It has been a long-standing intellectual challenge of mine to explain the purpose that a teenage, white, college student has in the journey to understanding himself in the midst of an unprecedented, polarized society of other whites, amongst others. I suppose, whether one considers oneself an activist or not isn't truly the most determinant thing to discuss — assuming one isn't vehemently opposed to social progress — but rather the role, especially in the argument of racial tension, that the white teenager has in the case for equality and justice.
Although the over-arching issue of equality is truly what's at stake here, it is not what will be discussed. Rather, it is the methodology and mindset of the white social activist, whose willingness to fact-check and, sometimes, unlearn what his country has told him about race and meritocracy that will be examined. It is extremely rewarding to gain such an opportunity to discuss the viscera of my brain on such an emotional level that I hope its final product will serve as a guide for others who identify with my struggle and use it as a source of strength in the fight for equality.
When you consider yourself an activist in the fight for racial equality, several things need to fall into place. First, you need to identify a specific cause for which to fight. Second, you need to understand the causes and effects of that issue, the people involved and the greater political landscape. Third, you need to check yourself — because you may be way in over your head — especially if you're white. Sometimes, and I've been victim to this on several topics, I speak incorrectly. It didn't make me weaker; instead, I used it as fuel to find the answers, then adjust my stance. You need to be different — embarrass yourself, be wrong, defy perceptions and stereotypes — if you want to gain traction in your cause to educate and change people. Family and American values prescribed in every mind from the socially constructed notion of race. Simply put, there is white, and there is not white (the "other"). Understanding this sort of dichotomy is most essential in deconstructing the social and political history that exists around race - it is this that begins one's understanding of the concept of race.
You'll face criticism from many — by way of the naysayers, ignorant, and those who feel guilty — but those are the people to whom you help the most. This issue transcends a liberal or conservative agenda but acts as a part of a human agenda for kindness and justice.
One of the most important things, which you cannot forget, is to be open-minded, because you will inevitably face opposition and misinformation, in the name of interposition, anger, and mitigation. Fear not: the activist, you, are strong — the white, the black, the Latino, the Asian activists, are all strong. So too is it imperative for "colorblindness" to be rejected because if we reject color (race), then we are rejecting tradition, oppression and centuries of culture and history. The white activist struggles to change and create change. She challenges the status quo, and he will stop at nothing, like every other activist. . .
Like you.
