Thoughts on How to Be a White Ally in the Struggle

I hear some of my fellow white activists struggling to find a way to be allies in this latest chapter in the ongoing struggle for justice for Black people and, I believe, all People of Color.  This is a difficult puzzle for a group of people who have for many generations held the scepter of power, to consider not wielding it.   I am writing the following not a final thought for myself or anyone else, but as my own process of thinking things through.  I welcome any People of Color who might read it to tell me if I am off track or continuing to carry out my privilege in my words.  I welcome other anti-racist allies to consider how these thoughts might fit or not fit your own practice and to share your thoughts as well.  Here's what I'm thinking about how to best be an ally in the struggle for justice for Black people and all People of Color.  I recognize that the story is far from a perfect analogy, but I hope that it works.

Imagine yourself and a friend.  That friend grew up in an abusive situation (society).  They didn't choose that situation.  It was simply the one that they were born into.  When you were younger you didn't realize the nature of your friend's situation.  At some point you realized you weren't allowed to go to that person's house and slowly you learned other unwritten rules.  As you both grew older you both grew stronger and wiser as well.  Your friend stretched their wings in small ways at first, gaining little freedoms here and there.  Now,  they've come to the point that they've decided to confront their abuser.  What do you do?

Do you say follow me I'll figure out a plan to deal with this?  Do you tell them to stop?  Do you tell them to behave and it will be o.k.?

No, I think you say I love you.  I respect your decision and stand behind you.  Now what do you want from me to help you make it happen?  Then you listen, do what you are able, mourn the losses, and rejoice when the struggle is won.   

Thanking Powerful Leaders

Like a lot of people in the U.S. today,  I look at Facebook.  And, as I suspect is true for many of us, most posts really don't mean all that much to me.  However, yesterday I saw one from a friend, "Worley Dervish" that left me thinking.  She shared the words of another person.  I'll share it directly here both to assure that I don't err in describing it and in hopes that it might inspire your thinking as well.

"Status update from Erika Dickerson-Despenza:
:: If you are white & attempting to engage in conversations or movements surrounding Ferguson, Eric Gardner, or the unending list of lynchings of Blk persons, here is WHAT NOT TO DO:
1. Do NOT give Blk people "suggestions" on what to do, say, or how to act in effort to avoid being murdered. We've tried it all.
2. DO NOT tell Blk people how to respond to lynchings. Do NOT talk about lessening anger, "riots," looting, or the loss of property. At all.
3. DO NOT use the hastag ‪#‎wecantbreathe‬. You are white; you can breathe. You are NOT the "we." Standing in solidarity does NOT mean you share our oppression.
4. DO NOT change our hashtag ‪#‎Blacklivesmatter‬ to ‪#‎Alllivesmatter‬. You're not being lynched therefore we know your life "matters."
5. DO NOT co-opt our organizing efforts to soothe your white guilt. ASK how you can assist not take over. This is NOT your movement.
6. DO NOT engage us with your feelings of white guilt. We're not here for it.
7. DO NOT engage us with your white tears upon being called out, corrected, or dismissed. This is NOT about you or your feelings.
8. DO NOT engage us with your cowardly conservative Christian speech of just "praying for peace." We believe in peace but we do NOT believe in defeatism and shrinking from our responsibility of transforming our world in keeping with God's holy justice through His divine intervention.
9. DO NOT engage us with statistics and lop-sided historical accounts of "Black-on-Black" violence, good policemen, or "racial progress." We will school you beyond your best textbook.
10. DO NOT quote Martin Luther King as though he was a "yes man" to white folks who encouraged us to not respond in the face of injustice. You've clearly misunderstood his entire strategy and did not read the entirety of his speeches.
11. That thing you were just about to say in response to this post because it made you uncomfortable by not privileging your voice, thoughts, perspective, or feelings, do NOT do/say/share that either.
You have been warned."

That's powerful stuff there.  I have questions.  They're not questions about the validity of anything on this list.  It all makes sense.  What I'm wondering about is where the road is taking us.  I'm not looking for an answer here.  I am, once again, just doing as the Quakers might say "holding it in the light."  I fully agree with that statement "Black lives matter."  It shouldn't be changed to some generic phrase in this struggle.  Still, I see that what comes of this phase of the struggle means so much for not only African Americans, but all People of Color.

As an organizer, I recognize that our wins are often small but that build off of each other into something larger and more permanent.  In our society we are looking for the quick big wins.  So, often people don't see what we've achieved.  What is happening now in the streets across the country is the result of a multitude of struggles that have been going on for generations.  What comes of our actions of today will live on whether the wins are miniscule or gigantic.  From my spot today hearing the president's statement, listening to the news, watching video of actions around the country, and  reading this list it looks like the wins are already great.  It is clear that a strong generation of leaders is standing up, taking charge, and moving forward in creative and strategic ways.  I express my respect and gratitude to them for their great work.  Peace.     

