Here is what white people are welcome to do when non-whites are discussing racism and white supremacy: sit down. Shut up. Take out a notebook. Start taking notes. Ask questions when invited to and not before. Be humble. Be quiet. Remember that while you may be the centre of your own universe, you are not the centre of mine or ours. This is my story. These are our stories. If you aren’t prepared to listen to a lecture or two without keeping your worthless thoughts to yourself, please exit the auditorium before class begins. People are trying to learn here, you know.
I doubt this demand was made of the white president that sent federal troops confront the governor of Arkansas, the predominantly white congress that passed the CRA or the all white Warren court that unanimously rendered Brown v Board of Education.
I understand there is pain. I understand I cannot relate to every type of pain this world seems so prepared to inflict but what I cannot understand is the idea that demeaning tones and antagonistic attitudes will do anything other than propagate the pains that diminish us all.
How is this OP any different from telling whites, "Yeah, legally I think you have the same rights as me but when you're in my space you're going to have to sit in the back of the bus." I know I'm white and don't have permission to speak but I thought the boycott was to allow us all to sit together, not to merely change seats.
As a woman I am confronted by things that men -- even non-white men -- cannot possibly understand. That doesn't make my issues more profound or meaningful but the last thing I want to do is alienate those who can make contributions. I invite men to be a part of the discussion because at the end of the day all of us sharing the same space equally is what I'm striving for.
The OP saddens me.
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