Name Five White People Who Fought Racism
Failure to teach about White antiracists keeps White folks on the sidelines.
Many Americans know about civil rights and freedom fighters like Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and good troublemaker John Lewis.
Some of us even know about Medgar Evers, Ida B. Wells, and Ralph Bunche, as well as civil rights icons like Julian Bond and Andrew Young.
We should continue to celebrate the giant achievements of these greats. We should still name roads and schools and parks after them. Their names and contributions should continue to be taught in our schools. Even increased.
As much work is left to be done, we wouldn’t be where we are without their unwavering dedication to peace, equity, and justice.
Yet one of the biggest impediments to moving the equity needle way more is that too many people practice what I call “bystanderism.”
Good people who aren’t storing white sheets in the trunks of their Subarus, who aren’t heading to hate marches or spewing out racist nonsense. People who in their hearts believe in equality and that every person deserves a fair shake in life.
