’m okay voting for a racist because I think he’s good for the economy racism.

There’s I don’t think he’s a racist because I’m okay with all the (racist) things he says racism.

There’s I don’t want to be racist, but I was born white in a country built on systemic racism that never went away, it was just forced into adjustments, and I’m not aware enough or willing to do the work to examine it racism.

There’s This list is bullshit, I’m not racist racism.

There’s I don’t want to be racist but I was born white in a country built on systemic racism that still infects every system and I am working to examine and challenge the internalized messages that have been surrounding me my whole life and questioning how we can do better; I realize racism exists, even inside me, and I don’t want it to, so I’m alert and listening and trying as best I can to remove it.

White folks, you are somewhere on this list, and if you aren’t in the last category, you’re in the wrong place.

28 May 2020