Fighting white supremacy: Finding your place

I think I have made this clear over time, but I believe in inspiration. I definitely believe that you can pray for and receive guidance.

That being said, putting in the work and not expecting things to be handed to you is a way of demonstrating your commitment and faith.

So, you have committed to fighting white supremacy: you know that can involve many different activities and you are looking for where to start. It is reasonable to start with an inventory of your current opportunities and abilities.

Maybe you currently have a job or activities where you are out in public a lot. The pandemic is keeping a lot of people closer to home, so that makes your position somewhat unique. A good first step might be to make a point of paying more attention to the people around you. How many people of color do you see? What kind of interactions do you observe?

Maybe at some point you will notice an incident of harassment, and can say something. Maybe you will notice police that have stopped a Black man, and you can film it. Sometimes abuse happens because it is believed to be acceptable enough not to be questioned. Having someone watching can change the dynamics.

Maybe you are fluent in Spanish or Russian or another language that is spoken by a local immigrant population. That can have some very obvious volunteer activities. 

If you have legal training, there are many options for putting that to use.

I am going to recommend another book here, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative:

https://eji.org/

There is also a movie. One thing I found in the book was an example of how systemic racism in the justice system acts as a form of social control.

Not every EJI client is innocent, but a main case that is followed in the book is that of Walter McMillan, released after several years on death row. Not only did he not commit the crime, but because of a fish fry that was happening at his house at the time of the murder, there were many witnesses that he could not have been the murderer. They knew his truck could not have been at the scene of the crime because he was working on it and they saw him working on it.

That their sure knowledge did not matter was demoralizing. Black parents may be used to drilling their children on how to do everything right to stay out of trouble, but these parents received brutal instruction that it was not enough.

Stevenson alternates McMillan's tale with other cases and types of cases, showing many flaws in the system, but also calls on the reader to join the fight. There are ideas for ways to get involved at the web site.

The book can also be helpful if you have not yet come to terms with the need to help. Readers of this blog are mainly white, and mainly LDS. For much of your life it has probably been pretty easy to believe that the establishment is good, that our laws are administered in a just manner, and that things normally go well for you if you are doing the right thing. It can be difficult -- and horrifying -- to encounter the gulf between what you thought and what you are learning.

Don't get bogged down in the horror and guilt; that doesn't help anyone. Remember, you are here because you are committed to helping.

EJI is just one organization addressing one area -- the legal system -- in one way -- the courts. That is an oversimplification, but the point to take from it is that there are other areas that can be addressed through other means. 

An additional point, is that it is highly probable that for all of the other potential arenas for your part of the fight, there is probably already at least one organization working on it, with people who have been in the fight longer. 

Don't go Christopher Columbus-ing all over other people with your newfound consciousness. It's not just rude; it can also be ineffective and even dangerous if you go charging out into unfamiliar territory without knowing much about it.

You have probably noticed that this post doesn't lay out a path for you, but I hope it does give some ideas. I want to circle back to the inspiration part.

There may be times when all logic points to one path, and yet you are called to another. Sometimes there are things you can't know.

I knew a man on my mission who was fluent in Spanish, and had family ties there. He was sure he would use that on his mission, and then got called to Wales, I think. That seemed wrong, but then he found an Spanish-speaking immigrant community. (See, we think immigration only happens in the United States. We are wrong about so many things!) He was able to serve them, and know that he was in exactly the right place at the right time.

Listening to the Spirit takes some work, but it is the most valuable skill, especially if you want to do good.

Fighting white supremacy: attacks on Asian Americans

This is going to be an example of looking at individual parts of the greater problem, as well as keeping an eye on the news.

There has been increasing violence directed against people of Asian descent. It may be most noticeable in the Oakland and San Francisco Bay area, but it happens in Oregon too. In the last week of January, at least 13 businesses in Portland were targeted, including rocks thrown through windows.

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/02/asian-owned-businesses-hit-in-more-than-a-dozen-acts-of-vandalism-in-portlands-jade-district.html

You can report an incident, find reports, and look at ways to help at https://stopaapihate.org/.

