The Daily Language of Institutionalized Racism and Classism

A few days ago, Toya and I headed down to our local Rita's (delicious Italian-style water ice for anyone unfamiliar with the tradition) for a summertime treat. This particular Rita's is located on the edge of Fell's Point, near Patterson Park, and the waterfront neighborhood of Canton. These are neighborhoods where significant gentrification and new construction has occurred over the past decade or more, and is still occurring. In these neighborhoods one finds a convergence of two major groups, newcomers (affluent, young-urban-professionals, recent immigrants, and students {the Johns Hopkins medical campus is a few blocks to the north}), and longtime residents (predominately working class individuals and families).

I've barely started into my water ice when I overheard four people (two white men in scrubs and two young white woman in workout apparel) in conversation. The tone was friendly, if not mildly flirtatious.

I' m ready to stop eavesdropping until I hear this:

Man #1: Where are you from again?
Woman #1: Cherry Hill
Man #1: Oh, outside of Philly?
Woman #1: Yeah, Philly is NOT my favorite city.
Man #2: Oh, like the Cherry Hill Mall in Jersey?
Woman #1: Yeah, the mall.
Man #1: Have you ever been to Cherry Hill in Baltimore? It's a lot like Camden.
Woman #1: Oh. Camden is a very unsavory place.
Man #2: Yeah, so is Cherry Hill.


I had, at this point, lost all interest in my water ice and was ready to throw it into the faces of the four engaged in conversation. Rage, an emotion that I seldom channel unless directed towards Fox News commentators, quickly boiled to the surface. Rage, because I know Cherry Hill in Baltimore, and I know Camden. These are two places that have the markers of poverty all over them: boarded up housing, a police presence, lack of access to quality food, healthcare, and education, high rates of crime, and a palpable absence of whiteness. The word 'unsavory' in particular hit a raw nerve. Something 'unsavory' is 'distasteful,' 'morally offensive,' 'revolting,' and 'sickening.' The subtle undertone of erotic flirtation over a shared disgust of these places and their symbolic value made me nauseous and embarrassed, but this was a conversation I'd heard many times before.

In this vast urban landscape, there is always a place for fear. There seems to be no shortage of the message that white women should be afraid, shouldn't walk in certain places, at certain times of the day, and wearing certain clothes. It's as if each city is a living map, and places become crossed out as 'no travel' zones depending on who you are. In a quick second, one person drew a line from a neighborhood in Baltimore to Camden, New Jersey, traveling a hundred miles, to cross it out and silence the conversation. This is the language of institutionalized racism and classism at its finest, subtle and sexualized.

Toya and I turned and stared at them. I mocked their them, their insipid voices, and they coincidentally ended their conversation. I watched the women get into a convertible with the top down, at this point was I openly cussing them out. They were oblivious. I wasn't loud enough, nor talking to them directly. Why was I so upset and yet frozen in action? Was I overreacting?

A variety of factors have combined in my history to encourage me to resolve conflict and disagreements peacefully. This often comes off as weakness to others. I knew in that moment I didn't have anything peaceful to say to them. Perhaps the most tragic reflection of the whole experience was that I couldn't grasp any models of how to proceed. White people eavesdropping on conversations and then challenging other white people on their institutionalized racist and classist language? “Too radical?”

Changing the mindsets of white people will take more than peaceful dialogue, or a blog post, for that matter. Our language however, determines our actions. Maybe if we change our language, we can change our communities for the better.

The End of White America?

check out this really amazing article from hua hsu in this month's issue of the atlantic, a short clip:

The Election of Barack Obama is just the most startling
manifestation of a larger trend: the gradual erosion of “whiteness” as
the touchstone of what it means to be American. If the end of white
America is a cultural and demographic inevitability, what will the new
mainstream look like—and how will white Americans fit into it? What
will it mean to be white when whiteness is no longer the norm? And will
a post-white America be less racially divided—or more so?

The End of White America?

white like me...response to 'activists' and beyond

The Persistence of White Privilege
From Wikipedia

In her personal account of experiencing white privilege, Heidi A. Zetzer, the Director of the Hosford Counseling & Psychological Services Clinic in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, & School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara explains why white privilege is such a persistent problem. She categorizes it as an “institutional and individual manifestation of racism, however indirectly or unintentionally.” This indirectness of white privilege is what makes it so prevalent. If people are not educated on the matter, it is unlikely that they will take note of it. Secondly, those that are aware of it suffer under the stigma of benefiting from an unfair system. Zetzer asks “How can I see myself as a just person when I willingly participate in a system that is inherently unfair?” The guilt formed by this opinion creates a spirit of inactivity in solving the problem. “White guilt,” as Zetzer deems it, is an impediment to change. Consequently, even if people become educated on white privilege it is unlikely that they will take action to change it and instead allow the problem to persist.
Zetzer also specifies the type of changes necessary to make progressive steps in dealing with white privilege and its implications. She notes that most people who become educated on white privilege undergo a first-order change in which they gain increased awareness, knowledge and skills. However, for progress to be made in equalizing problems such as white privilege, individuals need to undergo second-order change. Second-order change is characterized by a paradigm shift in which people use their awareness, knowledge and skills to take action. Zetzer believes the first, and easiest, way to initiate this transformation is through dialogue. Honest and multicultural dialogue is the first way to build alliances which can then “transform people and systems and turn intention into action,” thus slowly changing the persistence of white privilege.
-from Wikipedia's article on White Privilege

While I agree with Zetzer's argument, those few white folks who are aware of their privileges, don't know what action looks like. White guilt often places 'well intentioned' white people in teaching positions in urban schools, most of whom ultimately leave after a few years to return to the 'civilized' world of non-profits, law firms, etc. and who speak of their 'white knight' teaching experiences like military heros returning from war with purple hearts for valor and bravery.

Ultimately, those white people who are aware of their privileges, and who have seen the effects of such privileges (and lack thereof) on certain communities of people of color need to RETURN to their communities and EDUCATE white people not aware of their privileges, but especially those white folks who see themselves as the 'white knights.' I consider them to be the most dangerous, the wolves in sheep's clothing. They are individuals who have dipped their toes into some of these issues, and consider themselves authority figures on what 'poor children need.' They are not open-minded to their own racism and flaws. But then again, how could they be? I know firsthand that the education of white children in most predominately white schools promotes a sense of white superiority and faultlessness.

white folks need models of direct action against white privilege. But do such models of direct action against white privilege exist within white america? Yes, the intention might be there, but white people don't know how to act. Some direct their action towards people of color, and while I clearly understand the importance of understanding the 'other america,' the logic of this action makes little sense . As I try to better myself as a human being, I seek to find other such individuals to learn from, and sadly, I can't seem to find them. This only confirms to me how deeply white privilege and power is ingrained in our national consciousness. I think a lot of my frustrations come from the disconnection of american society due to residual effects of segregation. When there is a lack of understanding, there is distrust. Of course, many white people would deny any distrust. My approach to these issues is considred so radical that even 'progressive' whites accuse me of being racist against white people.

So I realize such tactics of anger and TRUTH will not work on the vast majority of white people. The rules of the game need to change. But...I AM ANGRY. And yes, I question if I, too, am a wolf in sheep's clothing, unknowingly. And until I can get rid of some of this anger and find productive ways of action and dealing with white people of all kinds, I cannot return. I am young and learning. I am passing. Insider/Outsider. Looking for strength because yes, this is a battle.