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White People, This Is Your Fault (But You Can Fix It)
You should’ve done more to keep people from voting for Trump
I’m about to go on a tear so, white friends, prepare for discomfort: This is your fault. Yes, you. You are responsible for perpetuating racism and division in the United States. You are the reason why the presidential race is so close and so many people voted to keep Trump in office.
There are so many places that teach you how to deep canvass, how to talk someone out of the bigotry that fuels Trump and his supporters. You could’ve gone to civil rights trainings where you learn how to actually talk to your conservative friends and family. You could have spent time with your conservative friends and relatives. People of color spend their whole lives listening to and centering white grief and white anxiety. You should’ve spent more time doing this.
You should have been the one to say to your white friends and family, “Hey, you know what? I used to believe what you believe. Let me tell you how that changed.” But no. Instead you just called your high school friend’s Facebook friend a “Karen” and a “dumb c*nt” instead of listening, understanding their pain and anxiety, and finding ways to help them think differently!
Deep canvassing is a learned skill. It works.
You could have asked, “Why are you scared of undocumented immigrants? Have you seen them ‘take’ jobs like yours? Have you seen an undocumented person get hired over you? No? If that’s the case, is that a credible fear? After all, you should be able to trust your experiences… ”
There’s so much you could have done instead of throwing your hands up and unfriending all your high school buds from rural Wisconsin. You could have done so much more than sharing memes or trolling. You could have said, “Hey, it’s hard to unlearn things, but it’s so worth it.” You could have shared with them about how letting go of bigotry and prejudice opened up opportunities for new…
