Addressing White Supremacy
Last weekend, a gunman took a 3 hour road trip to Buffalo, NY to a Black neighborhood grocery store to murder Black people. He took the lives of 10 people and wounded 3 others because of the "White Replacement Theory". This tragedy was fueled by racism and white supremacy, which should be deemed as domestic terrorism. These attacks keep happening, so how can we work to stop white supremacy and have responsible gun legislation and ownership?
To start- we can pass the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022. The House passed the bill on Wednesday and it now heads to the Senate.
Call Senator Thom Tillis: 202-224-6342
Call Senator Richard Burr: 202-224-3154
But it's not just our government that needs to be accountable, white people need to take responsibility for fueling white supremacy, whether we have done so intentionally or not. So many gunman over the last 23 years, since Columbine, have been young white men. The fundamentals of white supremacy are being passed down to younger generations, which continues to advance racism in our country. This isn't just about taking part in DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) workshops through our jobs, reading anti-racism books, following Black and Brown educators on Instagram and propping up a Black Lives Matter sign in your yard.
What are we as white people doing to try to help Black and Brown people have liberation in our country and in our world? Are we stepping back to allow Black and Brown people to lead? Are we calling in our white friends and family on the racist things that they may do or say? Are we educating our white children to be kind and caring and understanding of their white privilege? Are we voting in favor of Black and Brown people's lives? Are we de-centering ourselves from situations where we know we will always benefit because of the color of our skin? Are we taking accountability for harmful things we may have done in the past and taking the responsibility of working on ourselves without asking Black and Brown people questions that require their emotional labor?
The answer to these things is no. That's why these attacks keep happening. There's always work to do. Being anti-racist isn't something you are, it's something we have to consistently work towards achieving.
