Whitesplaining to Whites

The problem of racism exists because white people will not admit it exists.

Try telling your average white person that and they lose their minds defending themselves.

Here's the thing:

You were born into a world that already existed.
You were born into a country with a 400 year history of racism.
You were born white.
You were indoctrinated, against your will, without your permission, to have certain racist beliefs, thoughts and behaviors.

Everytime I hear a black person try to explain this to whites, all I hear in response is, "This is total bs.  I'm not racist."

Respectfully, if you're white in America, YES, you are.

It's not our fault.  We were born into this world long after it became what it is.

But it's our responsibility to change things.

So, on this blog, we, as whites, acknowledge that yes, we're racist.  We don't mean to be.  We don't want to be.  But it does exist, it is us, and the only way to solve the problem of racism is to admit those two things.

I am racist.  I don't want to be.  So, I admit that I am and then I listen when minorities share their experiences so that I can learn exactly what racist attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors white people in general have expressed to minorities and then I clearly, thoroughly, check myself for these things.

And when I find them, I realize it and stop doing that.

That's how we solve racism.

It is an individual problem where all white people have to look themselves in the mirror and say, "I'm white.  I'm racist.  I'm sorry.  I will fix it."

Admitting your own racism makes you a BETTER person, not a worse one.

Being HONEST about the realities of the world are the only way to change the world.

So if you come here, be prepared to listen and to face your own reflection and admit, "Yeah, I gotta stop doing that."

It's the only way we heal.

And Number 1:  Stop denying the experience of minorities by saying, "I'm not racist."  When you say that you negate the experience of every minority living in this country who deals with "not racist" people like you everyday and understands that there is no point in talking to white people about race because they're just going to deny it anyway.

STOP BEING THAT WHITE PERSON

Racism is our problem, as Americans.  Healing racism means white people have to change.  The first step to change is admitting there is a problem and you're part of it.

I am white.  I am racist.  I will do everything possible to change that because it was done to me without my consent and I don't like that about me.  I don't ever want anyone to feel uncomfortable in my presence because I have some attitude or thought or behavior that is so engrained I don't even recognize it, but if you bring it to my attention, I won't deny it.

Because I know I was raised by people who raised by people going back 400 years who were racists and the institutions, beliefs, and understandings we have of ourselves as Americans must acknowledge that we are founded on racism and that despite the efforts of history, it is still a daily experience for minorities.

And sometimes it's an experience they have with you.

It's not your fault you were raised to have these attitudes and beliefs and thoughts and behaviors.

But it IS our responsibility to admit it and to stop doing it.

Because if we don't, they'll still be talking about this same problem 400 years from now (assuming the human race makes it that long)

To anyone who reads this blog:

It is July 8, 2016.  Five-hundred-fifety-eight Americans of color have been killed by police in the first 7 months of this year.

I cannot take this anymore.

I want to help.
I want to fix it.

I don't know how.  I don't know how to support the Black Lives Matter Movement without being rude or offensive or accused of whitesplaining.

I don't want to whitesplain.  So the only thing I can do is SHUT UP and let minorities of all kinds, colors, abilities, and experiences share their perspective.

I don't want to whitesplain.  I want to AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE

So here's the deal:  If you email me at decendentofzeke@gmail.com with any perspective, experience or words you need to say to a white person (because we don't listen and there's A LOT to say), I will post it to this blog without editing or altering a character of it.

My only goal is to provide a forum where minorities and those who live outside the white, Christian, able-bodied, straight, CIS population to give voice to their feelings, experiences, frustrations, angers, fears, hopes, and tears.

Comments on this blog will be strictly monitored and I will not post comments that are not TOTALLY supportive of the author's experience.  This is not a forum for discussion, disagreement, or destructive interaction with opponents.

This is merely a space to GIVE VOICE to those who are not heard.

No more whitesplaining.

This is a place to listen.

Tell me whatever you want without regard for my feelings.  Tell me HOW YOU FEEL.  Tell me whatever YOU NEED to say. 

I'm white and I'm listening and I can't tell the world how to fix hate, but I want to fix it.  So all I know I can do is shut my mouth and listen attentively.

All I will ever say is "thank you for sharing your experience.  I'm so sorry for your pain."

And now, I'm shutting up.