I don't hate White people, I just can't stand White supremacy

I don't hate White people, I just can't stand White supremacy

JULIE WRIGHT, MA CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS GRADUATE.

Whiteness. Every time I try to critique it I’m asked: “Do you hate white people?” or worse “You’re racist!” I remember in Vienna whilst myself and Melodie were delivering a lecture, one student in the audience asked a question about reverse racism and something along the lines of when black students create a space for themselves and say no white people are allowed it can be seen as that. It took me a while to get my head around the question but as soon as it was my turn to answer I had to educate her in something white people never have to think about. My response was reverse racism isn’t real. When black people create spaces that’s for us and only us, it isn’t about racism or even excluding white people. It’s about creating a space where we can support, uplift each other and be ourselves without having to worry about the white gaze, the microscope as I like to call it. We don’t need to think about performing under it or being scrutinized, feeling uncomfortable etc. because I’m sure every black person knows about that feeling of being the only black person in a room filled with white people (you can refer to Jordan Peele’s film get out to get a glimpse of what I’m talking about).

I can remember my most recent experience was being the only black person in an entire building of white people in London’s Belgravia interning for this eyewear company where I would consistently find myself listening to Kojey Radicals - 22 winters album to and from the office because the subtle and sometimes not so subtle micro aggression had my blackness being glared at from 10am – 6pm, 5 days a week. The pressure of being under the white gaze and not living up to any stereotypes such as the angry black women wore thin on my mental and emotional health as it almost felt like I was being antagonised and goaded into falling into that stereotype. If I say nothing it will continue, if I say something this justifies why they were treating me in that way. “See, I knew she was like that. That’s why I didn’t want to give her the job in the first place” or “This is why I didn’t like her and knew she wasn’t the right fit for the job”. Damned if we do and damned if we don’t, a common tale that we experience under the white gaze.

I don’t hate white people. I just hate white supremacy. White supremacy happens to only benefit white people and whenever a PoC critiques that, retaliating by accusing them of being racist or hating white people is a silencing tactic. A tactic used to oppress. White supremacy makes room for white people to oppress people of colour thus the cycle continues. Another example of this was again in Vienna, a White male lecturer approached Melodie asking the question of why don’t black people be more vocal about their experiences, if they don’t say anything nobody will know. I tried to inform him that the information is already out their, a simple Google search, scan of social media or even listening to our lecture/ workshop he would have learnt something but of course before I could even get past the word Google he started talking over me and ignored my very existence. And that’s the problem right there, clear as day.

Racism is about a group of people in power exercising that power to oppress another group of people. How much power do PoC have compared to white people? Think about it, what does a black person saying to a white person they can’t come into this space, do to their life? White people can travel to any country on this beautiful planet and be welcomed with open arms, including Africa, the Caribbean etc. This is not the same for everyone else. White people can find work virtually anywhere yet for some PoC they have great difficulty getting jobs in countries they were born in because of their race. The media itself portrays white people in the greatest light whilst doing the complete opposite to black people i.e. Serena Williams and Sharapova who has been proven to take performance enhancing drugs yet still lose to Serena. The media and commentators have referred to Serena as a man and gorilla all in an attempt to downplay her achievements. Edward Enninful became the first black person in history to become the Editor-in-chief of British Vogue and on the exact day of his appointment, 1st August, the BBC published an article asking the question “Is Vogue still relevant today?”. Those are examples of microaggressions.

There are places in England I wouldn’t even dare to travel to because I know my brown skin could make me a target. So next time you hear one of us ask you to sit this one event out, as Solange Knowles says: “Just be glad you got the whole wide world This us This sh*t is from us Some sh*t you can’t touch.”