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Republicans falling over themselves to denounce the views of white nationalists in Charlottesville, while promoting legislation and implementing the policy that enacts those views on society.
White people denouncing the Klan, Alt-Right, GOP shock troopers marching in Charlottesville, while giving these racist Force the political space to grow, by arguing “All Lives Matter” against Black Lives Matter, by staying silent as immigrant and Muslim communities are terrorized by state violence and vigilante violence.
But, for those of us working in white communities, let’s also use this moment when white people who have been silent, speak out, as an opening to support them to become outspoken and involved.
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[I]n times of feeling horrified and powerless, turning against each other feels momentarily important; resist this urge and turn outward and fight to save our people and our world.
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Progressive people taking about both sides in Charlottesville being wrong, which actually gives cover to the violence of hate groups, while demoralizing and dividing the Left, turning the Left inward into irrelevant debates while the Right institutionalizes violence, and tears apart all that we love. I know in times of feeling horrified and powerless, turning against each other feels momentarily important; resist this urge and turn outward and fight to save our people and our world.
Folks talking about these racists as ignorant poor, rural, working class white people, which further alienates poor, rural; and working class white people from the Left, undermines the Left leadership and organizing in poor, rural and working class white communities, adds to the enormous confusion on the Left of how racism shapes class, of why we need class conscious anti-racist politics and approaches, adds to the divisions the ruling class wants, and leaves the real villains invisible and untouched – namely the wealthy, formally educated, elite that are the architects historically and today of these movements.
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[W]e must confront and eliminate anti-poor people, anti-poor white people narratives that are intended to keep the Left divided. We must love ourselves and love our people so hard, we will fight for our/their lives.
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White anti-racists of all class backgrounds, we must confront and eliminate anti-poor people, anti-poor white people narratives that are intended to keep the Left divided. We must love ourselves and love our people so hard, we will fight for our/their lives. And no I ain’t talking about hugging alt-right fascists; I’m talking the communities we come from and the large number of white people who have not been exposed to, let alone invited to join the anti-racist Left fighting for a better world for everyone. Hating other white people doesn’t make you anti-racist, it makes you less effective, abandons white communities to the Right, and let’s supremacy systems narrow our imaginations and hearts.
The fight for the soul of white America is raging in the streets of Charlottesville and in every legislative chamber in the country.
White anti-racists, we must fight for the hearts, souls, and minds of white people, to win as many as possible to the multiracial movements for racial, economic and gender justice, to unite white people to multiracial democratic values and destroy the hold of white supremacy in white communities.
Charlottesville makes clear: white people, we are either actively working against racism and for racial justice, or we are aiding and abetting the rising racist movement taking their violence into the streets, while also aiding and abetting the embolden leadership of the GOP who are furthering an agenda of racist violence at every level of government.
Let us destroy white supremacy in the hearts and minds of white people, build the multiracial Left, and eradicate white supremacy at every level of society!
Love to all fighting for justice and collective liberation in Charlottesville!
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This post was originally published on AnnarresProject.com and is republished here with his permission.
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There are many reasonable ways to protest economic injustice and inequality. Becoming part of the white supremacy movement does not make the list of reasonable responses. I’ve heard the argument time and again about why we got Trump, because we are elitist and out of touch. That doesn’t change what it means to be a racist. When we tease apart the issues we can start to address the unfairness of economic failings. Toss in racism and the dialogue ends. There isn’t anything to discuss if someone thinks coupling these makes hatred and bigotry somehow a justifiable point of view.
You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution to quote Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers!
[I considered the] “rape of white women as an insurrectionist act. It delighted me that I was defying and trampling upon the white man’s law … defiling his women. I wanted to send waves of consternation through the white race,”
Eldridge Cleaver of the Black Panthers!