7 Ways to Be a Better White Ally After Police Murder Black People

 

By: Kevin Mathews 

Hello, fellow white people! Let me start by saying that this list isn’t for the “All Lives Matter” contingency. These tips are for the white people who recognize that police regularly kill black people when lethal force is definitely not necessary. These tips are for the white people who have seen it happen so regularly, that they don’t want to be complicit in a racist system. These tips are for the white people who say, “I wish I could help, but I’m not sure how.”

1. Call Out This Bulls***  

Expressing your anger on social media is honestly probably the least you can do, but let’s start there anyway. These police killings are allowed to persist because the dominant white culture chooses to do nothing about them. By declaring that you, as a white person, will not stand for this racism, you’re at least playing a small part in disrupting the white silence that typically surrounds these murders.
 

So go ahead – talk about these deaths, talk about the lack of justice within the justice system. A lot of white people’s initial reactions are to reach out to black people to vent their frustrations, but, newsflash: Black people already know all too well that this is a problem.

Actually, you’re probably more productive talking about these issues with fellow white people. They’re the ones who typically make the excuses on behalf of the police or choose to overlook the deaths as inconsequential. Theirs are the hearts and minds that need to be changed, and if it takes a white person to put them on that path, accept the challenge to be that white person.

 

2. Keep Talking About It
 

This step is not a repeat of the previous point, rather it’s a reminder to continue to engage in these conversations in the days, weeks and even months following a high-profile shooting. Dropping the conversation is what allows the necessary hard work to fall by the wayside and for nothing to change.
 

The American public consciousness shifts quickly from one tragedy to the next. Consider mass shootings: The debate on this issue is fierce after a horrific incident, but it dissipates quickly, lying dormant until the next mass shooting arises. In the interim, change is not achieved.

If you say you’re outraged by the murders of black people, prove it by continuing to be outraged. Those initial cries of “I’m angry” and “I’m heartbroken” amount to squat without any follow through.

 

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Source: http://www.care2.com