Re: Shooter caught in Charleston shooting spree

Message edited 6/23/2015 10:04:36 AM.

Re: Shooter caught in Charleston shooting spree

We cannot solve our problems if we use the same thinking we did when we created them.

For someone to say I am self-hating is to completely, disgustingly, degrade and defame my character, to ignore the purpose of my feelings, and to hatefully inflate their own predilection for conflict. To say that I self-hate...because I am passionate about social justice and working towards bridging the gap between our communities is downright untrue.

I have been heartbroken these past few years from the conflict between races, from the conflict between communities and law enforcement, and from the ugliness that continues to rear its head from ignorance.

I don't want to live in a world filled with such hate...such apathy...such vitriol.

We do not live in a post-racial society. We must disabuse ourselves of that notion. And painfully, the first step...is to admit, acknowledge or even attempt...to understand what white privilege is. It's not a buzzword meant to incite eye rolls...it's not easy to self-reflect and realize that your position in life can be based on your skin color...it's not easy to want to understand or admit that societies benefit white privilege. Everyone wants to think that racism is a thing of the past, or that because they have a black friend they're not racist. I am working so hard to understand what white privilege is...it's microaggressions...and find a way to make peace with our collective past if I want to have any shred of decency as human beings moving forward. I don't want to leave this world being apathetic or uncaring or unwilling. I just can't do that.

I read an article that really, really touched me. It said, in part:

"I am not arrogant enough to believe that I can solve the puzzle, but I intend to spend the rest of my days trying as hard as I can to match up a few pieces, and that is the difference between me now and the white liberal I used to be. The white liberal I used to be had the privilege of throwing her hands up at the puzzle, declaring it too hard, and leaving it for others to solve because I didn’t see that it directly affected me.

Don’t get me wrong, the white liberal I used to be recognized racism existed. She thought the mistreatment of Black youth by the criminal justice system was terrible. She was no idiot. She understood institutionalized racism. She had good friends of color. She was a historian who understood U.S. history and the historical struggles of African Americans in the U.S. She believed in affirmative action and fought for equity. She was all these things. If you are white and this sounds even remotely like you, then I’ve written this as an appeal to you.

However, if you are here to argue about whether or not racism exists, I’m no longer interested in the argument. You are definitely part of the problem, but the beauty of this country is that I don’t need to convince you there is a problem in order to solve it. Bottom line: there are more of us than there are of you, and we can do the puzzle without you, so you can stop reading."

Re: Shooter caught in Charleston shooting spree