unpacking my whiteness
People don’t really talk to me about my race or how I feel about my race or about any race. One question I am never asked is “are you white?” I just never get asked. The pigment of my skin may lead people to not ask. I want people to know who I am, but not by just looking at the color of my skin. I could give a much better answer about who I am than what people decide on their own.
Yes, my chromosomes somehow decide to express my skin pigment in a lighter shade. If that is what you mean and all you mean, ok. But if being white means you think I am a different from someone with other pigmentation characteristics, or if you think I would consider one skin color superior to another, or if you think I attend group meetings to support my race, or any race, or even feel anything in particular as a result of my race then you have gone much too far.
My skin color is in fact whiteish. My hair is black and gray. My eyes are blueish. Skin color is interesting in general, I suppose, but there are so many shades and colors and textures and contours and all of it means nothing about the person’s inside characteristics, nothing cognitive, no sign of introvert or extrovert, completely lacking in what the eyes convey, just an external presentation of color.
If I am in a place with only white people present, first, I ask why this should be the case and whether or not I should be in the room. Then, if I stay and if I ever hear anyone say anything negative about any race I say something or I leave, or both. Sometimes I am not strong enough to stand up to people. I am always working to be stronger.
In the many cases where I am the only white person, both in the United States and in China, I am aware of the fact that I am the minority in the room. I am very aware of being white at those moments, feel very self conscious of race, and it helps me to understand how it might feel for others. Although I am sure it could be a very different feeling to be the only white person in the room than if I were some other race.
I won’t judge you or add you to a group of people I have created in my head as a result of the color of anything. Please do the same for me.
I had no control over the color of my skin or my parents. I recognize that many things in this society are tilted in my favor and I work to change these things. I believe that we are still in a post-slavery world that is much impacted by the horrible treatment of African Americans before, during, and after slavery and continuing up to and beyond the present day. We have much work to do to make things right. And we need to do it together.
At the same time, we all have a responsibility to acknowledge that we live in a society based historically on white supremacy and we must all work together to change it into a society based on equal opportunity and equality in all areas of life.
If I say that I believe that the United States is dominated by a system of white supremacy it does not mean that I am supportive of white supremacy, or that I take part in it in any way, unless I fail to speak out when I see it in action right in front of me or when it is of some benefit to me. If I simply accepts the benefits of white supremacy and do not say anything, do not work against it, well then I would be a part of it.
I encourage all to read this article by Ijeoma Oluo on the topic:
https://theestablishment.co/so-you-want-to-fight-white-supremacy-2b5735f22f9/
In her article she lists some obvious things we could all do, things we could question in our daily lives, things that only require us to want an even playing field – in other words, no demonstration is needed, no funds are needed, nothing is lost by simply asking some of these questions and having these conversations if and when these situations come up in our daily lives. She makes the fantastic point that “there are countless opportunities every day to disrupt white supremacy — especially if you are white.” I wholeheartedly agree and I commit to doing these things and finding more ways I can help equality grow.
Here are more of her suggestions from the article at the link above:
Schools. The racist mythology needed to morally justify white supremacy is disseminated first and foremost through schools. Do you know what is in your children’s textbooks? How is slavery being taught? How is the Civil War discussed? What conversations are had in class around Thanksgiving or Columbus Day? At what age are your children learning about the Japanese internment camps — if at all? What black history is being taught outside of black history month? Are any of the explorers, scientists, politicians, or artists lauded in class Latinx, Asian American, or Native American? Is the hatred and violence perpetrated against Muslim Americans and people of South Asian descent since 9/11 discussed?
Outside of texts, what is the racial makeup of your school board and school staff? How many children of color are suspended and expelled from your local schools? How does your school address racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic bullying? Is your district outsourcing its discipline to anti-black police forces?
Work. What diversity recruitment efforts does your company have? How does HR handle reports of racial discrimination? Are your work social events diverse and inclusive? Who is getting promoted? Who gets to speak in meetings? What racial equity goals are written into your union charter? Ask these questions, and get your coworkers to ask as well. If you are white, do not leave the burden on the few people of color in the office to advocate for themselves in a system that has already shown it values their voices less than yours.
Money. Are you supporting minority-owned businesses? Are you boycotting businesses that discriminate against people of color — not only through how they treat customers of color, but in the products they choose to carry, the politics they support, and the way they treat their employees of color? Are you donating to progressive political candidates of color? Are you supporting anti-racist activist groups, civil rights organizations, and immigrant advocacy groups? Are you voting for taxes and levies that empower and enrich communities of color? Are you seeing movies with diverse casts and shunning those that prefer to imagine an all-white world? Are you buying art from artists of color and rejecting the appropriation of that art by white artists?
Politics. Are you voting in local elections, where your vote has the most power? Are you asking your mayor and city council about their police oversight and reform goals? Are you demanding that racial equity be a real and actionable goal of any candidate who gets your vote? Are you asking for city and state funds to go to projects to support communities of color? Are you voting for candidates of color? Are you paying attention to which judges and prosecutors will be granted the authority to decide the fate of the millions of black and brown adolescents and adults trapped in our racist criminal justice system?
Family. If you are white, and your children are white, are you explaining white privilege to them? Are you introducing your children to cultures other than their own? Are the only people you have over for dinner white? Are all their dolls and action figures white? Are the characters in their story books and favorite movies all white? Are you children being taught to stand up for their friends of color and always speak out against racist bullying? Are you trusting in your children’s ability to handle some truth about racism in America — a truth that children of color never get the chance to avoid? Are you having tough conversation with your parents, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles? Are you letting family members know that their racist speech is a personal affront to you? Are you making anti-racism, anti-Islamophobia, and the fight against anti-Semitism a family value?
Socially. White people, are you listening, without ego and defensiveness to people of color? How many of your good friends are not white? Do your friends of color feel comfortable telling you when you are being racist? When with other white people, what jokes are you letting slide in order to not make waves? What racist comment are you cringing at but choosing to ignore? In what ways are you helping to make white supremacists feel comfortable in their bigotry, in order to not make yourself uncomfortable as well? What friendships are you risking in order to help make your racist friends better people and to help make your friends of color more safe? How are you fighting the normalization of racism and bigotry in everyday life?
Each of the above sections titled Schools, Work, Money, Politics, Family, and Socially, come from Ijeoma Oluo’s excellent article on white supremacy which can be found here: https://theestablishment.co/so-you-want-to-fight-white-supremacy-2b5735f22f9/
David
david geiger 
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