On White Supremacy and Why Body Cameras Are Not Enough

@deray on Twitter

I am so hopeful about the young people making their voices heard and committing their time and efforts to making real change around racism and police brutality (if you’re on Twitter, search #BlackLivesMatter to get to know these amazing activists – one example is @deray). I’m also hopeful about the white people who refuse to stay silent and are acting as allies by showing up to protests while also stepping back and listening, and exposing the privileges they have long enjoyed that others (particularly poor Brown and Black people) don’t. Some great examples on Twitter are @LisaBloom and @VeryWhiteGuy.

I’m even somewhat hopeful about President Obama’s recent announcement that the Justice Department will be allotting money towards police training and body cameras. Even better is Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement that the Justice Department will “institute rigorous new standards and robust safeguards to help end racial profiling once and for all.” GOOD. However…

…here’s what President Obama and Attorney General Holder know, but, perhaps because of their positions, can’t express: what we must acknowledge and focus on – to really make lasting change – is the legacy of WHITE SUPREMACY.

Look no further than this video of a Black man walking with his hands in his pockets in Pontiac, Michigan. The video shows what many of us know all too well: the police, neighbors, communities are so afraid of Black men they feel threatened just by seeing one walk down the street. But of major import here is the behavior of the white-looking police officer. He pompously takes out his own camera, as though he is the one in danger. This is one of the awful and prevalent things that the legacy of white supremacy does: constantly work towards making oppressed peoples look like the oppressors.

And of course, we learned today that the officer who is ON CAMERA using an illegal chokehold to kill Eric Garner, was also not indicted. How would a body camera have changed that?

We cannot be appeased by the guarded language and actions of President Obama and Eric Holder. We MUST continue to speak out against the harms that white supremacy and privilege cause ALL of us.

If you are a white person – or a person who does not identify as white, but is treated as such – and are interested in real, lasting change, here are some great readings to get you on your way to being an ally:

1) If  you’ve only got time today for a couple of online posts, here are really good ones:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/opinionator/2014/12/05/white-anxiety-and-the-futility-of-black-hope/?_r=0&referrer (HT @mixed_race)

http://iambeggingmymothernottoreadthisblog.com (HT @itsalldhamma)

2) Put this book by your bedside and read a couple of pages a night (though you will likely not be able to put it down once you start):

The Possessive Investment in Whiteness by George Lipsitz

3) If you’re ready to be more proactive (you should and we need you), search #BlackLivesMatter on google – you will likely find actions in your city that you can attend. When you go – just be there to support. Don’t attempt to lead. Don’t attempt to talk to someone unless they speak to you. But be there. It will matter.

And thank you.