Treating Racism, White Supremacy, and Anti-blackness
I understand that good people never want to think of themselves as racist, white supremacist, or anti-black. Good people shudder at the thought that others might see them in this light. And good people certainly want to avoid perpetuating any of these horrific character flaws. Good people rightly and honestly want to be free of these both internally and externally. The reality is that racism, white supremacy, and anti-blackness are an almost inescapable infection living in the hearts and minds of the vast majority of people in the world. And black people aren’t immune from this infection. We too, are infected with subconscious impulses toward white supremacy and anti-blackness. None of this was by accident or divine providence. This infection of the human soul was created by elites greedy for more money and maintained domination.
Although the human tendency toward building a hierarchical society has always existed as part of the human DNA, for the majority of human existence, skin color meant nothing. It wasn’t until Europe and then particularly an emerging America, where the economic necessity for cheap labor made perpetual human slavery irresistible. Blackness became the number one determination of who was to be a slave in perpetuity. There were a few characteristics that made black people particularly attractive candidates. First, the color of the skin made them easy to spot. Second, was their resistance to European diseases, and third was the skill sets and ability to work they brought with them. The decision to create the harshest system of slavery known to man was purely economic but it also meant dehumanizing its victims in order to ease the minds of those participating in such an inhuman system. Success in establishing the belief that slaves were less intelligent, devoid of human emotions, in need of discipline like rebellious children, sub-human, and little more than machines, meant that working them 15 hours a day, feeding them scraps, buying and selling them, and beating or killing them at will was all okay. So ingrained were these notions of black bodies that even in the north where slavery was viewed as barbaric because of its cruelty, blacks were stilled viewed and treated as lesser humans.
Fast forward from 1619 through a Civil War that ended slavery in 1865 and to another 100 years of government sanctioned Jim Crow laws enshrining an American caste system to appease the southern mindset and making it legal to discriminate against black bodies in any and everyway in society throughout the country. Blacks were now solidly at the bottom of the social order. Those in power recognized that they needed to find a way to help poor whites and immigrants feel that they have a shot at the American dream and that they are not at the bottom of the social order. They could feel better about themselves at the expense of blacks. European immigrants coming to America were for the first time considered “white”. That designation immediately placed them in the mix of limitless opportunity. They could vote, they could own property, they could get education and jobs, they could get loans to establish businesses, they could travel where they liked. The sky is the limit. But for blacks and other people of color, none of this was true. Blacks who broke with caste were severely punished and financially successful black communities were met with white jealous rage. All with impunity. Our history reveals that the designation of whiteness was so essential that there were lawsuits from other groups of color petitioning to be considered white. Armenians were successful while Japanese were not. Strangely, and for weird political reasons, Mexicans were also designated as white.
People of color were second class citizens with limitations placed on their every move and movement. And at the bottom were blacks. Their rights and opportunities were and continue to be limited not only by laws, but by state sanctioned policies and practices. It took a whole Civil Rights Movement to end outright legal discrimination against blacks and to finally open the intellectual mindset of Americans to the fact that racism, white supremacy, and anti-blackness are evil. However, despite new laws, the hearts and minds remain entrenched in these flaws, reflexively acting out the enshrined racial social order in daily life, transactions, and interactions. The continued disparities in education, jobs, housing, banking, and criminal justice are the result and almost seem “normal”. As rationalization for these disparities, the actual flaws of the nation’s racist, white supremist and anti-blackness turned into imagined character and/or cultural flaws of blacks themselves. We were to blame for our low social position.
It is only now, with cameras capturing black people being brutally beaten or murdered by police and a president who caters to white supremacist views that America is again called upon to reckon with the racism, white supremacy, and the anti-blackness that plagues it. I believe there is a treatment for those who want to be free of this infection. However, it is not easy. And there has to be a willingness to pursuit a path that disrupts, challenges, and ultimately dismantles the current social order where whites are at the top and blacks are at the bottom. It will take the hard work of self-reflection, self-confrontation, and self-education, to cure the character flaws that make people hold black and brown bodies to a different standard. And like I said before, black people aren’t immune from this infection. You can see them at Trump rallies.
Start with self-reflection. Examine a wide range of black people through television, in music, through art, books, movies, in magazines, on the street, and in the places where you do business. What emotions emerge as you look at each image? When you look at Michelle Obama, do you think of her as a credit to her race or as just an incredible human being or something else? Compare those thoughts to Laura Bush? How do they differ? Did race even come into your calculus for Laura Bush? When you heard that another black man was shot by police seven times in the back in front of his three children, where did your thoughts take you? What did you feel? Where did you place blame? Would you think or feel differently if this had happened to a white man? When a black person speaks and a white person speaks, notice if you value one voice over the other. This is self-reflection. Don’t be afraid of what you find in your self-reflection. Don’t allow guilt to stop you. Remember, none of us planted these thoughts or emotions into ourselves. We inherited them and so it is time to confront them head on and one by one. I had to do this myself as a black woman.
Self-confrontation is interrupting one’s own negative thoughts and feelings about a person of color simply because he or she is a person of color. It is how we confront the unconscious bias we all have. It is literally saying to oneself, “Stop!” and evaluate this person on the basis of what he or she says or does as an individual, not as part of any particular skin color group. Imagine a white person were to say or do the same thing. Would you be offended? It is reminding oneself every day and in every situation that human beings are individuals that fall on the bell curve evenly across human characteristics such as intelligence and empathy. Some people are more considerate than others. That’s not a racial characteristic; that’s a human characteristic. Some people are more violent than others, but that too is not based on skin color, but on personality, upbringing, and lived circumstances. Compare the virtues of Trump and Obama? Imagine if Obama behaved as Trump?
And finally, self-education. First, learn the history of America and its impact on the entire world with its creation of white supremacy. Recognize how notions of white beauty have negatively impacted people around world. Then, learn about the impact of this history on people of color. This entails reading, listening, and watching to hear the stories of black and brown people and watching to see the ugly the truths that unfold about how our history has and does play a role in our current situation. There is plenty of literature, art, and music to consume to inform you. It is not the job of black people to educate white people. Some may be willing to do this, but I can tell you from experience that it is exhausting and traumatizing work because it triggers past emotional pain and reopens wounds. It takes days to recover from episodes that involve trying to educate white people about how it is to be black in America. The information is already out there to be consumed.
I believe that people can be successfully treated for this infection of racism, white supremacy, and anti-blackness. The road to recovery is doable, difficult though it may be. Set aside any guilt (deserved or not) and become brave, intentional, and willing to have a broken heart in order to heal. As I see it, this is the road to recovery. I know because I traveled it myself.
- Dr. Juanita Hall
Author, Fully Present Blog
www.fullypresentblog.com