Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

by Layla F. Saad

I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks.2

gaslighting refers to a form of psychological manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a person or persons by making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity.

“Therapists are less likely to perceive a black woman as sad; instead they see her as angry or anxious.”

HOW DOES OPTICAL ALLYSHIP SHOW UP?

Jumping into activism without doing any real self-reflection work on your personal racism.

Reposting antiracism posts and virtue signaling so that everyone knows you’re an ally but not doing much more work beyond that.

white supremacy can continue to be perpetuated in actions and behaviors that seem noble or neutral in theory but quickly reveal a foundation of the racist status quo being maintained underneath.

Being willing to lose privilege looks like: •Taking responsibility for your own antiracist education with the free and paid resources already publicly available, instead of expecting BIPOC to do that work for you. •Talking to your friends and family members who have white privilege about practicing antiracism. •Having racial conversations with other white people, whether in person or online. •Donating money to causes, movements, and organizations that are working toward liberation and dignity for BIPOC. •Paying money to more BIPOC businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, and projects. •Amplifying BIPOC voices (whether or not their work is about racism and social justice). •Showing up at protests and marches for BIPOC. •Calling out/in leaders, organizations, and institutions that are discriminating against and doing harm to BIPOC. •Continuing to show up, even when you are called out, you feel discomfort or fatigue, or you are not rewarded for it (socially or financially). •Taking up less space and allowing BIPOC to take up more space so that they can be heard and their leadership can be followed. •Risking relationships and comfort by speaking up instead of staying silent.

you are a part of the problem and that you are simultaneously also a part of the answer.