As a white woman I want to say... right on!!!!!!! (WRITE on!!!!!!!)

Probably won’t make you feel better, but I get the same responses when I call other white people out. E.g., I called out a younger brother last year on FB and he not only unfriended me, he made it impossible for me to find his profile. (He’s in Seattle; I’m in the Midwest).

He had posted about being called out, with versions of all of the above as explanations as to why the charge was absurd.

I explained that the civil rights bona fides we both have from the 70s aren’t enough anymore. Nor is the fact we have a mixed race niece and nephew.

I gave him some links to several posts of minr and articles about how to be less racist & cope with being called out; about granting POC the authority to speak of their own experiences; that we have no idea what it’s like & we need to listen…etc. Obviously he wasn’t interested in a discussion.

I am so glad the implicit racism is being called out. I am not innocent myself. It’s a process and will continue. I hope my brother will work that out. I honestly thought we’d talk about it.

Maybe eventually he’ll get over it. But he also has to get over truths about our family I finally told.

Telling truths has its price. We all have to be prepared for that.

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Retired professor, feminist, writer, photographer, activist, grandmother of 5, overall Wise Woman. Phd UIA School of Journalism & Mass Communication, 1994.

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Georgia NeSmith

Retired professor, feminist, writer, photographer, activist, grandmother of 5, overall Wise Woman. Phd UIA School of Journalism & Mass Communication, 1994.