AAPI refers to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I will primarily use that term for the rest of this post, though it is important to remember that it covers many groups of people with their own stories.

One thing at looking at the overall picture is knowing that it never goes away, even if other areas are a primary focus. A really good example might involve some studying of antisemitism, which is often not talked about, but then will rise up surprisingly quickly. 

You will definitely see that while there are commonalities among the various bigotries, they have their differences too. Looking at intersectionality can be a way of gaining more understanding there.

It seems pretty clear that this most recent increase in violence directed against AAPI people started last spring, rising with association of the Coronavirus outbreak with Asia. That included the president at the time persistently calling it the "China virus" as well as other nicknames used by conservative radio hosts and the like. 

Words do matter, it turns out.

That president's initial campaign had largely focused on vilifying Mexicans, as well as tapping into anti-Blackness. That is perfectly normal for Republican candidates, but usually there's more of a veneer of pretending that it's not about racism.

Note: I said "Mexicans" specifically there -- instead of Latinx or something more general -- because a lot of it was targeted specifically as that country that needed to be walled off. However, once the bigotry is out there, it will affect people from other countries further South, and islands that are a United State commonwealth, and people with Spanish language names who have been United States citizens since the Gadsden purchase. 

There is of course that idea that if they are not clearly of English or German or Irish, or maybe it's just white descent (mostly the white part) that they aren't "really" American. 

That has also been a factor with AAPI, even though we forced the Pacific Islanders to be part of our country - they had their own - and building the railroads relied on immigrants from Asia, despite many efforts to keep them from staying after the work was done. 

It's not surprising that the racism is always there; it will take a lot of work to root it out. 

However, we had gotten distracted. After the death of George Floyd on May 25th, people who cared about racism were largely focusing on police violence against Black people. That was not unreasonable, and it was not completely new, either, but it is also not the only issue that needs addressing.

It will probably not be addressed best by more police presence. 

The recent violence has also been largely focused on older people. I say that with a pretty wide range of older -- victims in some of the more publicized attacks have ranged from 64 to 91 years of age -- but I haven't seen an explanation for why it is breaking down like that.

I am including two articles with some good background and additional links. I especially appreciate how the CNBC article talks about supporting coworkers in a way that doesn't put the burden on them for teaching you and helping you solve it. Having to be aware that because of the color of your skin, people may harm you, or your parents, is enough to deal with; they should not have to carry our guilt, discomfort, and ignorance as well.

It is on white people to solve white supremacy. We have the resources. 

But also, we have to do it by listening. Does that sound like a contradiction of the earlier paragraph? 

There are groups working together and putting statements out and planning actions. See what they want and need. I read about a (well-meaning white people) group who planned a protest, but it was against the wishes of the local community. Not cool. Meaning well will not make up for bringing negative attention or disease exposure or a larger police presence that makes things more dangerous for other residents.

Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done.

Further reading:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/19/how-to-support-asian-american-colleagues-amid-anti-asian-violence.html

https://time.com/5938482/asian-american-attacks/ 

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2017/11/dangerously-white.html

https://www.apano.org/

Fighting white supremacy: Whole, part, whole, part...

Back when I took Football Coaching in college (an excellent class), our instructors taught us about two different approaches for teaching the team a new play.

You could start with individual players working on their parts. Maybe you have the quarterback, center, and a running back working together, and the guards with the tackles, or however it would break down, depending on the play. (I learned a lot, but I am not qualified to coach anyone, or come up with plays). Then you would have everyone work on it together, and then separate again into the components. That was Part-Whole-Part.

Conversely, you could start with the entire team working on it together, then separate into the smaller segments, then come back together. That was Whole-Part-Whole.

They didn't try and get us to choose one over the other. Depending on the play and the players, either might work better or worse. The point was that while everyone has their own role to play, which requires working on specific skills and executions, there also needs to be understanding of how it works together with everyone else's roles.

As we think more about our individual roles in fighting white supremacy, it is very possible that you will find yourself not so much on the front lines. There is nothing wrong with that.

It is still important to understand how it relates to the whole.

