Black Lives Matter
June 9, 2020
Mark Witton says this better than I could:
Like many white folks, I have traditionally assumed that simply not being racist was doing my part, and that the actions of others would eventually convert society at large to seeing race as the non-issue it should be. I have also felt that, as a white, straight male from a middle-class background, my voice would add nothing to this conversation or – worse – be seen as patronising or virtue signalling.
I now realise that this view was incorrect. The fact that people of colour are still fighting against global systemic marginalisation and persecution shows that being non-racist isn’t enough, and that we must be outspokenly anti-racist, even if we have never experienced racial discrimination ourselves. Some may accuse me of jumping on a bandwagon with this. That’s accurate, but I don’t care. This is a wagon we should all be on, and I’m ashamed for not being on-board earlier.
Go and read his post. I endorse it.
And remember: the opposite of Black Lives Matter is not All Lives Matter; it’s Black Lives Don’t Matter. Don’t be That Guy.