Subtle acts by whites also kill our Black neighbors — through persistent, unrelenting stress

Since the killing of George Floyd, I have seen a lot of finger-pointing at the police for their history of brutality against the Black community. While I support the active condemnation of these violent acts of racism, it concerns me that many white Minnesotans have responded to Floyd’s death by distancing themselves from police as “the bad ones.”

The assumption of white superiority is the foundation of this country and upholds the entire system upon which these acts of violent racism rest. If you are white and live in this country, there is no way to avoid the influence of being socialized into a white supremacist society. It happens to all of us regardless of where we fall on the spectrum. We can see this exhibited in Minnesota’s racial disparities, which are some of the worst in the country. For those of us who are white Minnesotans, the question to reflect on is: How do we contribute to this unfair system, even if it’s by accident?

Micro-aggressions, white flight …

Micro-aggressions, white flight from public schools deemed as “underperforming,” use of racially coded language to identify “good neighborhoods,” appropriating resources not meant for us so our white kids can get even further ahead, remaining silent when we should act or do something, and other more subtle acts of white supremacy kill our Black community members too. These acts do so slowly, over time, through persistent, unrelenting stress and wear on their mental and physical health. Those of us who are would-be allies often commit some of the worst offenses and are some of the most dangerous because our transgressions are less visible, resulting in a cultural gaslighting that takes its toll.

How do we do this?

We need to look around for the omissions. Do our kids have books in their personal library that feature protagonists who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC)? Do we watch or consume media that center BIPOC voices? Are those BIPOC characters pigeonholed into racial stereotypes? Do we hire, promote, and give decision-making power to those who are representative of the population? Do we use our voices when we see inequitable practices in our kids’ schools and not just when changing the status quo affects white kids (ahem, Comprehensive District Design)? Have we noticed that the very teaching of history in our schools is segregated and that the month in which we do honor the history of Black Americans is the shortest month of the year despite having one of the longest legacies of oppression? When we got our degrees, who were the people who taught us? For me personally, I became an “expert” in my field in a training program that did not have a single BIPOC core clinical faculty member. The list goes on.

Past time to believe Black voices — and take action

The observations I make here are nothing new. Our Black neighbors have been telling us for years that the system is unfair. Yet we continue to omit their voices. It took spectatorship at a modern-day lynching for us to believe them. For those of us who were shocked that the murder of a Black man happened here, that may indicate we have been omitting awareness of our Black community’s lived experiences.

White solidarity is a powerful force. We will feel the urge to quit and say “it’s too much” and cite our current difficulties as the reason we can no longer do this work. We will lose people in our social circles. We have to be willing to absorb those losses.

Anti-racism is not about making friends. It’s about a commitment to humanity and something bigger than ourselves. We have to be willing to withstand our discomfort and acknowledge that our losses are minimal compared to the death and stolen livelihoods of our Black communities. White Minnesotans can no longer omit ourselves as a recognized contribution to the problem. Once we notice the omissions, we need to take active steps to fill the gaps. We need to start listening to and amplifying the voices that have been leading us for generations. Our collective humanity depends upon it.

Kristi E. White, Ph.D., LP, is a clinical health psychologist practicing in Minneapolis. 

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