Racism in America

I’m writing this on Monday, November 2nd, a little less than 24 hours before Election Day officially begins. I wanted to write this post well before polls closed because no matter who won the presidency, racism is still very much a thing and we need to talk about it. After the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many other Black and Brown Americans, so many of us took to social media to condemn the murders and call for everyone around us to support Black lives. And then what happened? A lot of us bought books on antiracism, joined a book club here or there, posted some memes, and then what?

What are we doing now? What are we doing to call out systemic racism everywhere we see it? What are we going to continue doing for the rest of our lives to raise our children and our grandchildren to know with every fiber of their being that a just and equitable society is the minimum standard, and that they have to work continuously to ensure that the systems under which we operate and support require constant work to ensure equity? Because no matter who won this election, there are so many Americans who are racist and who will continue to teach their children and grandchildren to be racist. No election will change that.

Granted, if some fool who enables white supremacy and is a racist himself won, things will probably get worse. It’s a harder road for sure if he’s still a thing after January 20th. But that doesn’t mean Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will magically make everything better with their administration. That’s not how government or politics work. No matter how fired up they are and no matter what plans they enact, that change is slow and incremental. The immediate change can only occur in the hearts and minds of ourselves, our family, our neighbors, our community, and our nation. And the only way I can see to make that happen is to have the difficult conversations, call out racism comments and behaviors wherever you see it, call people in to empower them with knowledge of the history of this country, understand that people don’t know what they don’t know and be willing to listen to what may seem like ignorant statements. Be willing to teach what is real.

And what I think might be most urgent for all of us to remember today, no matter how the election went, LET YOUR BLACK FRIENDS BE. Let them have their peace. If things went sideways yesterday, please don’t ask your Black friends what to do next. Please don’t tell them that things suck. They are well aware. Please do not expect any Black person to carry your emotional burden about racism. Please do not expect Black people to solve something white people created. Please please stop expecting Black people to be the givers of wisdom and truth, but then get mad at them when their lives don’t look exactly how you expect them to look. Please know that unless you love your friends in their full humanity, it isn’t really love.

And please know that if Joe Biden won yesterday, it was because of Black women. The same Black women who quietly and consistently led to the end of slavery, the same Black women who raised many a white child, cleaned the home, cooked the food, and were still treated less than human, the same Black women who are told that their hair doesn’t grow out of their heads in a way that makes white people uncomfortable and are forced to conform to European standards of beauty simply because white women are jealous that our hair can’t do that, the same Black women who are constantly told they are angry simply because they speak their mind or have the audacity to ask for what they deserve. And the list goes on.

I’m not here saying I have all the answers. Because I don’t. What I want to make clear is that I know how easy it is to become complacent when things are going well. If the election went well and we will once again have leaders who value kindness, decency, and empathy, it will be easy to ease into complacency once again. Please let us not do that. Please let us continue to fight to equity for all of humanity. It’s on us. And it’s on us for the rest of our lives.

And if things did go sideways and you are reading this post today with the heaviest of hearts, please know that I’ve got your back. And lots of other people do too. Let’s keep reminding each other of that forever. Deal?