I have seen evil this week and its name is white drama. I have seen it my whole life, actually, but I didn’t quite have the language to identify it until now.
This whiteness drama is grotesque.
Over the past few days, I've seen Black and Brown women attacked quietly, insidiously, masterfully, and with the authority and sneakiness of white privilege. These are women I know personally, and I respect, admire and care deeply about them.
It's shattering to watch and be on the fringes of by association. I can only imagine how soul-crushing it must be for them, as the central targets. Especially since I know they’ve been through it all before, and they’ll have to go through it again, too.
And I'm left wondering: are the words, promises, declarations, and guarantees of white women like me worthless 99% of the time? Can we be trusted? Have we inherited and been taught to uphold a system of oppression that means only our actions can prove who we are?
Worst of all, how many times have I participated in drama like this? How many times have I, personally, made an awful situation worse for someone who is Black, Brown or Indigenous?
Can my actions now ever be enough to make up for the harm and quiet violence I committed in the past?
As white people, our work to dismantle white supremacy will never be done. We must understand the ways we as individuals make it worse, before we can begin to make it better.
If you're white, like me, please watch the documentary "Deconstructing Karen" (here) and read the book White Women by Saira Rao and Regina Jackson (here). If you've already watched and read them, do it again.
I must understand how white drama works so that I can stop doing harm. So I’m doing the work, every damn day. I’m going to keep showing up, every damn day.
Want to help end the gun violence in the U.S. that has its roots in white supremacy? Join the movement over at Here 4 The Kids, where we are led by Black, Brown and Indigenous women. I’m fortunate to be on the board and I’m pouring everything I’ve got into this effort.
I wish you’d elaborate more on the white drama you witnessed. Concrete examples would help bring greater awareness. It’s such an insidious thing that happens and hearing your perspective on what you’re observing might help others see it in their interactions too.