Dear White People: Silence Isn’t an Option
we are a bit over halfway done with #31daysofkindness so keep it coming. our world is in desperate need of goodness and kindness and WAY less bigotry, white supremacy and violence. and no…both sides are not to blame.
i keep trying to get back to writing about what i had ‘planned’ but my thoughts keep swirling around the atrocities that are occurring in america.
that’s privilege.
the fact that i can even consider ‘trying to get back’ to something else is heavily steeped in my white privilege. need a little refresher on privilege and racism? i wrote about that here.
image by dave russell
i have stopped watching/reading/listening to the majority of the news. it’s making me physically and emotionally sick. my heart still hurts and my head is still freakin’ blown away that people actually thought #45 would make a good president. i do firmly believe that because of him, hate groups are feeling that it’s ‘okay’ to take their hatred to the next level (like charlottesville).
i get hesitant to write and publish this. for starters, i am embarrassed by my own chosen passiveness to a certain extent. i still feel fragile in some ways and i can often feel the edge of darkness start to creep over me again when i look around the country i live in. another reason i get hesitant to push ‘publish’ is because i know i’m not saying all the right things when it comes to social justice and the fucked-up-ness that is happening right this second.
“62,979,879 voted for him knowing exactly who he was.”
– Desiree Lynn Adaway (follow her)
that again, is privilege. the fact that i get to consume or not consume news or choose to be involved or not because it isn’t directly effecting me yet is so outrageously privileged. i have to own it though and if you find yourself wondering if you’re in the same boat – you need to own it too. that is the only way things are going to get better.
we may not always know the perfect thing to say but remaining silent is not the answer.
we may not always know what to do but remaining inactive is not the answer.
we may not always have the energy to fight for justice but ignoring it is not the answer.
so…
take action (through your time, money, voice).
fellow white people, remaining silent and not voicing outrage about the atrocities occurring to our fellow HUMANS isn’t cutting it. while it’s not the same as marching along side the kkk, by not saying anything and ‘hoping it gets better’ is contributing to white supremacy. i am going to do better and you need to too.
we must vocalize how horrendous it is and how we will not stand for it.
human beings are counting on us.
image by dave russell & shoutout to my gal hanna for co-founding and leading ‘the resistance 5280’
Audrey
August 16, 2017 at 9:06 am
Yes.
chelsea
August 31, 2017 at 3:07 pm
glad you agree, audrey
Paula Howley
August 16, 2017 at 11:21 am
Using your platform to challenge and inform is one of the best ways you can help- that and raising your daughter the way you are. I appreciate this Chels.
chelsea
August 31, 2017 at 3:08 pm
thank you paula for saying that – i will keep working for social justice until this world works better
Christina @ Hugs and Lattes
August 16, 2017 at 2:13 pm
I am absolutely numbed by the evil of this world, and that breaks my heart.Thank you for being a voice, and for standing up against white silence. My heart is angered and sicken over the goings on in Charlottesville this weekend.
chelsea
August 31, 2017 at 3:08 pm
thank you for your comment christina and you all stay safe <3
Sheila Cameron
August 17, 2017 at 10:05 am
I have a story to tell about how racism was so easily and deeply planted in me during my formative years. It’s not until challenged by others speaking up, using their voice, that a person will see another perspective and realize what they are doing is hurtful and wrong. Sometimes it’s one voice that gets through; sometimes it takes several voices. I’ve been listening for a long time, appreciating the voices that have helped me change my thinking and actions. Chelsea, thank you for your brave voice and for inspiring others to use theirs too.
chelsea
August 31, 2017 at 3:09 pm
i am absolutely sure every white person has a story to tell about how easily we accept and internal racism, sheila – you are not alone. it’s part of our system. i agree that we have to challenge each other, educate ourselves and then take responsibility is when we will see something change.
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