Hope Ajayi, a senior majoring in sociology, is the vice president of the GW chapter of the NAACP.
I’m writing in response to the blog, “Don’t make debates over Ferguson about you,” by Sarah Blugis (online, Nov. 26).
I think we all realize the unequal state of races in our society is owed to a variety of factors – among them, institutional racism and a history of slavery that can and will never be erased. And, frankly, white people bear much of the responsibility when it comes to the minority state in society.
Even descendants of slave owners, while not directly participating in the creation of historical racism, do currently have just as much influence in subjugating minorities when they voice their support but feel it’s not their place to invoke any action.
That is false, false, false. If anything, white people can quicken the pace of progress so much more by lending a voice and lending a hand.
This does not mean necessarily marching out to St. Louis and calling black people your brother or sister, but it means taking responsibility and educating racist friends or advocating for the passage of bills that will actually help minorities. After all, whites are in the majority.
For individuals to sit back, observe and say nothing inherently and subconsciously says blacks are responsible for their progress and advocating for their own equality. This is not fair.
Blacks did not steal themselves from their continent, enslave themselves, torture and lynch themselves or pass racist laws to bar them from rising economically and socially. Blacks did not walk out of their houses and ask to be shot simply for having a darker skin complexion.
Blacks did not commit these atrocities against themselves, so why must they be asked to fix the system themselves?
When white people fold their arms and watch, they are playing more into their white privilege – and using the fact that they are not black to excuse themselves from participating in a movement that would require a shifting of not just laws but of inner consciousness.
It is not OK to say that you will respect the rights of black people and defer completely to them. I’m not saying you should tell them to calm down or be peaceful, as that might just incite more anger. But understanding the position of blacks comes also from a willingness to actively use the power of one’s white privilege and begin to actually making a difference – not just talk or think about it.
It is your place to control the conversation, and this movement does not belong solely to the “people of Ferguson and black Americans all over the country,” as the writer indicates. It belongs to everyone.
When citizens – black and white alike – begin actively contributing to the discussion and protest, this country will experience a breakthrough, and we will see the beginning of a much-needed revolution – and, as a consequence, the beginning of much-needed change.
