For White Anti-Racists Holding Back From Stepping Up in These Black Lives Matter Movement Times

[KamaAina]

http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/30686-for-white-anti-racists-holding-back-from-stepping-up-in-these-black-lives-matter-movement-times#

All over the country I'm talking with white anti-racists who are struggling with the tensions of centering Black voices and leadership and the slogan "white silence is compliance." I'm talking with experienced white anti-racists all over the country who only want to take action if a Black activist personally asks them to do it. I'm talking with white anti-racists all over the country who both feel the enormity of this heart breaking and powerful Black Lives Matter movement time, and are blocked from moving forward out of fear of becoming part of the problem. Here are five reflections shared with the goal of helping us step up and bring other white people with us.

1. Following Black Leadership in this time: Yes, it is essential that we are looking to Black leadership for vision, strategy and direction. But that doesn't mean waiting for personal direction from a Black activist before taking action. It doesn't mean only going to Black organized demonstrations and events. It doesn't mean only doing support work and staying in the background. Black leadership for over 100 years has been calling on white people committed to racial justice to BRING racial justice leadership to white communities, to organize and mobilize white people to come together to demonstrate and protest against white supremacy and for racial justice. The time is now to organize vigils, demonstrations, speak outs, and fundraisers for BLM efforts -in white communities, white/mostly white congregations, white/mostly white networks where ever you are at. Look for ways to build deeper, trusting relationships with Black leaders in your area, and listen for ways they are calling on white people to act, but also know that Black leaders are already spread thin organizing in their communities and building this movement. You can ask "I'm working to get more white people involved and if you have any thoughts on how we can be most effective, let me know", and you can already start getting white people on board and ready to go.

2. Take Space to Make Space: Yes, we want millions of white people to listen to and respect the voices, experiences, leadership of Black people. And that does not mean we don't need to also bring in our voices, experiences and leadership to help make that happen. We need to TAKE SPACE with white people and in white communities to passionately, creatively, honestly, tell our stories of coming into anti-racist/racial justice consciousness as a bridge to helping other white people develop their hunger to do the same thing, and also give other white people insights and directions on how to do that. We need to encourage, support, love on other white people who we think can move, and open their hearts in this moment, and boldly ask them to join us in going to demonstrations, organizing a contingent in your congregation, neighborhood, school to come out to protests, write letters to the editor, take public stands in support of Black-led Black Lives Matter movement. We take space to then MAKE SPACE for white people to hear and respect Black voices, experiences, and leadership. But we can't wait for white folks to do this on their own, as white anti-racists, part of our work is taking responsibility to move other white people into action....

4. But I'm afraid that everything I do will suck: On some level, nearly everything we do sucks, not just for white people, but for all of us. We must overcome the fear of how we suck, so that we can see the ways that we are also awesome, and to see the ways that we can be awesome for racial justice. If your focus is on how whatever you do can in some way reinforce white supremacy, then yes, you will have a very strong sense of how everything sucks. But this is a time that calls on white people to face our demons - not through analysis alone, but through heart and soul work - and begin, in whatever ways you can, to take steps towards action for racial justice. For example, white people in Baltimore organizing an action to break the curfew, with signs about racist enforcement, about Black Lives Matter. White people in congregations around the country, organizing Black Lives Matter vigils, fundraisers for BLM, hanging BLM banners outside their churches (as many Unitarian Universalist churches are doing), and organizing rapid response groups to be able to turn people out to protests, community events, and vigils for racial justice. In NYC Jews for Racial and Economic Justice organized civil disobedience actions with Rabbis, community leaders, and activists to raise awareness in the Jewish community and unite their community with Black Lives Matter. In Knoxville, Tennessee white racial justice organizers have been part of organizing multiracial teams organizing Black Lives Matter demonstrations and bus rides to Ferguson to unite the raise the wage fight with Black Lives Matter. There are white anti-racists supporting the capacity of Black-led organizing by cooking means for meetings, doing childcare, providing rides, raising money - and doing all of this with an eye towards recruiting white people who might not go to a demonstration and risk arrest, but can and want to throw down. And then asking white people who get involved, in whatever way, to share why they've done this with white people in their lives, do report backs to their congregations or unions, share why they did it through social media, encourage others to get involved and provide a step for how to do it.