Musings after Ferguson

We've all been listening to the stories about Ferguson. There are many conversations out there about what happened, what's happening now, how we've gotten to this place, and why.  In my owner corner of the world I'm fairly insulated personally from the protests directly given that I now live in a rural area of northern Minnesota, but not from the realities of racism or from the conversation.  And, my heart still travels with all my friends who hit the streets in cities around the country with the message; Black lives matter.

I was looking at Facebook today, skimming messages, seeing a lot of sadness from my politically liberal, progressive, and radical friends about the decision in the case and more broadly around how it has been considered a reflection of how Blacks are demonized in the U.S. Then I saw a message that troubled me more.  It was from someone who I care about deeply and who generally doesn't share my politically ideologies.  It was a picture of an African American police office (I think it was an actor, but I couldn't remember the show) with the message "Instead of saying 'fuck the police' How about you stop breaking the fucking law."

It troubled me more because I know this woman to be a loving mom with beautiful, smart kids, a caring person who is very involved in her community and church.  She's someone who is thoughtful, politically engaged, and wants the best for the little ones that she is raising as well as herself and her husband, friends, and family.   Politically a conservative yes, but not so different from me or anyone else I know in her underlying human needs and wants, and someone who I love as family.

I had to decide what to do.  Should I ignore this post that bugged me and keep tension out of the family or do my job as an anti-racist activist and say something.  There was no choice there never is.  I made a comment.  I started it with letting her know that I love and respect her then went into just acknowledging that my experience and the first hand accounts I've heard in my years of work tell me that the systems (police, schools, healthcare, etc) treat People of Color whether they be African American, Latino, Native American, or any other group differently than they treat White folks and that there are no "bad guys" unless society pushes people into that behavior.  I opted not to get into how behaviors are looked at differently depending on who you are.  It was just a brief facebook post and I thought that would get too confusing for a first naming.  I did, however, suggest reading Howard Zinn's  People's History of the United States.  I don't know, maybe she will.  She is a person who likes to learn and think.

As for me,  I continue to think about what brought me to this place.

Thinking about the stereotypes associated too often with African Americans; criminals, uneducated, low income, addicts, unwed moms, etc. reminded me of when my eyes were first being pried open as a student at UW-Stevens Point.  I think it was during the time that I was SOURCE director and working to ensure that the Black Student Union get a fair trial with the Student Government Association regarding some small issues with a member of the BSU who had been accused of taking some money at an event.  I understood that race was a huge factor in this case and that it would be difficult for the all Black group to get a fair hearing from nearly all white government.  I went to several mentors for advice.  It was somewhere in here that I learned about the struggles that Dr. Andrea Turner had finding housing when she'd first moved to town in the 1990's.  The Affirmative Action Director for the University was having to deal with racist landlords!  What the heck!  She left Stevens Point after only a few years.

Another Point story for me was a diorama in Andy Gokee's office.  Andy works in the Native American Center there.  The diorama was one he made with his daughter when she was in elementary school.  Her teacher was teaching the kids something about Native Americans and was having the kids make Indian teepees.  The Gokee family has a long and proud history in what is now Wisconsin and their tribe, the Anishanabe didn't live in teepees.  Andy took his anger and funneled it into teaching and made a beautiful piece of work with his daughter that shows more accurately how her ancestors lived.

From there I go to the road,  I keep coming back to that Protect the Earth Walk from Red Cliff to Madison.  We walked to draw attention to the seventh generation amendment, the environment, social justice, and to ask people what they wanted for the seventh generation.  I still see it.  Walking down the road, Frank, Walt, and I and there's an older man, a white man across the road looking at us.  We cross to go talk with him.  Frank who is white and middle aged starts up the conversation.  Walt who is unmistakably Native is standing next to him and I'm a step or two off to the side.  Frank explains what we're doing and asks him his thoughts.  The older man responds as if Walt and I aren't even there with a tirade about those "goddamn Indians and those goddamn Indian casinos."  I realize he has the ability to choose not to see us.

There it is.  There's privilege.  Those of us with privilege get to decide what to see, who to see, what to do with what we see.  Those without privilege had better see everything or they will be beaten and killed by whatever they miss in that one moment that they miss it.

I was hoping that I would come out of this free writing exercise with some great insight on moving forward.  I'm not sure that I have.  I only know that the toughest folks to confront are the ones you love and those are the ones you must confront. Do so lovingly.  And, that a whole lot of stuff has brought me here,  I am honored to have been given the gifts of these experiences though many have made me sad.  I am and continue to be amazed by the strength of those I have grown to know.

Keep on keeping on. 

Changing and Staying the Same: The Struggle Goes On

It's been a long time.  A lot has changed and some things have stayed the same.  I suppose it's time to write again.

When I last wrote on this blog I lived in Madison, Wisconsin.  I was in the middle of the progressive haven in the midst of the crushing regime of the man considered by many to be the worst governor in Wisconsin history, and I was tired of being an activist and organizer.  I was taking a break and mostly just being a pessimist and trying to get through a diagnosis of epilepsy.

