Prepare for Rant....
So all the hoopla I've been hearing after Obama was elected President has got me thinking. Everyone keeps talking about what it must be like for African Americans...or, in reality, any minority, to have someone like them in the white house. It got me thinking about, something I've endured all through school even though I'm not black, sitting in history class in elementary school, middle school, high school, even in fucking college! When you're young, listening to your teacher, looking in your texts books and realizing that all of the important and successful people are white, and everyone that you see as like you was defeated, killed, raped, beaten into submission and enslaved. I've talked with some of you about this and I understand how easy it was to not see it this way at all if you're on the other end of it, but I hope all of this talk now opens people's eyes to it. People talk about how you tell children that you can be anything you want, and of course, as we grow older, most of us realize it becomes less and less true with each day. But imagine realizing in 1st grade, 2nd grade, sitting in school and noticing, there's NEVER been someone like you in history that succeeded, and worse, having the majority of people have no idea why you feel that way. Or being told that you couldn't play the role you won in audition in the school play because you are not the right color. Or that you couldn't be ANYONE in the play because you are not the right color. Or even that you couldn't choose the halloween costumes you wanted because you are not the right color. Or being told that you are white washed, so you wouldn't KNOW about the true plight of race or about your own culture.
As someone growing up for most of my life in a series of majority white communities, I cannot count the times that someone white has told me that racism is in the past or that racism doesn't exist here, as if they would notice. I was infuriated in high school when I SOMEHOW ended up talking about it with the librarian during a class I had in the library, she was so sure that there was no racism in our school. I laughed, typical sarcastic me, yea right. She became very upset and became INTENT on convincing me that there was no racism. I tried to explain how she probably wouldn't notice, and even if no one was calling out racist names, there was ignorance, obvious racist ignorance. She argued and argued and I had no idea why she just needed to convince me. I told her that when signing yearbooks, I signed in someone's next to a huge white power logo and that I'd known several people at our school that were white power, or used derogatory remarks, some to me and some not. She wanted their names. I tried to explain how it didn't MATTER who it was, the point was that they exist HERE. She wanted their name, she wanted to put an end to it, so she could be right I imagine. She was convinced that by people "protecting" these racist people, as she probably thought I was doing, that this is why they exist. As if, when she gave them detention....for being racist....that they'd no longer be racist. Ignorant, I rest my case. Oh the frustration. Even in college, I sat in a history class, learning about the native americans, and had a teacher ask if anyone was native american, AWKWARD. Then she proceeded to ask me to speak for my people about what we were learning. FRUSTRATION. I have been told to not take checks at my place of work, from a black woman. I think, living in California, in this day and age, that still people think things have changed much more than they have. All of these things have occured in California by the way.
Just a few months ago I sat in a classroom, being one of 3 minorities in the class, with a girl, completely ignorant, ranting about how she's sick of being judged for being rich and white and how there's no excuse for poor black people because "we give them enough money, they should be able to get a job" and went on and on about how her family worked their way up and it's the same thing. She also exclaimed how it's the same for Mexicans that come over and try to make it, as if she just went to Italy or somewhere and tried to make it. It's the same thing. Yea, you taking a fucking vacation is the same. I could only imagine the type of ridicule this girl has endured and completely blamed on it being a judgement about her wealth or race. It couldn't POSSIBLY be because you're a fucking idiot. Anyway, I was QUITE satisfied to find that no one asked any of the 3 minorities to speak for our race, and how outraged my white teacher was and how amazingly she put this ignorant girl in her place. And sadly, attempted to open her eyes by suggesting a look at this website, "The Invisible Napsack". She pulled it up in front of the class and read from a list on it, while the ignorant girl texted on her phone. Here are some things from it:
"I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group"
Daily Effects of White Privilege:
7. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.
10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.
11. I can be casual about whether or not to listen to another person's voice in a group in which s/he is the only member of his/her race.
12. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.
13. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.
15. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.
19. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial.
21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
22. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.
33. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.
46. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.
Anywho, I guess that's enough, I suggest everyone look at this website, I found it quite fascinating. Especially this last one I posted, since my sister, Sierra and I have always referred to concealer as "white girl stick" hahaha. Anyway, if you read all of that, good for you, I rarely spend time thinking about things like this, since it's only one of a million things that isolates me people in general, and isn't even the most important, but I honestly believe we're on our way to that being one less thing. Here's to optimism, cheers. Maverick.