Part of that is that you will find greater meaning in what you do by connecting it to the whole. That can help you feel better and do better. It can help fight off discouragement.

It is also important to understand the big picture because sometimes you will see little things that don't sit right. The more you know about bigotry, the more you may be able to understand why something didn't sit right and whether there is something you can do about it.

It is also important to be aware of the bigger picture, because sometimes there will be shifts and you need to step in somewhere new.

Those latter two can involve a lot of discouragement, so the things that help you not be discouraged become even more important.

Obviously there is a lot more to talk about in terms of understanding white supremacy and its relationship with other forms of bigotry, as well as finding ways to contribute appropriately. There will be other posts, but what I want to impress upon you today is the cyclical nature of learning and growing. 

It doesn't happen all at once -- even with a really great explanation -- and your understanding grows with doing. The part where you stop having new things to learn may not exist, even after you have learned a lot. That is very normal and human and it is fine.

A valid secondary point is the importance of there being a team. There is too much for one person to do. You don't have to be the one to do it all, but you should also absolutely be doing something.

Related post:

http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2020/06/through-overwhelm.html

Can I fight white supremacy?

Of course you can! 

But let me back up.

After I posted last week, it occurred to me that the question could be turned back on me: what are you doing? I mean, I hope the blog post would count as something, at least for that day. 

I had also mentioned not knowing what to do about the violence that was happening, just as I had feared.

Part of that concern was that I don't get out much; I was a care giver for a senior citizen with dementia. If that put some limits on excursions, the pandemic put more. 

I am unlikely to be in the area when someone gets targeted. It's not even about whether I would know what to do to make it better instead of worse, or whether I would freeze. Most likely I will not be there, even in the area I live, let alone the rest of the country. 

That can be discouraging.

White supremacy has a long history in the United States, and there are many factors and causes keeping it going, so one person is not going to fix it anyway. This will take the combined efforts of many people.

For the next few posts, I want to spend some time on what we can do, starting off with some encouragement for those who don't feel like they have much to offer, and some ideas on how to find your place.

Back when I was working out in the world -- mainly in Portland, but also sometimes when I was working in Hillsboro -- I often found people to help. 

I don't remember it ever being interfering with racist harassment. However, I often had people ask me for the time and directions. With current technology, there is not as much need for that, but I know they asked me because I was approachable, including a willingness to make eye contact.

I often had lonely people start conversations. I do remember feeling annoyed once, and then guiltily remembering that I had just prayed for opportunities to help people. 

Many of these people were white, and were often elderly, homeless, or disabled. Sometimes it was all of the above. 

I could usually tell that they got ignored a lot. Sometimes, just having me listening was pretty good, but sometimes I could give helpful information, or something. One guy who had been at a food bank that did not understand the needs of a person without a kitchen gave me his food bag after I gave him money. I am not sure that was the best outcome, but that's what happened. 

One time I had bought flowers for my mother, but I'd bought two bouquets because there was a special, and I gave one to the man I was talking to, for his daughter. 

And one time, even though I was out with my mother, I was able to help a man who had fallen. I admit it was more nerve-wracking trying to help him while also making sure she didn't wander off, but still, he definitely needed help, and we were part of that.

None of these are dramatic, or specifically anti-racist. Let me point out two things.

What if we consider racism as an aspect of dominator culture or patriarchy or kyriarchy? There are nuances between all three terms, but a common bond is that they contain lots of ways to look down on other people. 

For many of these people, their loneliness is reinforced by their low status. Valuing and respecting them does fight the power, in its own way.

Also, it won't always be dramatic. Sometimes there are just mundane things like offering someone a cough drop, or texting them housing information, or taking a bag of sandwiches with you when you know you will see at least a few people who could use a sandwich.

My main point is that these are areas where I fit in well. I was there anyway, and capable of contributing in that way. Those opportunities found me. I tried to keep an eye out, but they found me.

I do think it is very important to have an idea of the larger picture, and where your efforts fit in. That is a part of being prepared. We'll spend some time on that.

I also really believe in revelation and inspiration and guidance. Those gifts and abilities that you have will find an outlet if you will ask, and maybe even if you will just stay open.