“It’s not white vs black. It’s everyone vs racists.” - Image by Shane Aldendorff

Please note: as I process my thoughts, and learn more, I will make some changes to this post and add more resources where I can. I am still struggling to put my thoughts into words but I hope this still makes sense.

Last updated: 5 July 2020 - added additional resources

Resources to learn, educate and take action:

Please sign petitions and learn how you can donate https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#
NPR Code Switch [Podcast]: Excellent and extremely informative podcast that “tackles the subject of race head-on” hosted by journalists of colour https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
A great, detailed explanation of voter disenfranchisement and suppression [Video]
Excellent video that breaks down how structural racism works by Tricia Rose [Video]
The Broken Policing System by Hasan Minhaj who breaks down complicated topics in a simple to understand way with humour (from the show Patriot Act on Netflix) [Video]
A powerful social experiment by Jane Elliot [Video]
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho [Video]
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Episode 2 by Emmanuel Acho [Video]
The Casual Acceptance of Racism by Kim Foxx [Video]
Dr. Robin DiAngelo discusses ‘White Fragility’ [Video]
Books I’ve added to my reading list:
- We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis
- Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches By Audre Lorde
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Shows and movies on the “to watch” list:
- When They See Us (Netflix miniseries by Ava DuVernay based on the events of the Central Park Five. Highly recommended - you will be angry, sad and in disbelief all at the same time)
- 13th (Netflix documentary by Ava DuVernay which explores the “intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States”)
- I Am Not Your Negro (Amazon Prime documentary by Raoul Peck)
- Time: The Kalief Browder Story (Netflix documentary miniseries)
- Hidden Figures

My thoughts

My thoughts have been going in circles the past few days — trying to process my thoughts and the overwhelm of information on social media. I have been going through a cycle of anger, frustration and mental exhaustion.

I have written, deleted and rewritten sentences. I feel the need to take a stance and say what I feel. Get things off my chest.

But don’t get me wrong. This is absolutely not about me — I am not trying to make this about me.

I keep telling myself: You don’t know enough. You’re not black - your opinions aren’t valid. You wouldn’t say anything that people haven’t heard before. You know nothing about politics, let alone US politics, to have an educated opinion. Who are you to contribute your opinions on the issues of systemic racism, police brutality and social injustice? What difference could you make?

But despite all that, the anger and sadness still remains. And I have hesitated to share more of my thoughts because I was avoiding performative activism. I didn’t like seeing people or brands jumping on the bandwagon on social media when I knew that outside of their online lives, they didn’t care for the issues they were so-called fighting for. That inauthenticity didn’t sit right with me.

But I realise now that there is power and strength — even amongst the hypocrisy. There is strength in numbers, and it demands for people to notice.

I am not one to turn to social media to openly share my thoughts with strangers. I process things internally, I always think before I speak, and it takes me a long time to sit with my emotions and thoughts before I can articulate what I’m feeling. I’ve been conditioned to not ‘take up space’ in the world so finding my voice is a constant struggle.

But I realised that silence is not an option anymore. And this is not about me.

I am not even close to being an expert on the matter, and I am still learning about the politics, legal system and hundreds of years of oppression and racism in the United States. But I realised that if writing this post could help one person, it would be better than silence. I will link to numerous resources below, and continue to do so, and I encourage you to watch, listen and read so that we can learn and do better. Information is power but learning is just one small step. We can educate ourselves so that we can take action.

Silence is not an option anymore.

So what’s my stance on BLM, police brutality, racism and oppression?

It shouldn’t even have to be said that I’m angry and sad.

The more and more I consume and try to learn, the angrier I get. I find it incredible that what seems like common sense to me seems to elude some people. I am angry that there has been another death as the result of police brutality and casual racism. I am furious that yet again, those responsible for his death won’t be held responsible.

George Floyd’s death was cruel, torture and completely unjustified.

But his death is not isolated. There’s also Ahmaud Arbety and Breonna Taylor — from just a few months earlier. There’s also Philando Castile, Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin. And too many more.

In May, a woman in Central Park called the police and falsely accused a black man of threatening her life when he asked her to put a leash on her dog.

And while a part of me is so frustrated that many people are suddenly so shocked now, another part of me is also glad and hopeful that those people are finally noticing.

The lack of accountability for these shootings and deaths is unacceptable.

Racism is unacceptable.

Black lives matter and the world is learning that black voices will not be silenced. And they need us to fully step up, and stand with them not only during this time, but to consistently show up in our own lives.

