The Privilege of Racism

Racism is ignorance.

Individual racism is willful ignorance, plus fear.

Black people have been oppressed since the very day the slave ships brought them here.

Systemic racism is a set of laws and standards put in to protect those who enslaved them.

Slavery, at one time, was a form of currency, which depicted wealth. 

Policing, in its earliest form, was a job given to poor White people to watch slaves/

Oppression was the system of policing that kept Black people from organizing.

With organization comes power.

The Second Amendment had more to do slave control than anything else.

The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves and created fear of retribution.

Jim Crow Laws were enacted to create a society of "free" slaves.

Without money, freedom actually weakened Black people's ability to organize.

For nearly 100 years, Black people simply attempted to be viewed as human. 

The Civil Rights Movement and the following Acts were simply appeasement and a voice.

This right to vote and be viewed as equal was merely words since its declaration.

Many states refused to acknowledge interracial marriage until this century. 

That's only 20 years ago that a black person was afforded the right to marry who he/she loves.

In 2020, Black People systemically

Live in much more poverty than White People

Are killed at a higher rate than White People

Have less chance for advanced education than White People

Are harassed, questioned, beaten, arrested, and killed by police at a higher rate than White People.

Have nearly a 6x greater chance of being arrested in their lives than White People.

Have a 2.5x chance of being killed by a police officer and a much higher chance of being the victim of excessive force than a White People.

Have less ability to get quality health care than White People.

Have much harder times voting in their communities than White People.

Have far fewer candidates who represent, even look like them, than White People.

Have fewer people in power, meaning a share of the wealth based on a percentage of the population, who represent their race, than White People. 

Have lived substantially shorter lives than White People. So much so, that Black people today, have almost the identical mortality rate of White people in the 1950s and Black men have the same life expectancy in 2020 and White Women had in the late 1030s. and the early 1940s.

As a White Person f you 

Grew up poor. 

Got a public school education.

Paid for your own college.

Worked to pay for it and pay it off.

Got a good job. 

Never committed a crime.

Are vehemently against racism.

If all those things directly above apply to you, then look a little bit higher and ask yourselves, do any of the other things posted apply to you, your parents, your grandparents, or any of your family during the history of their time in the United States?

Do you still believe you do not live with a privileged life?