LETTER TO THE EDITORDear white folks of Sudbury – News – Wicked Local Sudbury

Before I begin, let me state one important fact: I am a white woman in my late 20s. I do not presume to be an expert on matters of race, and I do not want to center myself in the midst of a conversation where black voices should be the loudest. That said, I recognize that Im a member of the white folks of Sudbury group, and that membership grants me certain access, like reaching an audience of other white folks in Sudbury. So white folks of Sudbury, please if you would, read some of my thoughts:

On June 2, my friend Brian and I attended the Black Lives Matter protest at Haskell Field. Brian and I met at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School when we were 14, and we have been best friends ever since. Over the past 13 years, Brian and I have engaged in conversations about our experiences at L-S and in Sudbury. We have shared what we have learned about our own identities and privilege, as well as how we participated in the myriad ways that L-S and Sudbury embody the systems of white supremacy in our country. (For those of you who just got really uncomfortable reading white supremacy, please keep reading.)

At the protest, we were heartened to see so much of our community (specifically, the white folks in our community), coming together to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and consequently, many of the families that live here. Sudbury is a much more diverse community than it was when Brian and I called it home, and we believed that this act of solidarity showed that our community has started to make necessary changes in this fight.

The next day, someone posted a discouraging post on the One Sudbury Facebook group about the Black Lives Matter messages on Tippling Rock. On the post, I saw members of our community express frustration about the graffiti, compare the graffiti to looting at protests and take focus away from the issue at hand. Given the uproar it caused, the post was taken down the next day in an effort to keep the conversation civil.

I understood the sentiment. In civil conversations, people are nice.

Niceness doesnt solve racism.

This request to stay civil is one of the many guidelines that groups set to maintain white comfort. Robin DiAngelo, the author of White Fragility, explains that these kinds of guidelines or rules presume a lack of differential power in the space. This space can manifest as a classroom, the dinner table or a comment box on Facebook.

We (white folks) come to conversations about race saying (and most often, believing) that we are all equal, that we all deserve a voice and that we would not silence or devalue anothers voice, especially because their skin is another color. We are just trying to abide by the golden rule in our conversations, keeping things polite because thats how we want to be treated. But, DiAngelo continues, power relations are always at play, and people are in different power positions in that room. So the very things that might make a white person feel comfortable may be exactly what says to a person of color, Do not be authentic; do not be yourself. Do not show your emotions. Do not get upset. Do not be angry.

Whether intentional or not, in asking others (specifically, Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to numb their opinions, emotions or experiences, we (white folks) are able to maintain the belief that we have done nothing wrong; we are not racist; we are innocent.

Instead of asking for civility, I ask the students in my ninth grade English classroom to experience discomfort whenever we have conversations about race or identity in the classroom. This norm is not meant for my students of color; this norm is meant for my white students. These conversations are going to be uncomfortable. To quote therapist Yolanda Renteria, Racism is uncomfortable. Rather than tell people how they should and should not converse to make it more palatable for us, we must listen.

To take this concept of white comfort a step further: as white folks, we cannot say that graffiti is the wrong way to protest. Renteria explains, It is not your choice to determine how an oppressed group protests. When as a white person you say violence is not the answer, you are saying peaceful protests and negotiation are the answer. You are denying the fact that marginalized groups often arent heard. Implying there are other ways minimizes the frustration and provides no answers, or solutions. It just points, with privilege, to do things a different way that doesnt disturb your comfort.

To focus on the graffiti on Tippling Rock (or more broadly, the looting and property damage that have been linked to protests nationwide) takes away focus from the issue at hand. The issue that every day, black bodies are exploited by the systems designed to protect us.

Black Lives Matter is not a partisan issue. It is a human rights issue. And residents of Sudbury have influence: connections to elite businesses and universities, political sway and wealth. It is our responsibility to use this influence to dismantle the systems of oppression present in our country, but we cannot do so effectively until we take the time to listen and learn.

While participating in Facebook debates can occasionally change a heart and mind, it is more important that we, the white folks of Sudbury, do the necessary work to change our own. Here is a list of resources where we can to start: Black Lives Matter Educate Yourself, https://bit.ly/3e6td7p; Anti-Racism Resources for all ages Padlet, https://bit.ly/2B5YvMZ; and Anti-Racism Resources, https://bit.ly/2Y5KQhO.

Molly Roach graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in 2011, and is now an English teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin.

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LETTER TO THE EDITORDear white folks of Sudbury - News - Wicked Local Sudbury