Jena, basically
Oct. 21st, 2007 08:38 amTim Wise writes an open letter to the Jena's mayor, but really this is a letter to all white people and breaks down the whole fucking story (betcha didn't know about all the white violence that didn't get punished in this affair, did you??):
Had whites stood up and demanded better of our own, of ourselves, beginning centuries ago, so much about this nation's history could have been different. Had more whites chosen to be allies to black and brown folks, joining them in resistance to oppression and domination, all the anxiety we feel now - the fear of being called racist, or thought of as such by folks of color - could have been mitigated.
Had whites stood up and demanded better of our own, of ourselves, beginning centuries ago, so much about this nation's history could have been different. Had more whites chosen to be allies to black and brown folks, joining them in resistance to oppression and domination, all the anxiety we feel now - the fear of being called racist, or thought of as such by folks of color - could have been mitigated.