There is a race war happening on social media. The strange
thing about it is that the virtual soldiers on this electronic battlefield are
all white. It is not a war between races. It’s a thread war of words between
white people who are offended by racist ideology and symbolism, and white
people who are offended that other white people are offended by the symbols and
ideals that they see as history, heritage, and tradition. It is surprising to
me that in 2018 that there is not agreement on what is racist and what is not.
It is shocking to me that there are many white people who still believe in the “lost
cause” theory regarding the civil war. It is unfathomable to me that there are
still people who can say “the war of northern aggression” with a straight face.
I read the comments again and again. Lots of white people
want us to stop talking about racism. They think that if we pretend it never
existed, then it will cease to exist. A true existstential dilemma. I understand though. It is painful to
admit to our racist past. It is even more painful to acknowledge that racism
persists. It is uncomfortable to recognize our own prejudices that make us
complicit in the perpetuation of institutional racism. No white person feels
privileged, so how can they embrace the idea of white privilege? And unless
someone is a Klan member or a Nazi, most white people do not consider
themselves racist. Most of us can somewhat relate to Donald Trump’s insistence
that he is the least racist person he knows. We all sort of feel that way about
ourselves.
If we really want to move past racism in this country, then
we must acknowledge our racist past. The past in which our forefathers could boldly
claim that all are created equal, but uphold the legality and morality of
slavery. The past in which our ancestors terrorized black people across the
south with the spectacle of public lynching. The past that codified the second-class
status of citizens of color. The past that denied people of color the right to
fully participate economically in our society. The past in which the maids of
our grandparents had to use a toilet in the basement rather than the facilities
that the white people used. The past in which our own families would raise
objections to interracial dating or marriage. It was not long ago when some
schools still banned black girls and boys from dancing with their white peers. Recent
enough that Natalie Merchant wrote a song about it.
We can never change the past, so we must accept it and
acknowledge it. We must face the pain and discomfort we feel so that we can
acknowledge that our pain and discomfort is nothing compared to the pain, discomfort,
and damage that our white way of life has inflicted on non-white people.
We cannot change the fact that the father of our country
chewed his food with the teeth of his slaves. Let that thought sink in.
But not being able to change the past does not mean that we
cannot change the future. But if we cling to phony symbols of our glorious white
past, we cannot even begin to do the hard work of binding up and healing the
wounds that still lay open across this country.
