whiteprivilege – Sereniti Sparkles

For my entire life thus far, I have watched as some of the people I cared for most in this world being tormented by a system built to oppress them. Through the years I have seen what the simple color of my skin meant to my experience in this world and more specifically this country. The shame I have, to see others that look like me and that hold the same privilege sit in silence. The pain I’ve felt watching my friends and family members be treated as less than or overlooked despite their clear capabilities. The sickness I feel every time I see the outright mistreatment by law enforcement.

Let me be clear when I say, you may love your neighbor no matter the color of their skin, but if you do not speak truth to power, then you too have blood on your hands. How many times do we have to see the blatant disrespect and disregard for human lives? How many times do we have to watch the difference in being black in America vs white in America to know we must not be silent? I’ve written hundreds of articles, praying they reach someone else that needs to hear these words. I’ve listened to my friends and family of color so that I can be better in the fight against racism.

This is getting to the point that it is NO LONGER acceptable for you to just love thy neighbor, you must also be willing to fight for thy neighbor. Imagine a world where every time you walked out into the public, you had to fear that you would be in harm’s way or treated as less than. Imagine that you were treated this way every single day of your life, not because you deserved it, but because of the pigment of your skin. It may not be you that engages in racism or hate. It may not be you that assists in the breakdown of another human’s rights. But it is because of you and your silence that we have witnessed a rise in racism. It is because of that silence that white supremacists marched on the capital as if they would have no repercussions and not be held accountable for such hate.

I am going to keep writing and keep telling white people what they need to hear. I am going to keep speaking up against the most dangerous type of hate that exists in America. The mentality that you or I are better because of the color of our skin is a fallacy and one we are responsible for deconstructing. If you choose to not speak up against what is happening with racism in America, then you my friend, have blood on your hands. PERIOD.

What Can White People Do?

I keep hearing the same question as if it seems so difficult to come to the answer. What Can White People Do? What can WE do? What Can I do?

We’ve known the answer all of our lives. We have lived the answer with every breath we take.

Did you grow up in a world with the comfort of stable food and shelter? Were you able to walk in any door and know you would be treated with dignity and respect? When stopped by the police, did they just take your ID and send you on your way? Did you see many cop cars patrolling your neighborhood? Did the police seem like they were always there to care for you and protect you?

If your life was like this, then I am speaking to you. Your great-grandfathers sins do not rest on you, they live in you. You get to live in a world that is fair and equal. You get to feel as if the law is on your side. But your brothers and sisters of color, they, do not. They suffer from unlawful arrests and sentencing, harassment, and brutality all at the hands of power.

It is not that ALL police are bad and ALL lives don’t matter. It is that there are lives of our fellow citizens that have been roughed up and taken by a system that is built to sustain it’s power. White Power.

If you are like me, you don’t believe in White Power or what it represents. But unfortunately for you, you are the beneficiary of such power. And it is because of that that you were handed a responsibility. A responsibility greater than any you have ever had and will ever have. Use your voices, your money, your hands, your words and speak to that power. Make sure they listen. Call your representatives, gather in peaceful protests. Be the change you want to see in the world.

This is dedicated to all my Black brothers and sisters. The ones who treated me like family. The ones who are still by my side to this day. This is our fight.