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***Hi fellow walkers, this is Laura. I wrote this as a response to Rhonda’s piece on financially engaging before we’re asked. I’m running it on its own at Lace’s request, and will be rerunning it the next few days for improved reach. CONFRONT this with me. What links are binding you?***
There’s a sort of chain of white supremacy involved here, and it’s something I have had to confront in myself, so I’m just going to lay it bare.
It is my white supremacy that tells me I’m adequately “not a racist” just as I am. After all, I’ve lived all my life thus far without being hurt by my own racism…
It is my white supremacy that tells me I can learn to be less racist on my own. After all, I’m smart, I absorb information just fine. I can do this with books.
It is my white supremacy that tells me I should seek out white teachers to learn to be less racist. Robin di Angelo and Jane Elliot are like me, won’t they best be able to coach *my* experience?
It is my white supremacy that tells me I should pay for my education only from best selling Black authors. If Oprah isn’t endorsing them, how do I know they’re any good? If I’m going to spend my money, I’d better get my money’s worth, per my own definition of “worth”… which is generally… wealth… social prestige if not actual money.
It is my white supremacy that expects Black people to educate me for pennies on the white dollar, and be thankful for the privilege, because it is MY white supremacy upon which is founded the USA capitalist system I was raised to consider the pinnacle of social achievement.
It is my white supremacy that asks, when Lace was working with the county and Lace on Race was her “side gig” (let’s be honest, she was always giving us her best), well, why should I pay someone for their hobby, no matter how much time and energy goes into it, and no matter how much I benefit and consume?
It is my white supremacy that hints, well, now that Lace makes money at this, surely she’s more suspect and less genuine than the woman I’ve been walking with for the 2+ years before her retirement from the county.
It is my white supremacy that sweeps the absolute illogic of those last two points under the rug of my white cognitive dissonance.
Basically, if you are here, if you are reading this, if you have consumed and consumed and consumed the fruits of Lace’s labor, and ignored every ask, covered your not wanting to engage financially with any of the mental spackle above, or twisted your won’t into a can’t, when you absolutely can and do choose to spend money on what you do value…
That’s your white supremacy. Full stop.
***To join a discussion on this in the Bistro, register for the Lace on Race Cafe, complete your profile, join the Bistro group, and wait to be seated. Then engage at https://laceonrace.com/…/links-in-the-chain-of-white…/ ***
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