Public Comment

Thank you, Daily Planet, for publishing Madeline Smith Moore’s June 8 testimonial, “Why I’m a Racist.” I appreciate her honesty and accuracy. The article also deserved to be published in a paper that all too often (whether intentionally or subconsciously) reinforces the sensibilities of many of its privileged white liberal readers. Perhaps ironically, as one of those readers, I not only agree with the vast majority of Moore’s sentiments, but also hope to prevent the story’s content from being distorted, diluted, or forgotten. I am, unfortunately, socialized to be white (that makes me a racist). Yet I support the message that racism is real, all-pervasive, and experiences of it need to be heard, respected and acted on. I also apologize for, and in the future should avoid, needing a person of color to start and participate in this antiracist conversation.  

Of course, I don’t pretend to understand racism entirely, to know what it is like to perpetually experience its manifestations or to have the solutions to it; but I know I perform it constantly and I have a responsibility to resist my complicity in this phenomenon that harms every one of us. I fear that Moore’s particular questions (and the entire concept) of racism will likely be addressed in the following ways: requesting racism 101, individualizing, co-opting, denying, quibbling, ignoring, and dismissing. To avoid these unproductive non-starters, I suggest that any folks interested in deflecting away from the heart of Moore’s conversation, please do some homework instead; why not begin with a read of White Like Me and other quality antiracist publications? I consider one of the most insidious aspects of racist behavior to be the (possibly subconscious) attempt to shut down effective antiracist conversation. Why are people of color’s antiracist conversations so often marginalized unless white people become involved?  

I ask to continue, but not co-opt, the conversation and oppose racism on the individual, communal, institutional and national level. Thank goodness Moore was willing to strengthen the conversation in this paper. There are millions of incidents every day; why are most (except for “gang stories” and suchlike that catalyze racism) so rarely publicized in a competent way in the mainstream white news? More importantly, why is the antiracist behavior so rarely advertised? (No, I don’t mean publicity stunts and token feel-good “success stories,” I mean everyday people consistently organizing antiracist acts of resistance.)  

To show what I mean, here’s a discussion of both racism and antiracism to contribute slightly to this newspaper’s analysis of racism. Just a few days ago a fellow white teacher and I were discussing a student. My colleague mentioned that the student’s clothing was inappropriate (implying that the student’s aesthetic, upbringing and identity were too non-white). Instead of confronting my colleague, I went along. Of course, at some level I knew better than to play along with discussion about disciplining the dress, behavior, and identities of young women of color. I was just afraid of losing my membership in the white privilege club. It’s so easy to go along to get along. But I finally spoke; I asked about respect for generational and cultural differences. It wasn’t a superlative antiracist action, but one duo of white people momentarily stopped contemplating a young woman of color as the object of our racist BS. Now I am not, nor do I condone, taking up space with “confessions”; rather I am citing the need to change white hearts and minds. As Moore recommends, “identify that you are racist and…check yourselves.” While I’m at it, feel free to critique how insufficient this example has been; how could I better address institutionalized inequality in education, neighborhood, occupation, wealth, and freedom from oppression? Let’s be certain to continue with an informed and personalized conversation. Let’s consider which folks are most complicit and resistant in the contemporary crises arising from a history of colonization, including the nationwide prison industrial “plantation”; the essentialist, “colorblind,” and relativist incarnations of racism; and reparations.  

There’s much more to be said, but I’m done taking up space reciting some ideas about racism in this newspaper; hopefully the rest of the space is available to people who have been silenced and need space to be heard. And in case you’re considering the possibility, my words are not dismissible as the nonsense of a unique racist hypocrite; they constitute a widely experienced truth about being addicted to (and perpetually in recovery from) the corrupting, racist power I get from my social group’s whiteness. A final note to antiracism veterans: yes, this writing mostly puts out fires; sorry to delay the progress of the conversation.  

David Schroeder is a 25-year resident of West Berkeley.