A lot of White folks are attached to their whiteness.
Sometimes unconsciously. Other times knowingly.
Sometimes secretly, privately, only with certain people. Other times publicly, blatantly, arrogantly.
Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. wrote a book called The Five Levels of Attachment.
1. Authentic
2. Preference
3. Identity
4. Internalization
5. Fanaticism
Like our attachments to our political opinions, religious beliefs, sports teams, careers, social circles – everything! – White people's attachment to their whiteness falls somewhere on this continuum.
From level five: whatever it takes to defend and promote whiteness, including killing.
To level one: not attached to whiteness at all.
I think most White people are in the identity or internalization levels.
Where whiteness is very important. Individual and collective whiteness must be defended. White solidarity is necessary because whiteness is under attack.
Perspectives, narratives, movements that decenter whiteness are dismissed, marginalized, assaulted.
We see it all the time. White fragility. White people unable to engage in conversations. Unwilling to educate themselves. Averse to evolving their consciousness.
White folks must do the work to detach from their whiteness and get to level one.
That's when we'll see progress.