Those Aren’t Stories About Race

More White people are realizing that saying things like "I don't see color" is not only false but harmful.

These statements stem from racial privilege. Racial privilege that allows White people to never see themselves as having a race.

Which means they don't need to be part of the race conversation.

Race is about other people – Black people, Brown people, Asian people. Anybody other than White people.

They have a race. We are just normal. If they would stop talking about race, we could move on with our lives.

With that lens you can see why White people would say they aren't racist. Why they don't think systemic racism exists. Why they don't think they have any stories about race.

Because most of their stories about race are actually non-stories. All the times they didn't see how their whiteness gave them advantage.

The times they weren't followed in a store. The times they weren't denied housing. The times they weren't harassed by the cops. The times they weren't seen as a threat.

The times they got hired and got the promotion and got the loan and got the good service and got the nice house.

Those aren't stories about race. They're just things that happened. Everyday things. Unremarkable. Normal.

But now some White folks are waking up. Let's hope the rest wake up too.