it's become so obvious to me since the Presidential 2024 election that there is hardly any POC solidarity in the US. I still think it exists, but not on a large scale.
a lot (not all) Arabs, Asians, & Hispanic people literally hate black people to the point that they'll vote for a fascist, racist white man who spread hate about Asian people (COVID conspiracy theories), Arab people (Muslim Ban from his first term), and Hispanic people (the border wall and treating Puerto Ricans like dogs).
and now they all want racial unity against fascism after hating openly hating a biracial black woman who literally hasn't been a racist war monger. give me a break.
someone on TikTok said that a lot of marginalized people are waiting for black people (esp black women) to throw the first stone. and that's why there's a lot of confusion with them on what they should do next.
November 8th, 1892: The New Orleans general strike begins, uniting Black and White American trade unionists in a successful four-day general strike action for the first time.
“I hestistated from sharing this post worried that my anger might be misconstrued, but as light-skinned Japanese American who doesn’t have to live with the same fears and trauma as the black community, I’m done being silent. There are so many issues in white evangelical christianity that make me question why I still hold on to christianity as a whole. But, I still stand by who Jesus is and the justice and true peace that He asks us to advocate for. So please read this and if it makes you uncomfortable, before you get defensive, ask yourself where this discomfort come from. .
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Dear white pastors,
We need more from you than “prays for racial unity” during this time. If your only response to this continued racism in this country is to post MLK quotes with #ripgeorgefloyd then you aren’t doing enough. Take this time as an opportunity to educate yourself on anti-bias work and how the American church at large contributes and enables white supremacy. Take this time to LAMENT for the history of colonization and white supremracy that has terrorized people of color for centuries. Be the answer to your own damn prayers and look at the ways you hold power to create changes in your own church. How many POC do you have on head staff that preach regularly? How many POC do you have on staff that aren’t conservative and have different beliefs than your own? Do you still tell your church body that being christian means voting only conservatively? Are you reading and learning from POC theologians and including their work in your sermons? How many other pastors and worships leaders do you listen to and learn from that are POC? We need more from you as church leadership during this time to step up and be the answer to your own prayers for racial unity, instead of putting the responsbility on God and black christians.
Dear fellow non-black Christians:
I also want to ask you the same questions. How has your church leadership responded to racial injustice? If you hold a position of power at your church how do you advocate for POC? Are their any POC in head staff positions at your church? When’s the last time you talked about racism or white privilege? Have you examined how privilege, power, and racism have played a role in our American Christian history?
Especially, if you were supposed to go on a short-term mission trip this summer to help another black or brown community overseas, please take that time instead to learn from the black and brown communities in your own country. Take this time to learn about the trauma that they’ve gone through. Maybe even donate some of that money that you would of used to an org in Minneapolis rn that is advocating for Black lives. It’s time that we do more as the body of Christ. If we really care for Christ’s mandate of caring for the oppressed in our society take this time to learn, grow, and do better.”
Robin DiAngelo’s concept of “white fragility” is insufficient to deal with racial animosity. We need a better way forward.
George Yancey is a sociologist and professor of sociology at Baylor University. He’s author of Beyond Racial Gridlock: Embracing Mutual Responsibility (IVP, 2006).
Though I support some of DiAngelo’s points, our disagreement is pronounced. As an African American who has not only done academic work on these issues but had to navigate the issues of racism personally, I recognize the irony of reviewing a book by a white woman. But as a professor in the social sciences, I believe she provides little empirical work to support her assertions... What about the empirical results of anti-racism techniques? The type of diversity training that emerges from such efforts has been shown to have little long-term effect on prejudice. Further, focusing on privilege can actually decrease sympathy for poor white people while not raising the overall sympathy for black people. Research seems to indicate that taking the route of DiAngelo is not lessening our racial hostility—but it may be making that hostility worse.
The concept of white fragility is an academic way to tell white people to be quiet and listen. Bottling up the expressions of white people, though, is not the path to addressing our society’s racial alienation. Indeed, it’s a path that will continue to frustrate attempts at correcting racism’s genuine effects.
Research seems to indicate that taking the route of DiAngelo is not lessening our racial hostility—but it may be making that hostility worse.
I’m not the first one to criticize DiAngelo’s work. Several others have also pointed out these flaws. My criticism, however, comes with an alternative. I have a different approach—supported by previous empirical work—that I believe is better suited to bring us together. I call it the “Mutual Accountability Approach.”
Mutual Accountability Approach
It’s well established that we have a racial history in which white people have abused people of color—and that this history has yielded a contemporary system in which people of color are often disadvantaged. We need to move from racialized institutions that only benefit the majority to institutions that are fair for everyone.
But proven sociological theories of group interest get in the way of this aim. Why? Because we’ll favor institutional systems that help our own group, even at the expense of other groups.
For white people, given that the status quo works to their advantage, it makes sense that their typical solution is to ignore racial problems. The anti-racism crowd is spot on when they point this out. But what they miss is that group interest affects people of color, too. People of color can also go too far and set up unfair conditions for whites. Group-interest theory indicates that allowing either group total control means that one group will create rules that benefit themselves while disadvantaging others.
Given group-interest theory, as an African American I shouldn’t feel comfortable living in a society where white people have the final say in race relations. And given the implications of group-interest theory, it’s reasonable for a white person to not feel comfortable with African Americans having complete power either. Indeed, one of the problems of the theory of white fragility and anti-racism is that white people are expected to rely on people of color to not abuse their newfound authority. But such an assumption, empirically speaking, is naive.
How can we work past such mistrust? How do we find a solution that serves everyone? It is both simple and difficult. We have to work with each other to find win-win solutions instead of relying on win-lose scenarios. I need to hear from whites about their concerns, and they need to listen to me about mine. Only then can we work toward mutually beneficial solutions to our racialized problems.
How can we work past such mistrust? How do we find a solution that serves everyone? It is both simple and difficult.
Does research support this? Yes. Empirical work suggests that a theory known as the contact hypothesis may offer us answers. It basically states that, under the right conditions, intergroup contact produces more tolerance and less prejudice. While I won’t go into all of the necessary conditions, there is research indicating that, when we share an overarching identity with those we’re in contact with, we begin to see them as part of our group. At that point, our biases are dramatically reduced.
These principles underlie the mutual responsibility model. I came up with it as I conducted research on multiracial churches and interracial marriages. Religious institutions and marriages are two areas where the conditions of positive interracial contact can be met. From that research, I begin to argue that interracial contact—done correctly—is a vital element for producing positive racial change in our society.
I simply don’t see how we can deal with our racial issues if we don’t learn how to interact in healthier ways.
There’s no possibility for unity without racial justice.
Call it by its name: White supremacy, the Confederacy and Nazism;
Call out its supporters: Trump and the GOP;
Don’t fall for false equivalencies and don’t give up.
[image description= Sam Wilson trudges through the mud with his shield in hand as Captain America]