I had to get away.  After months of searching I came across a position with the Toxic Taters Coalition in northern Minnesota.  I had been looking at Minnesota, but I hadn't thought I'd move so far north.  Still, I was drawn to this group with the name that made me laugh.  I got the job and suddenly I found myself living less than an hour from Fargo.  Who would have ever thought I'd go to North Dakota when I need to go to a city?

I find myself organizing again and enjoying it again.  My work is bringing together Native and non-Native people in a fight to cut the use pesticides by RD Offutt, the largest potato producer in the world.  The work is growing by the day.  I love to see people who aren't daunted by the idea of taking on a huge corporation.  They're just doing what they need to do to keep living, quite literally.

My growth here is in bringing together people across the divides and understanding who I am.  I've worked with Native people for a long time, but until now I've always lived far away.  Now, my office is on the White Earth reservation and my home is about 13 miles away from the reservation boundary.  The racial divides are clear.

Generations of genocide have destroyed so much of the family/ community structure and created such a sense of despair.  I have met some very strong people who are working so hard to rebuild and foster the seeds.  There's a lot to do.  I ask myself what role I play.  I am not Native.  I can't be that nor do I want to.  I have my own history.  I do think I have a role as an ally to act as a bridge connecting people who otherwise do not meet and understand each other.  It is a role that requires both delicacy and strength and a lot of figuring out.

Which brings me back to Madison.  It was just a few weeks ago that the one who has been considered the worst governor in Wisconsin history won again and people started talking about leaving and moving to Minnesota or other more progressive places.   Yes, Minnesota's government is currently more liberal than Wisconsin, that's true.  I will give you that.  But,  I wonder, to what degree does it matter?   I'm working with people right now who are fighting for the air they breathe.  They've watched the insects, birds, and frogs die away.  They all know someone who is sick or they are sick themselves because of the pesticides.  The other night I went to a meeting and learned about elders heating their homes with their kitchen stoves.  I've heard many stories already of families struggling with addiction in their midst.   I wish my home state could have gotten rid of Walker.  I hope to god he doesn't get any further in politics.  But, someone else in the governor's office isn't the answer.  I wish it were that easy.

Those are my thoughts for the moment.  I hope now that the winter is upon us that I might take up this writing assignment more consistently again.  I look forward to developing my thoughts through it and to reading yours.

peace,
amy

Privilege and Guilt-- One Activist's Perspective

There have been several articles in the local media in the Madison area lately that have caused quite a stir among some of the White activists in the area.  Writers, both Black and White, have had the audacity to bring up the subject of racism in our liberal bastion and its making some people uncomfortable.

In that discomfort I see hope.  There's no reason to fix a problem until we see a problem exists.  Right now some of my activist friends are looking into a glaring light and their eyes are hurting.  They want to turn away.  Instead I hope they will give their eyes the chance to adjust and that they will do the work that needs to be done on this issue just as they do on so many related concerns.

There is a particular term that has been thrown about lately and seems to be being inappropriately defined.  I'd like to offer my fellow activists some more accurate definitions.  The term that is generating heat and misconceptions is White privilege.   White privilege simply means that by the nature of our skin color White people, as a group, have access to resources at a different level than do People of Color.  As a group we are more likely to have access to jobs, education, and other positives. We're also, as a group, less likely to experience the negative impacts of these systems like jail, homelessness, poverty, etc.  That doesn't mean that White people don't go to jail or aren't homeless, or aren't struggling economically.  Most certainly many are.  However the research is clear White folks have a better chance in life just because we were born White.  That's reality.

Now, that's something different than what I've been hearing some of my fellow White activists turning to.  They are quickly pulling out White guilt and claiming they are being made to feel White guilt.  White guilt is about feeling bad about yourself because you were born with White skin and frankly, it's a waste of time and energy.  No matter how badly you feel or how many tears you cry your guilt isn't helping anybody.

So why talk about privilege if it isn't to make someone feel guilty?  Here's why;  when people with privilege are willing to act in their every day to assure that everyone gets their needs met and privilege is no longer a reality we all win.  If you believe in social, economic, environmental justice and in peace, it can't just be for some people.  If it is, well, then it's really not for anyone.

I know, we're all working hard on the issues we've chosen and can't take on one more thing.  Well, don't take on something new.  Instead, ask yourself what am I doing in my current action that makes this work for everyone?  How am I acting in my everyday?

A few months ago I had the good opportunity to travel to Tennessee with a group of students of Color from the UW.  Along the way I got into a conversation with a few of them and one young man was speaking to how racism affected his every day.  He told us of how White people would rather stand on the bus than sit next to him, a young Black man.  It made me think.  How do I respond in those moments?  I encourage my fellow White activists to ask yourself over and over again in those little moments in which you are engaging with people of Color what are you thinking?  What prejudices are defining your actions?  How are you overcoming those prejudices?  I encourage all to do the same exercises in those moments in our groups and activities to learn about ourselves and how we unintentionally welcome or turn away those who do not look like us.

Let go of the guilt.  It's doing none of us any good.  Instead start asking questions of yourself and the world you live in and start acting.

Peace,
amy