Let’s Get To Work
What I will do is share with you some themes I’ve been hearing over the course of my conversations with lots of different white people:
1) Fear of/falling prey to “performative wokeness.” The kind of “activism” we do while scrolling instagram late at night from bed. A bed we sleep in without a shred of fear that cops will bust through our front door and massacre us. “I stand with #.” Is to post to stand? If to post is not to stand, who “should” post? And when? And what? And if I don’t post, have I revealed myself to be someone who is on the sidelines?
If you are worried that a post feels performative, that’s a really instructive gut check. Is it because you feel new to using your platforms to speak out against injustice? Is it of concern that posting feels like it’s “not enough”? Are you struggling to find language that feels authentic to you? The discomfort here is good. Get specific in the questions you ask yourself about that feeling. Most of the questions will only beget more questions. And any “answers” will probably make you more, not less, uncomfortable. And that’s very important. White people’s comfort is literally why we’re here. Millions and millions and millions of black and brown bodies and spirits have been sacrificed, are still daily sacrificed, “in service” of our comfort. It is one of the central premises of this country’s founding. As such, we must work steadfastly to de-prioritize white comfort (@officialmillenialblack). This is key to white people’s anti-racism work.
As for the question: but do we post? Yes, sure. But if you are focusing your energy on whether or not to post and not rigorously interrogating the hollowness you fear that post carries, you are getting distracted, and I urge you to make a shift. If a post feels hollow to you, it probably is. If it feels like it isn’t enough, that’s because it isn’t. Go ahead and post – and be ready to welcome the self- and external criticism of your “performance.” Be prepared to listen, to learn, and to do much, much deeper and larger work than posting.
