Black People Are Not An Antiracism Course

In light of the unlawful killings of Ahmaud Arbery, and more recently, George Floyd, there has been a resurgence amongst non-black people to educate themselves on social issues that directly impact black people. Thus, they tend to turn to black people for book recommendations, resources and other educational materials to better themselves in this area. Although most black people are willing to answer questions and provide resources to non-black people that will aid them in a better understanding of black issues, we are not an antiracism course. Black people are not an antiracism course. As a black person in America, continuing to explain black plight to white and other non-black people is a mentally and emotionally laborious task that should not always solely rely on us. I, as a black American citizen, am not responsible for the totality of a non-black person’s understanding of police brutality, white supremacy, racism, etc.

The majority of us have more than likely either been a student or employee. In both of these instances, at one point or another, we were expected to learn something new and had to utilize the resources around us to learn it. I want to encourage people to apply that same practice when it comes to their education on social issues involving the black community. However, one does not have to acquire all of the knowledge and education in order to speak out against antiracism and police violence. The poetic, complex and verbose statements that we’re seeing in Instagram captions are not necessary in order to develop an effective message. Simple phrases such as “End police brutality,” “Value black lives,” and “Stop killing black men and women,” are simple statements that draw attention to the multiplicity of issues we’re facing societally. Empathy and common sense are the only prerequisites necessary to understand that there are grave injustices at place in America that warrant a global outcry.

Report: Julian Alexander Randall