Thoughts About Racism, Anti-Racism, and White Supremacy (Lockdown Day 66)

Well said, Heather! Agree with every word. ????????

That murder of George Floyd was truly horrific to watch. And this cop seems to have been a serial police brutalist. Mind-boggling enough Amy Klobuchar was the prosecutor in the previous case that declined to prosecute him (!)

Thank you for saying what cannot be said enough. We are all different, irrespective of our racial origins, and yet we are all the same. I had to come a long way as a white South African to accept that, although I was never comfortable with apartheid, even as a little boy.

I eventually left after I could no longer accept that I should defend racism with an assault rifle and have spent the past forty-three years in a neighboring African country to escape the white priviledge which was weighing on my concience.

I do miss South Africa, but still see so much deeply entrenched racism. Since 1994 black and white can eat in the same restaurants but I rarely see them at the same table.

Well put and as I grew up in the Apartheid era as a white person I too can resonate with your post. However I’m very sad that the murder of George Floyd has gained so much attention yet the eight people who died here through security brutality, during the lock down period, have been forgotten and shamefully how many of them can be named?

Excellent job, Heather. I’m proud to be your mother ❤️

I think I was 35 when someone mentioned the “slave cemetery” across the road from my kids’ upstate New York country village school. Slaves? Whaddya mean slaves?? Wasn’t that a Southern thing? It was when I found out that there had been slavery there and some of the families so proud to be descended from Huguenot settlers, along with ignoring what happened to the First People in the area, were also ignoring the fact that they were the descendants of slaveholders.

Virginia… You were saying something the other day about accent, and I think you mentioned Carolina, and I was thinking that it’s Virginia that has that most difficult accent. I can’t remember why, but one day I had a phone conversation with someone from Virginia and it was very difficult, thank goodness she understood, and it was a nice conversation. I can’t remember whether it was her or someone else that said it was like they have a peach in the mouth. :) …It was really difficult.

None of us who are white get a pass, regardless of personal circumstances, class or nationality; not in today’s world.

I’ve got slave-owners as ancestors as well. Cherokee slave-owners who fought for the Confederacy. (How messed up is THAT?!) But I am definitely a white woman. I get no pass, and I struggle every day to learn and do better at recognizing and disassembling white supremacy. Onward.

Thank you Heather. That resonates, you articulate it s well. Appreciated. I wish every white South African could take this for their reflection.

Thank you for speaking up, feeling the discomfort and acknowledging, in a way, the privilege of being able to feel it.i was wondering if you might consider, perhaps as an adjunct or addition of a worthy cause, to direct others to some of the platforms where voices of POC are heard, whichever social media accounts or blogs or whatever resources you want to direct people to. As a way of giving voice to others. I’m imagining there might be other white people, American or otherwise, who might be inspired or moved by your words to want to shift perspective but unsure whom to follow or where to start.

Well done Heather, for finding your voice on this. I agree with Margaret. I live in a colonised country, that is still struggling to acknowledge the Aboriginal massacres across the country. My own heritage is that of the oppressed,Irish, and the oppressors, English. Thankfully I have an amazing Aboriginal friend who educates me to the realities. Thanks for your compassionate heart dear friend.

Well said. I do wonder how long it will take us here in South Africa to see white an black sitting easily at the same tables, when English and Afrikaans speakers barely do yet.

I think many of us have closr links to slavery than we release. I’m summer I probably do through one posh arm of the family. In England investing in slaves was as legitimate as buying a government bond as an investment at one time. In fact the government spent so much buying back these slave investments in England that it took about 200 years to pay off - in 2015. Myself living in South Africa has opened my eyes to racism and how it touches us all - particularly following and listening to Eusebius - and how casually racist my own family is. I remember my father categorising cars on the road by the colour of the driver - a dark or milk chocolate box. Terrible! And it makes me ashamed. The thing is we all can do so much more. Being a bystander isn’t an option. I could do better.

Thanks Heather. I grew up as a Japanese Canadian and there was always racism, some subtle, others more direct. My mother’s family was sent to an Internment Camp. My father’s family avoided internment but were isolated by the government in the interior of British Columbia. My wife is a “coloured” South African. My children are Canadian South African, but when I take them to Japan, they will be seen as “hafu’s”. Racism is woven tightly into the fabric of humankind.

Hi Heather, It’s true this is an important topic and I can tell you that I’m thinking about this already since my wife and I moved to SA in 2007. Being white, being privileged, having opportunities that other haven’t and so on and so on……. I told you that I have worked for a big NGO in Tsakane for 12 years and this was always part of the discussions during training and workshops and we never could find the real answer why this is always a topic and why we all feel bad about this and why it doesn’t change. Both for the people from all colours of live. Even when we support the local community, the homeless and the poor with food parcels, with extra clothing, building a shelter, assist in difficult times, even when we transfer money into all kind of foundations to support the work they are doing, even when I spent 12 years of my time (as volunteer) at the NGO. I think there is no real answer on this and I think all of us need to be aware of this issue for the next 10-20-30 years to come. Yes I’m white, yes I was born in the Netherlands and for that reason I’m privileged because I could go to school and could find a job after some years being unemployed, but still people look at you and at your colour. I’m not used to look at colour as I was not raised like that. But still. I appreciate your blog and that you wrote about this in your blog. I hope we can discuss this together with all the people in Melville of all colours of life and I reapply hope and pray that we will grow together as one community. There is still a long way to go, for all of us.

Thanks Heather for putting this topic on your blog. You have a diverse audience and can help all of us listen and learn more and more. I look forward to your reading, listening, etc suggestions.

Thanks for sharing this Heather, completely agree with every word.

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