Myisha T Hill has a great seminar coming up entitled 𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙄𝙩: 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 - 𝘼 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙀𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝘿𝙎𝙈, 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠 which deals with something I've been talking about for way too many years not specific to white women but just women in general, how they rarely get motivated by anything other than shame and guilt when it comes to making any kind of change.
She brings up this idea of #WhiteWounds which I think is epic.
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We all have wounds to be sure ... but Black Wounds are very different from White Wounds and when you think about the fact that white women especially tend to actively or subconsciously uphold misogynistic beliefs and work against their own self interests in that regard, it becomes a really interesting exploration of what white wounds look like especially from the lens of a Black woman. I would highly recommend this discussion for many people.
https://www.myishathill.com/emotional-bdsm
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Another thing she discusses is getting white people in touch with their wounds and how those wounds get in the way of their own self development, healing, and how these wounds fuel racism and white supremacist belief systems:
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠?
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨?
𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙅𝘼𝘿𝙀? 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮, 𝘼𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙚, 𝘿𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛?
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These questions:
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠?
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨?
𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙅𝘼𝘿𝙀? 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮, 𝘼𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙚, 𝘿𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛?
Are LEGIT questions that I think many white people (and other non-Black folks) need to ask themselves and be able to answer.
Many cannot or simply won't because the truth is tied to a wound or racism.
I wonder why white people find it so hard to just admit that they are racist or anti-Black. You can't work on changing something that you aren't willing to admit. Or maybe you just feel like you shouldn't admit something that you were indoctrinated into or groomed into because it's not your fault? But just because something isn't your fault doesn't mean that ignoring it changes your level of personal responsibility regarding how you continuously or subconsciously perpetuate it and cause harm.
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙? 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙮, 𝘼𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙚, 𝘿𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 ... instead of just admitting that you are a victim of a system that we ALL (no matter what race or culture or gender) have been subjugated, changed, and indoctrinated into. You're NOT ALONE in this victimization. You're NOT ALONE in this imprisonment. You're not the only person who is racist or anti-Black or who subconsciously perpetuates harm because of things you've been taught your entire life.
Admitting that you are also a victim means you can begin a process of HEALING and LEARNING and HELPING OTHERS.
Admitting that you perpetuate harm because you are simply afraid or ignorant means you can begin a process of CHANGING and STOPPING the abuse you are inflicting on others without realizing it.
Why would you NOT want to do these things? Why would you CHOOSE to continue harming others and upholding destructive systems that oppress others?
Because you don't care is usually the answer.
So the basic answer to these questions ... why won't white people just admit they are racist ... is because they don't care that they are ...
It's because they're fine being knowing and willing victims of a system that has brainwashed them and made them believe the lie of white supremacy when they are actually a minority.
It's because they have fear that in admitting they are also victims of oppression and grooming, it means they have to reflect on everything they have done and do.
The concept that white people are ALSO VICTIMS might be a weird concept for some people to understand. Indoctrination, grooming, programming, and brainwashing are not things that ONLY happen to weak people or minorities.
The mere fact that you DON'T think you are racist but probably spend most of your time perpetuating racism without realizing it ... MEANS you have been indoctrinated, groomed, programmed, and brainwashed ...
It's not hard to understand this stuff. You're just choosing not to.
Something I wrote in my diary in 7th grade ...
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮. 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝. 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤. - Elaine Barlow
You may not think so now ... but believe me ... TRUTH IS BETTER.
That's amazing for a 7th grader! Damn.
@VictoriaLandis1 I was a ... um ... "special" child 🤣 There is something to be said for all the awareness I had growing up in an abusive household ... but that awareness also made my life hell and made me everyones enemy especially adults. I'm glad I kept a diary because I said and thought some amazing shit ... but I probably would have had an easier life had I learned to keep my thoughts to myself ❤️
@VictoriaLandis1 Actually that is true even today 🤣
Ah. Probably correct, there.
Well, being a white person & coming from parents who firmly believed they were NOT AT ALL racist, I think I can explain the weird hoops their subconscious jumps through?
My dad made derogatory comments about black & brown people all the time, also about Jews. But he adored my Jewish best friend in high school, so he couldn't possibly be a bigot, right? He also loved my black friend who lived on the next street - and her family. But the disparaging comments (con't)
as he watched any black or brown ppl on TV were always there. Even as a teenager, I noticed the comments never were about white ppl, no matter how gross they were.
My mom made sure we knew who MLK was & how he was a great person. But her comments about black co-workers were sometimes brutal.
With my parents, it was ingrained from the time they were kids.
@VictoriaLandis1 I can promise you, Victoria ... you don't need to explain or J.A.D.E for me. I already know the answers. It's other white folks you need to explain this to ❤️ It's them you need to make aware of their own indoctrination and avoidance.
Oh, I do try. When I lived in Atlanta, it was rampant. When the white neighbor lady (parent of one of my kids' friends) told me she wasn't sending her son to the public middle school because 'those people' went there, I went off on her.
I stopped speaking to an old friend from high school after she called Obama a 'porch monkey'. Shit you not. My jaw dropped, and she was genuinely surprised that I took offense.
It's a deeply, deeply rooted thing. (con't)
And I made sure my kids did not have friends who were racist, and I'll make sure my grandchildren are aware, too.
@VictoriaLandis1 We all have to do every bit we can if anything is going to change and I don't expect anything to actually change in my lifetime or even the next few generations ... the problem is way to pervasive for that ... BUT if you're going to leave the world better than you left it ... you have to do whatever you can ... if that's reaching just a handful of people ... that's important work. ❤️
> Many cannot or simply won't because the truth is tied to a wound or racism.
Profundity in spades, E. 💜
She brings up these questions especially in terms of how white people respond to her expressing her lived experience online (I have the same problems here on CoSo sometimes) and how there is this constant need that white people have to try and shut Black people (or any member of the #GlobalMajority) up or down when they start expressing their truth.
The fact is these behaviors stem from racism and anti-Blackness though white people are reluctant to simply admit that ...