You may have heard of the warnings of The Notorious B.I.G. and DaBaby in their songs “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “More Money, More Problems.” Similarly, I’m here to point out that more whiteness means more problems.
Here’s the thing, whiteness has got to go. It was created solely to cause harm, so we must address the havoc it has caused and dismantle the systems that sustain it. The question is - how do we make that happen?
It's a daily conundrum for me - what do I do with whiteness? I've come to recognize the dominant American narrative that presents white as normal and good, and the negative impact this narrative has. I'm working to understand the practices, norms, and ways of being that perpetuate this untrue story.
In my day-to-day life, I'm becoming increasingly aware of how the creation and history of whiteness continue to shape the American racial hierarchy. This narrative of race expects me, as a white person, to play a certain role in it. Today, knowing that I want no part in ranking people according to race, what do I do with whiteness and my connection to it?
As I try to figure out what to do with whiteness, I often find myself caught in a vexing cycle. It begins with my belief that white people need to address racial injustice. But, I’m uncertain about the most effective actions that white people can take to address racism, and not knowing what to do paralyzes me. My fear of contributing to systemic racism by not resisting it leads me to do or say something, anything, just so I can tell myself and others that I’m trying. However, I know that this is not genuine and likely not contributing to solving the problem or helping me understand my role in it. This makes me ashamed, which pulls me further away from action and from connection - to people and to the problem of racism. I find myself repeating this cycle over and over again.
I dislike this pattern of mine—it's draining and accomplishes nothing but pain. I detest the grip whiteness has on me and what it sustains in our world. I abhor the way whiteness enforces obedience and silence, and how it spreads false and harmful narratives about all of us.
I particularly despise how whiteness has us blaming people for the unjust circumstances they find themselves in - circumstances that result from the failures of our individualistic, capitalistic, and white dominant system. The very same circumstances that we, white folk, are afraid of falling into. Whiteness keeps us stuck in a racialized system that we didn’t create and may not even want to be a part of.
Many white people have been taught that addressing racism is not their responsibility. Those who do believe it's their responsibility often struggle with what to do about it. While I and other white people in my life express a desire for a diverse community, many of us don't actually have one. Moreover, we don't seem to examine the racial makeup of the groups we belong to. What does it mean when the circles we run in are predominantly white?
Despite the narrative presented to us, white people have both opposed and can oppose their assigned roles in the American system of racial injustice. When we succumb to whiteness, we miss the opportunity to incorporate the stories of white people who resisted racial oppression into our ideas of how to be white in America. Throughout history, there have always been white people who have resisted racial violence, worked against white dominance, and embraced our shared humanity.
One of the challenges of addressing whiteness and white superiority is that they often get the final say. It can be difficult to confront and dismantle something so pervasive, especially when there aren't other people in our lives who are interested in doing the same. This dynamic has been a persistent part of United States history, with the struggle for racial equality butting up against the power of whiteness. Equity gets a win, only for whiteness to push back with full force. (To ascertain more about this history of whiteness see these videos or this book or this one).
Whiteness is my racial baggage. Yes, being white in America comes with some social benefits, but it also requires me to pay a high price if I want to stay in its good graces. I can’t challenge the norms of whiteness without feeling consequences from those who want to preserve the status quo. The ill-gotten gains of whiteness can easily be taken away from anyone deemed a white race traitor.
White was the racial lens through which I came to understand myself and the world, and it's a very narrow lens. For a long time, I was adept at recognizing brownness and blackness, but paid no attention to whiteness. Ignoring the way my white skin affects my daily life and expecting others to do the same is me playing the race card. Race is and always has been a factor in my everyday life. It’s just that my country and culture allow me to ignore it.
And now, I’m no longer ignoring whiteness. I’m paying attention and I’m beginning to write a more nuanced and comprehensive narrative for what cohesion and belonging might look like for us white folk. It’s one where we can be free of a togetherness that is rooted in endlessly clinging to white privilege and policing people of color. Instead, we can come to appreciate the diversity that we long for. My story of race and togetherness is becoming a story enveloped in hope.
To my white friends, I want to make it clear that when I ask things of you, I'm not requesting anything that I'm not already trying to do myself. I'm also not blaming you for creating whiteness. We've all inherited whiteness, and we need each other to dismantle it. It's tempting to disassociate ourselves from whiteness, given what it has done in the world. However, running away won't bring about any change.
Today, I’m calling on white people to come together in new ways and work towards ending racial inequality. Instead of focusing on individual whiteness, let’s concentrate on collective effort. Examining the things we have been taught to ignore or avoid - such as whiteness - can be difficult, but it can also be liberating. For me, letting go of whiteness has been a freeing experience. By working alongside one another, our efforts can be more effective, and our end result all the more beautiful.
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