Yes, ALL White People
And yes all men too, while we’re at it.
“Not all white people.”
How many times have Black folks heard this particular microaggression?
I heard it tonight from a white classmate. She used these words to “correct” our Black teacher, who was educating us about racism and white supremacy in U.S. history.
After weeks of these kinds of interruptions, I had just about had it. I spoke up and said that speaking as a Black trans person, saying “Not all white people” is not a useful response to a discussion about white supremacy, just as “Not all men” is not a useful response to a discussion about patriarchy.
She replied, “But you’re also half Jewish.” She, a proud Jewish woman, had made it a point to bring this up repeatedly since I mentioned that my (white) father’s side of the family is Jewish. As if that erased my Blackness.
I responded, “Yes, but my mother’s side of the family was brought here in slave ships, so I identify as Black and that’s important to me.”
THAT shut her up.
All white people benefit from white supremacy. This is true regardless of class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, education level, or other factors.
