As a white person, I can see that racism is still alive and well, especially in the white community.
I have always been viewed as "sensitive" or "one of those liberal snowflakes" for standing up to fellow white people who are being blatantly — or not so blatantly — racist to my face. It is harder than one would think to stand up to someone within your own race, especially when it comes to telling them why what they are saying is wrong.
I cannot tell you how many people I have had the same "the n-word is not for white people" conversation with. This conversation sadly happens with people who consider themselves "woke," too. There are so many white people who still use it in place of "dude" or "brother" in casual conversation, and they do not understand that it is not a word that they can claim.
I'm usually met with the argument, "Well, I'm not saying it with a hard r!" Well, African American people say it with an "a" to take back the power the word is associated with.
It will always be a negative word in my eyes, but only African Americans are allowed to have that word.
Do not be upset with me when you are racist right in front of my face and I fight back. Saying, "I'm not racist, this is a statistic, but..." will never be a justified argument to me.
Stop pretending you aren't racist when you absolutely are. If you're racist, you're racist. If you were raised racist, it does not mean that you have to stay that way.
The saddest part about this is that I am more often than not around well-educated people who have been exposed to multiple forms of diversity. But they have refused to gain anything from it due to their biases.
Accept the education that you are granted on these topics. Allow it to help your mindset grow. Allow yourself to be diverse.
With all of the police brutality happening in America, along with all of the hate crimes happening in our backyards, why would it be even a little bit OK to still be racist? From race to race, there are so many beautiful things to celebrate and learn from one another. There should be no need to build walls or to self-segregate.
This is all on you, white people. Just because someone has more melanin than you does not mean that they have ulterior motives.
Stop allowing history blind your vision.
If you are a white person who has read this, realized that you do these things and recognizes that it's wrong, join the fight. The sad truth about America is that "white power" is valued. Allies are always essential.
