Writing about race (aka – How’s that thesis going?)

image courtesy of Racialicious

I write about race. A lot. (Especially in the past few weeks and during the many upcoming months as I try to finish my thesis.) In conjunction, I think about race, I read about race, and I talk about race. A lot. And I can get overwhelmed by the amount of social, cultural, and personal resistance I feel in response to the anti-racist philosophies and ideologies I write about and try to practice. (And if I had a dollar for every time someone assumed that they know what I believe about race and rambled on to say all sorts of racist stuff… Whew! I would have my student loans paid off!)

Today I had a happy (and yet sad) moment reading the blog post "The People You Meet When You Write About Race" by Crommunist. He offers examples of language folks use when talking (or not talking) about race. Each example pinpoints a perspective that can present a real challenge to honest, productive anti-racist dialogue and work. Here are a few of the personalities/responses those who write or speak about race encounter:

Mr. History
“Black people were enslaved like a million years ago. They’ve had enough time to get their act together, but they’re still whining about their problems. I don’t want to hear about transgenerational wealth gaps and discriminatory hiring practices! Their problem is that they’re lazy! Case closed!”

Ms. Kumbayah
“We need to recognize that everyone is just the exact same on the inside. Why do we bother using labels like ‘black’ and ‘white’ anyway? Even though the way society treats people falls along racial lines to the detriment of some and benefit of others, we should ignore that! Aren’t we all just members of the human race?”

Mr. Hear No Evil
“It’s people like you that are the real racists! Most people don’t think twice about someone else’s race! Talking about race is what makes racism happen, not entrenched ideas that won’t change unless they’re discussed!”

Reading the entire list is definitely worthwhile. And it’s not all melancholy-inducing. Crommunist includes one personality that is a gift to anyone working to address issues of racism (and a gift to society). It reads:

Mr./Ms. Has Been Listening
“This topic made me really uncomfortable when I first started talking about it, but I’m glad I did. I’m not sure if I ‘get’ everything, but my thinking has definitely changed. Here are some reasonable objections and questions that I have, and I hope we can talk about them without offending each other.”

What was sad about reading the post is that I have met and spoken with people who align themselves with nearly all of the ideologies presented. In the process of pursuing racial justice, knowing that the diversity of ‘nah’s is so broad can be really overwhelming. On the flip side, what made me smile about reading the post was that I was reminded that I belong to a larger community of like-minded thinkers. And our experiences of resistance are not isolated. And having knowledge of that shared experience offers support and strength as we move forward.