I am tired of hearing about "reverse racism" because it doesn’t exist.
By definition, racism is the systematic oppression of someone of a different race based on prejudice against the color of someone’s skin. Racism is rooted in institutionalized power and discrimination. Therefore, the people who are not oppressed and retain power cannot suffer from racism.
Black people today suffer from the repercussions of being ripped from their homelands to be subservient to the white people in power. Today, while we may no longer be slaves, we suffer from antagonism towards our skin color everyday. Black students are more likely to be suspended in school, are twice as likely to struggle to find jobs than their white counterparts, and get paid far less than a white person holding the same job.
Someone joking about white people not being able to dance is not racism.
Yes, prejudice can exist against white people. Prejudice is the preconceived idea someone might have about another without evidence based in reason or actual experience. Yeah, prejudice sucks, but prejudice against a white person doesn’t suck to the point where his or her whole life is affected. Racism against a black person equates to not being able to own a home because of the color of your skin. Racism equates to being more likely to be searched at a traffic stop because the color of your skin is a few shades past caramel. It equates to the racial bias of a jury that is stacked against you simply because of the cornrows on your head.
Life isn’t fair, but racism is unjust. How can reverse racism exist for white people if by its very definition racism is the embodiment of oppression and white people are the oppressors? You can’t oppress the people doing the oppressing, that just doesn’t make sense. That’s why I struggle so much with the concept of reverse racism. It’s like trying to tell me that 2 plus 2 equals 5.
It’s impossible.
It is so, so incredibly sad to me that our communities still struggle to understand how prevalent racism still is in our society. Our society is so entrenched with the idea of being white that racism has been internalized and directed towards other minority groups. Our society suffers from internalized racism, where a minority believes in white supremacy. We also suffer from horizontal racism, where members of some minority groups adopt racist attitudes towards people from other minority groups.
When will this nonsense stop? Seriously. It is sickening for me to think about. I hate looking at the news and seeing the turmoil caused by the racist bigots in power and seeing more black bodies decorate the streets with the festering red blood oozing from their bodies.
Why do people not care about the horrors that affect the people in their community? Why are people so selfishly concerned about their own lives and no one else? Does anyone understand that if one in your community is hurt, the community as a whole suffers?
I don’t understand the ignorance. Please, please educate yourselves. Please, please advocate for the people whose voices have been stripped from their throats. Reaching equity must be a collective effort. And it starts here.
With you.
