An Uncomfortable Guilt: The excuse of politics is not why people avoid talking about systemic racism – Milwaukee Independent

You can run, but you cant hide. American idiom

They are just angry because the truth you speak contradicts the lie they live. Steve Maraboli

White people who are afraid of the truths exposed about racism in recent weeks and months as a result of the resurgence of expressions of Black Lives Matter have cleverly hidden from the conversations by claiming they are too political.

This is a method deployed to avoid having conversations that are too hard to handle by far too many whites in this country. As they have continued to deny the presence of systemic racism, conversations have been stifled by those who claim they are too political.

Politics is defined as: of, relating to, or concerned with politics; of, relating to, or connected with a political party. If a particular political party chooses to ignore these conversations it is their choice. Dont let so-called politics be your excuse. Be honest and say you dont want to talk about it. Be honest and say it brings up too much guilt.

When white people have been mistreated in this country they have had free rein to express their displeasure, standing behind the First Amendment argument of free speech. Dont we as people of color have freedom of speech as well? Or is our freedom of speech limited by what white people want to hear? Wasnt this country founded by white people who were expressing their displeasure with the King of England?

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separationThe history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these StatesIn every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Declaration of Independence (July 1776)

As the nation celebrates Independence Day on the anniversary of the independence of white colonists from a despotic King, I look and ask when our Independence Day is coming. When will these words in the Declaration of IndependenceWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happinessapply to people of color?

Were celebrating two hundred years of white folks kicking a$$. Richard Pryor on the July 4th 1976 bicentennial celebration

As people of color, particularly Blacks, struggle to have our voices heard, we get constant pushback, repudiation, snubs, rebukes, rejection, spurning, repulsion, and refusals to listen by uncomfortable white people. Why are they so uncomfortable hearing our side of the story? Because it conflicts with the lies they tell, believe, perpetuate, carry on, maintain, sustain, eternalize and believe to the depths of their souls.

One of my favorite words in the English language is obfuscate. It means, to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy; to make obscure or unclear. We are in the midst of some of the most profound obfuscation in the history of this still fairly young nation. Many older people of color will tell you they miss the old days when racism was clearly expressed by white people. They dont say this because they enjoyed it. Its because its better than people lying to your face saying they are not racist all the while they are committing racist acts. It does not really matter if the biases are unconscious or conscious, they cause the same pain.

When I hear white people say they are uncomfortable talking about racism I think to myself, how do you think we feel being victimized by racism? Many white people are uncomfortable talking about something that we cant stop talking about because it is our lived experience every day of our lives whether white people see it, believe it, admit it, understand it, consider it, give credence to it, or deny it. It does not go away because white people are all of a sudden woke. Most white people have been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, except he only slept for 20 years.

Now one of the tools of obfuscation is the good ole trick of changing the narrative. Some white people work really hard to convince us that we are delusional, and that we keep bringing up the past indiscretions of white people to make them feel guilty. If a white person feels guilt its on them. We did not cause it. Their actions and the actions of their ancestors caused it. Are we to simply forget what happened to us? Should we just stop talking about it? Do some people prefer that we live in the future instead of the past and present?

The truth is still the truth, even if no one believes it. A lie is still a lie even if everyone believes it.

When I hear that we are bringing up old things like slavery, and Jim Crow segregation, Im reminded that slavery and Jim Crow segregation are not responsible for the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. We dot have to go back very far to find white indiscretions. They happen every day. Here are a few recent headlines to remind you.

Colorado Police Officers Under Investigation For Photos At Elijah McClain Memorial

Two Florida officials fired for erasing faces of Black firefighters from city mural

University of North Carolina Wilmington professor behind vile racist and sexist tweets to retire

Woman Yells You Live Off White People in Racist Rant at BLM Protesters

NC Hampton Inn Employee Fired After Calling Police on Black Guests Using the Pool

Trump shares video of white couple pointing guns at protesters in St. Louis

Target employee says N.Y. customer demanded she remove Black Lives Matter mask

Austin schools suspend Black students nearly 5 times as often as white students

A Black man tried to cash his first paycheck. The teller called 911.

All of these headlines happened within about a week. Racism has not gone dormant during the protests, in fact its rearing its ugly head on a consistent basis if you pay attention.

Some accuse the protestors of politicizing race. Lets explore what that looks like historically. Politicians are also known as lawmakers. Lets take a look at some laws they have written in this country.

ALABAMA

ARIZONA

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

NEW MEXICO

OKLAHOMA

WYOMING

These laws were all written by white politicians. So I guess in this way race is about politics. Yet when we bring up this type of politics, white people in many instances get mad, and storm out of the room. They accuse people of color of using the race card. White people created the race card. They hold all the trump cardsno pun intendedin the deck.

One of my least favorite phrases in the English language is political correctness. So I guess if people whove been called spics, niggers, chinks, and such, begin to demand that people use terms that are not demeaning, then they are asking people to be politically correct. No they are not! They are telling you that they dont want to continue to be called racial epithets just because white people love those words so much. People who complain about political correctness are people who dont have a problem with schools around the country being named after Confederate generals, or sports teams like The Washington Redskins. In their way of seeing the world, people of color are being overly sensitive and are revisionists historians, trying to destroy the beauty of America.

Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monumentsthe beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced! President Donald J. Trump, tweet 17 August 2017

Back in the early years of the twentieth century a battle was being waged by some leaders in the Black community. They were trying to get white people to capitalize the word negro. They saw it as a sign of respect if the word was capitalized. White people continued to use the lower case version.

While many white people have turned books like So You Want to Talk About Race and How to Be an Antiracist into bestsellers, other white people wont even say the phrase Black Lives Matter out loud. Some white people want to learn and some are apparently not ready to budge on issues of racism. What can we do?

Take advantage of the moment. Appreciate that some white people are woke right now. Invite them to learn, and talk about racism before it falls out of vogue. We know this momentum wont last forever. Get the conversations in while you can. Understand that some people will never shift their position and move in the direction of being either non-racist or actively anti-racist.

Use your influence to get as many white people to the table to talk as you can now. Understand the tremendous peer pressure many white people feel from family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to not talk about racism. And finally, stop calling it political when it has nothing to do with politics, its about human decency and respect. Its time to learn and unlearn. One does not work without the other. Lets follow the example of the post-Apartheid South Africa.

To provide for the investigation and the establishment of as complete a picture as possible of the nature, causes and extent of gross violations of human rights committed during the period from 1 March 1960 to the cut-off date contemplated in the Constitution, within or outside the Republic, emanating from the conflicts of the past, and the fate or whereabouts of the victims of such violations; the granting of amnesty to persons who make full disclosure of all the relevant facts relating to acts associated with a political objective committed in the course of the conflicts of the past during the said period; affording victims an opportunity to relate the violations they suffered; the taking of measures aimed at the granting of reparation to, and the rehabilitation and the restoration of the human and civil dignity of, victims of violations of human rights; reporting to the Nation about such violations and victims; the making of recommendations aimed at the prevention of the commission of gross violations of human rights; and for the said purposes to provide for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. South African Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act 34 of 1995

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An Uncomfortable Guilt: The excuse of politics is not why people avoid talking about systemic racism - Milwaukee Independent