Before now, I had always thought of myself as not racist, or even anti-racist. I have never used racial slurs, I had never intentionally treated my peers differently because of their ethnicity, and, most importantly, I had BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) friends. I thought that all of these things made me not racist, and were enough to prove to people that I was not complicit with the systemic racism present within the UK. When the BLM movement received a new momentum, following the terrible death of George Floyd, my eyes were opened. What makes this movement seem so different compared with others in the past, is the focus that has been placed on white people taking more responsibility and an active role in tackling systemic and institutionalised racism. I suddenly began to see posts on social media and resources discussing subconscious bias, complicity with the system of white supremacy, and the need for people to stop being ‘not racist’, and become ‘anti-racist’. These have made me realise that I have never been actively anti-racist, and therefore I have helped to uphold the system of white supremacy.
After seeing the book suggested as a useful resource for white people, I purchased Me and White Supremacy by Layal F Saad. This book started out as a 28 day Instagram Challenge, with each day exploring a different area of white supremacy. The idea is to keep a journal which records how you have helped to uphold the system within these different factors. Reading about all of these factors and reflecting on my own experiences has been an extremely painful process. I have recognised how much my previous actions have allowed me to benefit from my white privilege, therefore upholding the system of white supremacy, and damaging my BIPOC friends and others. However, it has also been unbelievably important. It has helped me to recognise what it is that I need to change about my behaviour and actions to help dismantle this system. I truly believe that as a white person, it is my responsibility to take down this system, not my BIPOC peers. They have been fighting this fight for too long. It is our turn, as white people, to take up this task and do the difficult work that is required. It is a privilege to have to learn about racism rather than experience it.
There are so many ways that white people help to maintain the system of white supremacy, through conscious and subconscious actions and bias. However, I wanted to focus on one particular area which has been highlighted to me, and honestly is the least we can do to even begin to make a change to the systemic racism in our society. This is having uncomfortable conversations about race.
Previously, this is something I have definitely shied away from. One of the most prominent examples for me, and one of my biggest regrets, was an incident in my sixth form. At a Politics Society session, where issues surrounding counter-terrorism policies were being discussed, a student was making overtly Islamophobic and racist comments. At the time, Pol Soc had a policy of free speech, which made it difficult for some to tell where the lines should be drawn and what should count as hate speech, which was not tolerated. The leaders of Pol Soc, which included me, decided to bring up the issue with the head of sixth form following the session. A huge investigation followed where students from across the sixth form got involved, expressing their outrage that a student had been given a platform to say such hateful and unacceptable statements. The punishment that this student received was, in my opinion, and many others, nowhere near severe enough. I remember thinking that I was going to write to the head and express to him my feelings that this student needed to be given a much harsher punishment. However, I did not. Today, I recognise that what I needed to do was storm into his office and demand that this student is shown that what he said was abhorrent and that this school should not tolerate these views. I should have used my white privilege to demand action and justice. Instead, I left it up to my BIPOC peers to keep fighting and arguing against the decisions made. I allowed myself to once again settle into the comfortable position of white silence.
At this moment in time, it is integral for white people to start having uncomfortable conversations with their white peers about race issues. It is one of the easiest things for us to do. Whether this is calling someone out when they use a racist slur, replying to a racist comment or post on social media, or explaining to a white person how they can still be disadvantaged in other ways but that they will always hold white privilege. Once I recognised that I have previously failed in this area, I started to think about the people I most wanted to challenge. The first person that came into my head was my grandma. I have always recognised that my grandparents, who live in a notoriously un-diverse area of Cornwall (they literally have no BIPOC living there at all), are overtly racist. However, I had previously excused their language and behaviour because of their age, thinking that racism is just a generational thing, that all old people sort of just become racist one day and that is it, there is no changing them! This made me believe that there would be no point in challenging them, as it was impossible to change them. Instead, when they made a racist comment or told a racist story, I would cringe and feel incredibly mortified, but stay silent and simply ignore them until the moment had passed. Now I see how damaging my actions were. I used my white privilege as a shield to protect me from engaging in an uncomfortable and awkward conversation, therefore allowing my grandparents to believe that what they were saying was acceptable.
Since realising my mistake, I had been keen to find an opportunity to challenge their racist views. I considered sending her a random message asking what she thought about the BLM movement, however I ended up not having to do this, as she created a perfect opportunity herself. She replied to an Instagram post I had put on my story from the BLM march in Bristol, and said ‘All lives matter x’. Despite this being the sort of message I had been waiting for as a catalyst to start a much needed conversation, I felt extremely nervous and anxious about replying. I was worried that the next time I spoke to her it would be awkward and I wouldn’t know what to say. However, I wrote a reply explaining why the systemic and institutionalised racism we have in society means that all lives will only matter once black lives matter, which then started a huge back and forth that is still ongoing between us. I accepted that, yes, it may be uncomfortable the next time I speak to her on the phone or in person, but that is how it should be. She should feel uncomfortable and ashamed of her beliefs, and she should know that I fully disagree and disapprove of them. Since starting this conversation with her, I have definitely seen a shift in her perspective. I have not totally changed her views, and she still remains adamant that she is not racist and does not need to read a whole article or book about white privilege and her part to play. But I have definitely gotten through to her on some level, and she is aware that I think her views are wrong and she is in need of some serious education. However, I know that this is not enough, so I will continue to have these conversations with her, even if it does make her feel awkward the next time we do a family quiz on facetime.
I hope that white people reading this have had similar conversations with family or friends or even strangers. And if not, that you will now consider the importance of calling out racism when you hear or see it, and allowing yourself to be placed in uncomfortable positions that you would rather hide away from. Because it is our responsibility to keep fighting to dismantle the system of white supremacy. We should not rely on the efforts of BIPOC to have to constantly fight against this system, as it is not them who created it and continue to uphold it; that is on us.
Ruby Ross