InsaneJournal

IBARW: Some (slightly controversial) definitions
cross-posted from my LJ

This week is International Blog Against Racism Week. I think we should all be blogging against racism wherever and whenever we see it but I also think that having dedicated space for a conversation is a good idea. So I am participating and I hope you do too. Watch ibarw for links to what other people are writing.

In order for us to be able to have conversations about racism it’s important that we all be on the same page about what racism is. So I decided that a place to start during this lovely IBARW was with a post clarifying the definitions of some of the words that get thrown around a lot. Fair warning, the definitions I work from sometimes make people uncomfortable. I ask that you read all of them, particularly if you are going to read the definition of racism.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an owning class queer white person who has been explicitly working on her skanky race issues for about two years. I live in the Pacific Northwest and was raised in Massachusetts. My understanding of race and racism is heavily influenced by trainings from The People’s Institute for Surival and Beyond.

This is a long post but an important one. Instead of cutting my entire list of definitions I’ve posted basic definitions outside of cuts and then cut the (sometimes lengthy) discussion of them.

Race = A socially constructed system of classification based on physical characteristics such as skin color.
Race is a construct, it has no basis in science. Race has been used to justify oppression since well before the US was founded. While race itself doesn’t empirically exist the impact of the construction is everywhere.

The concept of race was created by Europeans (the Europeans who came to be known as white) and is used to assign human worth and social status. The people who came to be known as white used themselves as a model of humanity for the purpose of controlling, accessing and maintaining white skin privilege and power.

Whiteness is not fixed. At various points in history groups that have not traditionally been known as white have been redefined as white in order to maintain a white majority and keep white folks in power. A good example of this would be the Irish. When the Irish first came to this country they were not considered white. There were signs all over Boston saying “No Blacks and No Irish.” However the continued lumping together of Black folks and Irish folks would have eventually meant that whites were no longer a majority in Boston. Thus in order to maintain power whiteness was expanded to include the Irish.

Power = Legitimate (in the 'legal & authorized' sense) access to and control of systems and institutions sanctioned by the state.
In the US (and I’d wager many other countries) power is held by white people. Evidence of this can be seen all throughout history. Chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws, curfews for Chinese railroad builders, disenfranchisement of folks of color, miscegenation laws, immigration policy, and the war on drugs are all examples of the way that white people have institutional power in the US and have used it against people of color.

White folks have better access to the legal system to government to educational systems and to many many other systems than folks of color.

Prejudice = Bias in favor of, or against someone. This one doesn’t need much more explanation. Everybody’s got prejudices no matter what your race, class, gender, sexual orientation or any other demograhic criteria.

Bigotry = Hatred based on prejudice.
People who hate all black people? Bigots. People who think that all blond white girls are stupid bitches who don’t know anything about anything? Bigots. People who think that Latinos are lazy and need to go back to Mexico? Bigots.

Racism = Racism is systematic oppression based on race. It can be summarized as racism = racial prejudice + power
Everyone has racial prejudices it goes hand in hand with being raised in a racist society. Only some of us have the power to impose our prejudice on others.

Frankly I think that one of the most destructive forces in the fight against racism is the way that “racist” has, in many people’s minds, become the equivalent of “being a member of the KKK.” When someone accuses a white person with being a racist or doing a racist thing we hear “you are about to burn a cross on my lawn.” We know in our hearts that we would never do that so we stop listening or try to denigrate or discredit the person calling us racist.

But here’s the thing, being a member of the KKK makes you a bigot being white makes you a racist.

White folks are the only ones in this country who have the institutional power to force their ideas and prejudices on everyone else. Thus all white people are racist and the only people who can be racist are whites.

White friends, being racist does not make us bad people. We were born into this, we did not ask for it. However, when we don’t own it and don’t work against it we become complicit in it. We actively support an oppressive system and that sucks.

It is impossible to be a non-racist white person. It is possible to be an anti-racist white person and I think we should all strive for that.

Thank you to those of you who read those definitions, I think it’s crucial that we understand the language we each use so as to better communicate about difficult issues.

To finish things off I have a few links for you about the things I’ve discussed today. The list is skewed toward things that would be helpful for white folks. I am a white person so that’s what I tend to read. I tend to bookmark things I think are awesome in my del.icio.us account so you can go there to see what other things I’ve been reading (del.icio.us/nevernever/race)

The first three links are things I think it’s imperative for you to read. The last is a list of other links that are awesome.

I Can Fix It! Volume 1: Racism - Five easy steps to end racism. There are five steps for white folks and five steps for folks of color. They are awesome.

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Peggy McIntosh - This is one of those things that everybody suggests when talking about white privilege. If you’ve been around anti-racist work you’ve probably read it. If you haven’t read it YOU MUST. For serious. Go read now.

How Not To Be Insane When Accused Of Racism (A Guide For White People) - Imagine how much angst could have been avoided in the SGA & HP fandoms if everyone had read this.

The Angry Black Woman’s List of Required Reading - An excellent list of things to read about racism.

Questions and comments are welcome. I’m currently visiting my family and so I may take some time to respond, but I’m excited to engage in conversation about these definitions.