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| Why 'reverse racism' is a stupid accusation | Why 'reverse racism' is a stupid accusation |
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| Jesse Williams’ powerful speech on racial justice at the BET awards brought the room to its feet, but not everyone was moved: a petition to get Williams fired from Grey’s Anatomy has collected over 20,000 signatures at the time of writing. | |
| “Jesse Williams spewed a racist, hate speech against law enforcement at white people at the BET awards,” part of the text of the petition reads. “If this was a white person making the same speech about an African American, they would have been fired and globally chastised, as they should be, but there has been no consequences to Williams’ actions.” | “Jesse Williams spewed a racist, hate speech against law enforcement at white people at the BET awards,” part of the text of the petition reads. “If this was a white person making the same speech about an African American, they would have been fired and globally chastised, as they should be, but there has been no consequences to Williams’ actions.” |
| The people who signed this petition clearly don’t know who Williams’ boss is. Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and other smash hits like Scandal, regularly uses her platform to speak out against social injustice. She also tweeted this on the night of Williams’ speech. | The people who signed this petition clearly don’t know who Williams’ boss is. Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and other smash hits like Scandal, regularly uses her platform to speak out against social injustice. She also tweeted this on the night of Williams’ speech. |
| In woods. Far from wifi. Get signal! What'd I miss? "Just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real." @iJesseWilliams' speech. YES. | In woods. Far from wifi. Get signal! What'd I miss? "Just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real." @iJesseWilliams' speech. YES. |
| So, no, this petition isn’t going to get Williams fired. It does, however, represent how a significant number of white Americans view racism and those who speak up against it. | So, no, this petition isn’t going to get Williams fired. It does, however, represent how a significant number of white Americans view racism and those who speak up against it. |
| A recent Pew Research poll on discrimination and racial inequality shows that over one third (38%) of white Americans believe the issue of racism has already been solved. The poll also found that Americans on the whole are more likely to understand racism as individual acts of prejudice as opposed to discrimination built into our laws and institutions (66% v 23%). | A recent Pew Research poll on discrimination and racial inequality shows that over one third (38%) of white Americans believe the issue of racism has already been solved. The poll also found that Americans on the whole are more likely to understand racism as individual acts of prejudice as opposed to discrimination built into our laws and institutions (66% v 23%). |
| This is a huge challenge facing people of color and our allies: we have to get people to understand that individual acts of racism do not exist in a vacuum. | This is a huge challenge facing people of color and our allies: we have to get people to understand that individual acts of racism do not exist in a vacuum. |
| In his speech, Williams said, “A system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do.” He also spoke about police brutality and wealth. “All of us in here getting money, that alone isn’t going to stop this,” he said. | In his speech, Williams said, “A system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do.” He also spoke about police brutality and wealth. “All of us in here getting money, that alone isn’t going to stop this,” he said. |
| Williams’ speech named and gave form to aspects of racism that are often rendered invisible by those who do not regularly encounter them. Police brutality, for example, disproportionately affects people of color, particularly black people and Native Americans. Disenfranchisement from inherited wealth is another, as black families historically haven’t been given the same opportunity to accumulate wealth that white people have. | Williams’ speech named and gave form to aspects of racism that are often rendered invisible by those who do not regularly encounter them. Police brutality, for example, disproportionately affects people of color, particularly black people and Native Americans. Disenfranchisement from inherited wealth is another, as black families historically haven’t been given the same opportunity to accumulate wealth that white people have. |
| White Americans seem ready to condemn overt acts of racism, but they bristle at critics who point out the subtler, system-wide prejudice that disadvantages people of color every day. Policies that might seem neutral on the face of it can negatively impact us when it comes to voting, employment, credit, and housing. | White Americans seem ready to condemn overt acts of racism, but they bristle at critics who point out the subtler, system-wide prejudice that disadvantages people of color every day. Policies that might seem neutral on the face of it can negatively impact us when it comes to voting, employment, credit, and housing. |
| Often times, it isn’t a white person calling a person of color a racial epithet. It’s a person of color not being hired, a person of color being turned away from housing, or a person of color being targeted by police because of the color of their skin. | Often times, it isn’t a white person calling a person of color a racial epithet. It’s a person of color not being hired, a person of color being turned away from housing, or a person of color being targeted by police because of the color of their skin. |
| When these less overt, but pervasive, forms of racism are brought up, it tends to trigger a defense mechanism in white people. It’s seen as a personal attack or an accusation as opposed to a blunt diagnosis. “All Lives Matter,” a common response to “Black Lives Matter,” is a good example. It assumes that stating black lives matter is a dismissal of other forms of injustice, as opposed to a campaign focusing on a specific problem. #AllLivesMatter, by the way, is referenced in the petition. | When these less overt, but pervasive, forms of racism are brought up, it tends to trigger a defense mechanism in white people. It’s seen as a personal attack or an accusation as opposed to a blunt diagnosis. “All Lives Matter,” a common response to “Black Lives Matter,” is a good example. It assumes that stating black lives matter is a dismissal of other forms of injustice, as opposed to a campaign focusing on a specific problem. #AllLivesMatter, by the way, is referenced in the petition. |
| As long as a significant number of Americans believe that racism is over, we will be at a cultural impasse, and people like Jesse Williams who call attention to the enduring institution of racism will continue to be accused of “reverse racism”. | As long as a significant number of Americans believe that racism is over, we will be at a cultural impasse, and people like Jesse Williams who call attention to the enduring institution of racism will continue to be accused of “reverse racism”. |
| But the fact is that racism is deeply embedded in our nation’s history and its current form. Its legacies are so ubiquitous that a person who does not experience them regularly or who profits from them can consider it invisible, and that is one of the most insidious aspects of its operation. | But the fact is that racism is deeply embedded in our nation’s history and its current form. Its legacies are so ubiquitous that a person who does not experience them regularly or who profits from them can consider it invisible, and that is one of the most insidious aspects of its operation. |
| We need more people like Jesse Williams who use their platform to bring the truth to light, and we need more white people to listen to them. | We need more people like Jesse Williams who use their platform to bring the truth to light, and we need more white people to listen to them. |