To end racism, we must acknowledge race

You end racism by racializing yourself.

Photo by Jeet Dhanoa on Unsplash

When is the last time you’ve heard someone tell you the best solution to your problem is to ignore it? It is likely that you’ve never listened to that advice because it doesn’t work. So, why is it that people genuinely listen to those who tell us to ignore race to end racism? You cannot end racism by ignoring race. You end racism when you confront the real evils that come with race.

Some believe that antiracism is most effective when we focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. And they like to point to us all being a part of the ‘human race’ as ways in which we can come together. How does that work when people have been conditioned to villanize others because of their race? A Black person can decide they are no longer Black but very few people are going to acknowledge or recognize that decision. The simple reason is that we have been conditioned to judge people based on the color of their skin. And this judgment has real-life consequences.

You see it’s easy for a White person to no longer acknowledge their skin color when no real damage is done in doing so. Life largely remains the same. They still get all the benefits that come with being White and choose to ignore all the negative consequences of being so. They truly get to live by the saying…