J. Rudy Flesher is disappointed that his fellow White Americans won’t acknowledge the pattern of unarmed black men killed by police.
—
In the wake of the shooting death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, it has been extremely disheartening to see people, primarily my fellow white Americans, ignoring that extra-judicial killing of unarmed black men is a deadly pattern. Instead of acknowledging reality, they say generally true, but wholly unhelpful things like “We can never know what was in Darren Wilson’s heart.”
Here’s the thing, and hear me out: white supremacy was in his heart, and yes, it’s in mine too.
Not as in I believe in it, but that I was raised in it, surrounded by it, educated to believe it, and saw it reflected in the nightly news.
White supremacy isn’t just a cross burnt on a lawn; it’s the fact that I can remember reading exactly two books by black authors in all of high school and possibly none before that. I read exactly one book that was translated from Spanish into English for school, yet two translated from Old or Middle English to modern English.
When your well meaning, liberal, white teachers who value equality simultaneously demonstrate that it’s more important to read Beowulf than to ever consider something from the perspective of a black author living in America, that is undeniably, even if wholly unintentionally, white supremacy.
Fellow white folks: these aren’t easy truths and we need to be tender and compassionate with ourselves and with others while we deal with them. But if we choose to ignore it then we choose to blindly participate in white supremacy rather than to seek equity. To me, that is wholly unacceptable.
Thanks for reading!
J. Rudy Flesher is a Philadelphia based performing artist, author, and actor, holds a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from The College of New Jersey, and is an award-winning feminist scholar. Rudy also chairs the Sims4PA PAC, sits on the board of the William Way LGBT Community Center, and is Co-President of The Spruce Foundation. Rudy can also be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
—
Photo: AP/File
You’re right Rudy & “real” for admitting it. Most people in general (not just white people) don’t realize that they participate in advancing the white supremacy agenda. Pretty much everything in this Country is taught from a white man’s perspective & it has just become a part of “American culture” even though it’s only white culture. Great Post!
Rudy, you nailed it. White supremacy is embedded in the DNA of this nation. It is barely recognizable by white America. African American studies should be part of every school, from elementary through advanced studies in college. And it must be truthful.