Guest Post from Ruth Curran of Cranium Crunches
As the sun sets on some old behaviors, Ruth weighs in with an alternative and supportive position.
Not too long ago a group of young people walked out on to I-5 in San Diego and stopped traffic right in the middle of the morning rush. The drive-time news showed a three mile backup and at the front, about two dozen college age men and women held hands, standing in solidarity and in silent protest over the Grand Jury ruling in Missouri.
Drivers were outraged at the inconvenience caused by this bold act. How dare these inconsiderate young people hold up life, was the general sentiment.
This 30 minute traffic blip (not unlike ones caused by a traffic accident or a sobriety check) was just that – a 30 minute blip that many of those screaming at the top of their lungs would immediately forget.
I wonder how long it takes to get pulled over for driving while black or to prove citizenship? And the time to be stopped and questioned about being in a specific neighborhood or store or restaurant or in an airport security screening line? How do we measure that? I wonder how it feels to not even have to brace yourself for the worst when there is some kind of sanctioned judgment or official action about yet another case of ignorance-based abuse of power triggered by skin color – because you expect that that is exactly what will happen every single time?
My “wondering” feels so self-indulgent. None of this is new nor are my questions a great revelation for anyone of color or even anyone who has been remotely paying attention to what is happening in the world right now. White privilege is not a badge of honor – it a condition that people born to it, who look just like me, must, with eyes wide open, look beyond.
Here, I believe, is the essence of white privilege. I can, if I choose, walk away without giving race another thought. I can, if I choose, even ramble on about being color-blind and preach hope that the prejudice and racial profiling that is so deeply engrained in the system will cease to exist. I can go home to my protected world with the curtains wide open, and feel safe and oblivious.
I can hide if I chose but I chose not to. I am outraged and saddened and sickened when I see protesters hold up their hands, carrying signs saying “Don’t Shoot” and now “I Can’t Breathe”. What kind of culture allows this to happen? One that must change…. I firmly stand with our President who spoke about resolve when asked why this time and this new effort to change local law enforcement across the country will be different. I heard his voice loudly and clearly. He said that this time will be different because we have a President who is deeply invested in making that difference and not letting the issue die.
We can agree to disagree about a whole lot of things going on in the world including recent rulings and how protests are now being handled. But, please, let’s agree to and commit to standing up for a change in how we treat each other – from the President of the United States to law enforcement to store clerks to school teachers to pedestrians and everyone in between – all of us.
I don’t know the answer but I do know that I can’t sit back. Because we can’t afford to wait for change to come. Maybe we need to look at everything from a different perspective. For people who look like me, here is where I believe we need to start. Recognize that white privilege is not a badge of honor – it is a condition, that if we want to see real change in the way the world works, we must look beyond and not look away when it gets uncomfortable or too close to home.
See, acknowledge, recognize, feel, and act. Resolve to find a way to come out of that smothering silence and invest in making a difference.
What are you doing in your life to make a difference. Please share in the comments below.
Mary Buchan says
Very well put. You have articulated what so many of us want to say. Mahatma Gandhi said it well “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
―
Janie Emaus says
I still can’t believe all that is going on. We haven’t come very far, have we?
Patricia A Patton says
thanks for weighing in
Kimba says
I work on issues related to race and the juvenile justice system. Policy change is difficult. It starts with everyone agreeing that the current system does not work; does not improve our society. Change cannot come about by merely assessing blame. IMHO.
Patricia A Patton says
change cannot come about by merely assessing blame. Kimba you are absolutely right.
Lois Alter Mark says
Great and important post. I just saw “Selma,” which makes it apparent that, despite the fact that we have an African-American President in the White House, we have shockingly not really come far at all. The movie could easily and unfortunately be taking place today. We need a Martin Luther King, Jr. — or maybe we each need to become a Martin Luther King, Jr. in our own small way. Why can’t we see that we are so much more alike than we are different? And why can’t we stop the violence?
Sheryl says
So well and passionately stated, Ruth. It’s so hard to comprehend that we have taken so many steps backward from the time of the Civil Rights protests…or is it that we never really did move forward the way we perceived to?
Carol Cassara says
You and I are on the same page, again. I continue to be puzzled by this still being the tenor of our times, when so much time has passed since the civil rights movement took hold. I can’t keep quiet about it and I won’t. I refuse to. What’s going on is flat wrong and we have an obligation to speak out. My black male friends have told me tales that make my skin crawl in agony. The fact that black officers also feel at risk when not in uniform and have be “rousted” by white officers absolutely proves the systemic nature of this problem. When I heard that idiot Rudy Giulani deny that it’s systemic on TV yesterday I wanted to scream. Keep talking. Keep writing. Those of us born to white privilege NEED to talk about this. Even when people don’t want to.
Lisa at Grandma's Briefs says
I hope this time will indeed be different. I have black nephews and Pakistani nephews — fine young men who are doing amazing things for our country. I worry that simply because of how they look, they’ll be confronted with unimaginable challenges ahead. It’s so NOT right. Unfortunately I don’t know what the answer is. I’m not even sure how to make a real difference other than to be a real example of love and acceptance, empathy and understanding.