Scott Adams Has It Backwards

Black people need to stay away from White people.

Scott Adams, the creator of the “Dilbert” comic has gotten himself in a ton of trouble after posting a racist rant on Youtube.

Adams’ post went viral across all social media platforms when he advocated that white people needed to separate themselves from Black people. Adams went on to call Black people a “hate group.”

Really, sir? We’re the hate group? I wonder why Black people would hate white people. Let me count the ways:

1. The invasion of the African continent
2. Destroying scores of African tribal groups
3. Kidnapping millions of Africans
4. Enforced servitude in the United States, South America, and the Caribbean
5. Denying Africans in America basic human rights
6. A Civil War to keep descendants of Africans enslaved
7. Jim Crow Laws
8. The creation of the Klu Klux Klan
9. The rise of Neo Nazi and Aryan Brotherhood
10. Stealing Black culture, ideas, and inventions
11. Black face
12. Segregation
13. Hanging Black people
14. Raping Black women
15. Incarcerating Black men at a higher rate
16. Redlining
17. Gentrification
18. White Privilege
19. White Supremacy
20. Trying to alter, hide, or outlaw Black History

It’s not White people that need to stay away from Black people. It’s Black people that need to stay away from White people. White people have caused nothing but pain and suffering for millions of Africans and Black Americans since 1619.

The trauma of racism and violence against Black people has incorporated itself into our DNA. White hate has affected Black health and wealth. We are constantly denied opportunities because of the color of our skin and the stereotypes White people have of us.

Adams is right about one thing — there is no fixing this. As long as White people believe, at their core, that they need to maintain power and control in this country, racism will never end for Black, Browm, and Indigenous people.

As a people, we need to divorce ourselves from Whiteness. We need to build up our communities, educate our children, and support our businesses. We need to use our resources to support Black creatives and inventors. And it is already happening.

When the U.S. went into lockdown, social media platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram exploded in popularity. People took to social media for entertainment and information. This was a boon for Black people.

Black creatives have used social media to promote their businesses, creativity, and ideas. Black people have showcased their art, products, and talents all across the internet. COVID was devastating in this country, especially for people of color, but if there was one small silver lining, it fueled the latest Black Renaissance.

Black people, we are descended from greatness. We have the skills and tools to continue building on the gains made on social media. We don’t need White people or their money. We have money. We just need to pool it into ventures that benefit our community.

White people can keep their hate and intolerance. They haven't learned that it didn’t stop our grandparents during the Civil Rights Era. It didn’t stop our parents during the era of the Black Panthers. And it didn’t stop us during the rise of Hip Hop. Being Black means being connected to all those who came before us and fought against hatred in every way possible.

Our history shows all the things that happened under racism — the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, so much was created by us under racism as well. We had Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Madame C. J. Walker, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Shirley Chisholm, and so many more that left their contributions to Black society and the world. We have so much to be proud of and so much greatness waiting for us to claim it.

Black people get your minds right! Do what you need to do to uplift yourself, your families, and your communities. White people don’t need or want us around. We must accept that they will never learn peace and tolerance. We don’t need them. Our ancestors accomplished so much without the help of White people. We must remember that we can do the same.