Three Ways White People Passively Engage in and Perpetuate Racism Every Day

Racism is our inheritance, and white privilege is our responsibility

Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels

When it comes to white supremacy and racism, many white people exclaim that there's nothing we can do. The legend goes that we're defenseless little lambs against the vicious wolf that is racism. A collective and contagious sigh is released from white people when we think about racism.

But is the legend true? Are white people powerless little creatures that inevitably succumb to the virulent fangs of racism? No. Forget what you heard because we aren't helpless. We are a collective force that sustains and perpetuates racism.

Racism is not some ethereal entity that exists outside of us, nor an abstract piece of art. Racism is an operational activity that we (often unknowingly) engage in daily. It extends beyond the malicious, hateful use of, say, ant-Black terms and past the myth of individualism—which is conveniently only afforded to us, white people. Though we don’t share a single mind, white people are conditioned to (often literally) buy into racism. Let’s get clear on what racism is, though, so we share an accurate and standard definition:

Racial Equity Tools defines racism as the following:

“Racism = race prejudice + social and institutional power

Racism = a system of advantage based on race

Racism = a system of oppression based on race

Racism = a white supremacy system

Racism is different from racial prejudice, hatred, or discrimination. Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the institutional policies and practices of the society and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices.”

Racism includes the systemic ability of one racial group, white people, to influence and shape culture. Now, if you’re white, you’re probably asking yourself, “Well, what’s wrong with white people influencing culture?" I know many other white friends, and I have asked this question. But history matters. As I briefly mentioned in my previous article, whiteness only exists in juxtaposition to Blackness; there is no “white” without “Black.” Race and whiteness exist for the sole purpose of granting rights and privileges to white bodies while dominating and limiting resources to Black bodies in particular.

For more on this piece please visit medium.com/@joeypierre