Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Addendum

It's been over a year since I finished this antiracism project, and I find myself needing to add to it. Clearly I forgot some topics worth covering. So, here we will discuss the topic of white individuality, because too many of us are still not understanding why it's so damaging and unhelpful.

Why white People Must See Ourselves As A Collective

The only group of people in this nation allowed to see themselves as individuals, is white people. We demand our individuality at every possible turn. I’m not one of the ones who didn’t vote for Trump, I’m one of the good ones, gosh darn it! And I should get credit for it! And I’ll make sure to remind anybody I can, at any possible time, that I am in fact, one of the good ones.--Does this sound and feel familiar to you?

Do you know that antiracists have to talk to white people like this all day, every day? The extremely predictable arguments and demands are cookie-cutter identical. Why? Because white people are a collective. We think the same way, we argue the same way. But we think we’re clever and unique. And yes, this applies to the liberal ones, too.

white people collectively elected Trump again last month. Literally. The majority of us voted for him. That means that the minority of us who did the work of trying to get Harris elected, failed. Why should we get cookies or singled out as good for our failed efforts? We won’t dismantle white supremacy by individual efforts, but with collective efforts.

There is no “us” and “them” when it comes to white people an racism, there is only “us.” We collectively benefit from racism, and until we collectively work to dismantle it, and actually dismantle it, our individual efforts don’t mean anything. No cookies for me, or you.

Are you spending your time on social media arguing with Black antiracists about this? Don’t lie, yes you are. You’ve been doing it all day. You think you know the way to dismantle racism in this country, and apparently it’s not seeing yourself in part of a larger collective, it’s in arguing with people who actually experience racism as you try to get them to change their minds so you don’t have to change yours. This is active racism and you, the individual, are making it more difficult for us, the collective, to end racism. You say you want to do the opposite, so why are you making it worse?

Here is a link to another article about it, for further reading. We must get used to being a part of we. Sit in your feelings for a while, but then start doing better.

Links to Learn More About Project 2025

 I want to compile a list of resources that people can use to educate themselves, and others on Project 2025.

The Actual Project 2025 website

Learn what they have to say from their own mouths.

Here is the project in pdf format. Over 900 pages.

Below are written-format links to read up on either synopses or interpretations of the project's plans.

Democracydocket.com

Lancasteronline.com

Niskanencenter.org

Democracyforward.org

Michiganadvance.com

Below are tweets with further information or threads about Project 2025.

Thread

Another thread

A visual aid

Another visual aid

Below is a link to an audio-visual format resource.

youtube.com video

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-The Conclusion

The End or the Beginning?

This has been a lot, I know. All of this just scratched the surface of antiracism. You are probably overwhelmed, and feeling a lot of emotions about it. It’s been a long month. This is good. Just sit and live with those feelings for a while.

Now is the time for quiet reflection and beginning to look inward into your own life and thoughts to see where you now stand on antiracism. Reread this all from the start, and see it with opened eyes.

Once you have worked through your feelings, you can begin the other work. Read the books, educate yourself. And above all, humble yourself. You can beat yourself up for not coming around sooner, or you can just get going.

Other things you can start doing: Voting like Black lives matter, supporting Black-owned businesses, showing up to protests. And most importantly: talking to other white people about all of this. This is our job, and we can get it done if enough of us want it to get done. Are you one of us?

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 30

 Why Do Black People Get Arrested More Than white People?

This harkens back to past topics, including the school-to-prison pipeline, over-policing of Black and brown neighborhoods, and the 13^th Amendment. All those issues add up to more Black people being arrested than white people. Please believe me when I say this is the system working as designed, it’s not broken.

Black and white people commit crimes at about the same rate, but the justice system, built to benefit white people, works to disproportionately affect Black and brown communities.

You might have gotten the idea in your head that Black people must be inherently more dangerous and likely to commit crimes, and this is because of how the media and entertainment industry reinforced what the legal system already does. We see it, we hear about it, but we never think about why. This is white supremacy in action. We are trained to excuse our own issues. white shooter?-lone wolf, mental illness, loneliness, improper upbringing, etc. But always that one person’s issue, never a collective issue. Black shooter? -Well, what do you expect? This is what society and the media beat into our brains daily.

Black people are arrested more because they are literally targeted more. They are overpoliced and the justice system is set up in such a way that people are encouraged to plead guilty in exchange for lesser sentences because it saves time and is less of a strain on an overburdened system. Even if they are not guilty. Keep this in mind.

We must start seeing how white supremacy works to protect white people from punishments Black people rarely are spared from. And get that idea out of your head right now that there is any sort of inherent criminality or violent tendencies by the Black community. That is just pure racism.

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 29

Black-on-Black Violence

Oh, this old chestnut...A lot of white people seem terribly concerned about so-called “Black-on-Black” crime/violence, mostly in Chicago, for some reason. Why are you concerned about this? What does it have to do with dismantling white supremacy? Are you trying to imply that because there is this alleged issue, then white people don’t need to stop white-on-Black violence/crime? This is usually in the form of cops. When there is a high-profile murder of a Black person by a cop in this country, this argument pops up. Like clockwork.

Are you concerned at all about white-on-white violence/crime in this country? If not, why not? Have you ever given a thought to segregated cities or gang violence as a direct result of white supremacy? Do you enjoy Mafia movies and shows while railing against “inner city” gang violence? If so, your white supremacy is showing.

Again, this goes back to staying in our lane. Work on dismantling white supremacy, and stay out of Black people’s business.

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 28

Africans Had/Sold Slaves Too...

So, that makes chattel slavery ok? There has been slavery in most societies for as long as there have been humans, and none of it was ok. But chattel slavery, generational slavery, is different from most other forms of slavery, and that must be acknowledged. And it is the basis of our nation. That has to be acknowledged as well. I’m not talking about super long ago slavery, I’m talking about the one that built this country, and all our systems. That’s why it still matters, and why we bring it up even though it was a “long time ago.” Thanksgiving was a long time ago too, but you have no problem bringing it up every November…

The idea of bringing up Africa’s role in the slave trade seems to be an attempt at shifting the blame, but there would be no selling if there was no buying. If there was no market for enslaved people, they wouldn’t be sold. We don’t get to shift that blame. Is that why you bring it up? Are you trying to say that what our ancestors did wasn’t as bad because other people participated in it as well? We shouldn’t have to change our behavior and our systems because others did it too? The other groups didn’t set up a white supremacist system in this country for us to benefit from.

Also, this is a case of staying in our lane. How Black communities in this country and African nations today deal with their past, is actually none of our business. Our business is to dismantle white supremacy. This is a whattaboutism argument of the worst sort.

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 27

Irish "Slaves"

This is absolutely untrue. There is a huge difference between indentured service, and chattel slavery. Indentured service is voluntary, and temporary. It’s a set time working off a debt in exchange for money for things like passage to the US from Ireland, in this case. It was not being kidnapped, chained to a boat, sold away from friends and family, and living the rest of your life as a captive, working for no pay, and any children you have being born into that system, as well. Indentured service was not generational.

Did the Irish face discrimination in this country when they first arrived? Absolutely, but they were never slaves. They have also since been inducted into whiteness and benefit from and participate in white supremacy now.

Think of indentured service in terms of today. A good example is a person joining the military to pay for medical school or college. The military pays for your schooling, and you work a set amount of time in the military to pay them back. This is a voluntary state of being, unlike the involuntary state of enslavement. It’s insulting to compare the two. Please stop perpetuating this harmful myth.