Question: When white people speak up about anti-racism, does it have the same impact as a person of color?
Do white people speaking up have the same, less, or more impact on opposing racism as does a person of color speaking up? And if so, why or why not?
We love this question because it starts to make people put weight on the thought of whether or not their voice matters. Do you have to look a certain way to step into this movement? Or if you’re white, or of another race, how does that impact you?
Every single person, regardless of your ethnicity or any other intersection, has a space and more importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in the Black Lives Matter movement. You have the opportunity to put forward anti-racist ideas and support the efforts to bring equality and justice for all people.
Your real homework in this movement is to understand where you fit in and what that space looks like for you. How can you make a positive impact?
Before you do that, you can first look to figure out how you can educate yourself. This makes it possible for you to bring something to the table versus coming with an empty cup. It’s better to discover the area that you’re interested in, educate yourself in that area, and fully step into that space, ready to help. There’s really no wrong way to step into the space of becoming an ally all you have to do is start.
This covers every single sector, all kinds of people, every socioeconomic status we are all striving against anti-racism. Your job is to find out where you fit in and what that looks like.
Diving in where you feel called is a great place to start. Maybe you’re a mom and you want to find out how you can raise your children to not be racist. Maybe you’re an educator and you want to pass anti-racism to the individuals you teach and influence. Maybe it’s in your place of faith. Maybe it’s in your neighborhood.
We all have racist systems around us and you can dive into any one of those as you’re investigating and then figure out how you can make a difference. It all starts with jumping in and learning, no matter who you are or where you come from.