“Privilege is when you think something is a not a problem because it’s not a problem to you personally.”

People are starting to have ‘uncomfortable’ conversations that call out their white privilege and their complicity - whether intentional or not. If your first instinct is get offended at the term ‘white privilege’, then you need to take a step back. White privilege does not mean that you did not have any hardships in your life, it calls out the fact your skin colour was never a cause for those hardships.

The only way forward is to acknowledge our own part in and how we have benefited from a racist system. Try not to approach this conversation with anger, defensiveness and resentment, but to be open to hearing others’ stories, perspectives and experiences.

Don’t just dismiss another person’s experience because it is foreign to you. Think about why it is foreign to you.

“Racism is a system, not an event.”

— J. Kēhaulani Kauanui

As Robin DiAngelo discusses in detail, racism is not just about “being mean”. Racism is more insidious than that and reveals itself in many different ways. It doesn’t always refer to the way an individual acts, but the system that individuals participate in and benefit from.

One of the most important things we can do is acknowledge that there is a very good chance that we are part of the problem. Because only then, can we take the necessary steps forward and towards change.

As a child, I grew up in diverse suburbs, but when I was 5, I moved to a predominantly white middle-class suburb. Even as a minority, an Asian Australian, growing up with countless instances of casual racism, I acknowledge my own privilege.

I have never feared for my life because of the colour of my skin.

I never had to worry about people being scared of me just because of the colour of my skin.

I have never had to worry about police brutality because of the colour of my skin.

I’ve never experienced a store clerk be suspicious of me because of the colour of my skin.

And that is a privilege.

It does not mean I had an easy life. It acknowledges that my hardships were not caused by the colour of my skin.

By choosing to be offended and defensive, instead of receptive and humble, you’re making this about you. It’s not about you. And arguments otherwise is gaslighting and dismissive of the real issues that black people face on a daily basis.

“But all lives should matter!”

But can’t you see that all lives cannot matter if black lives do not matter?

If we were discussing about sexism and the discrimination that women face, and somebody said “but men experience discrimination too!” then they have done the same thing. They have tried to piggyback off a conversation with a different or unrelated topic or issue, and by doing so have diminished and distracted from the original point being made.

Saying “Black Lives Matter” does not mean “no other lives matter”. If I say “women deserve to be treated equally”, am I saying “men don’t deserve to be treated equally”? Obviously not, but I’m sure there are also people out there who might think so.

Pay attention to your implicit biases and ingrained racism. You can be a good person and still be complicit in a racist system. Staying defensive and in denial does not serve anyone. It only shuts down the conversation and silences the voices who are already oppressed.

We can make this world a better place by doing our own part to fix our own ingrained biases and continually work to dismantle the system that benefits those who happened to be born white.

Everyone reacts differently.

Gently educate those who don’t know — who now want to know. They’re responsible for doing their own research, but you can help them make that first step. Get them to see what they’ve been turning a blind eye to.

Instead of policing what others are doing — those trying to do the right thing — and leaving hateful and unhelpful comments that only distract everyone from the real issues, applaud them for their effort and compassion and continue your efforts to share, amplify, educate and learn. Not everyone is going to be a perfect activist. Not everyone expresses themselves vocally. And not everyone publicises their efforts.

But continue to call out performative activism — especially brands and influencers.

You can put your money where your mouth is by actively supporting brands that have been doing the right thing, and continue to do the right thing. Long after the media coverage of the protests and riots and George Floyd stops, you should continue to be aware of who you support and who you are endorsing. Be conscious of what you see and choose to see in your feed daily.

At first, I was disappointed at a number of brands who released statements full of empathetic sentiments who have failed to use models of different ethnicities in previous campaigns. But perhaps now that the world is watching, and people are listening, real change might happen.

The real test of this performative activism is: will these brands make any real changes beyond their one black square?

In Australia, we have to do better too. Ms Dhu, a 22 year old Aboriginal woman, died in police custody because police officers and medical staff deemed her complaints of pain as "exaggerated and associated with drug withdrawal”. The real cause of her pain? Pneumonia and sepsis due to her partner breaking her ribs three months earlier.

This conversation doesn’t end here. There are so many ways we can continue to educate ourselves and make our world better. All of us, as non-blacks, need to step up to be allies. We don’t need to be perfect — but we need to show that we care, that we’re angry too and that we’re willing to fight alongside them. Let’s tear apart the broken justice system, give a voice to the oppressed and demand accountability.