Poison

Carbon monoxide is flammable and lethal, yet we breathe it in constantly. From parking lots to campfires we expose ourselves to a deadly substance. White supremacy is all around us. It's in our restaurants and universities, affirming and celebrating white citizens, while slowly debilitating the resiliency of non-white Americans. As a result, the darker Americans, gather at HBCUs, Quinceaneras, mosques, and churches to celebrate our humanity. Despite the effects of the poision of white supremacy, we get advanced degrees and build wealth as an effort to normalize non-white success and re-establish our humanity. However, for us to thrive in a system meant to advantage white citizens means the system is failing. Steps to equity for us are accurately interpreted as a deconsolidation of power from white citizens, igniting the hearts of Dylan Roof and James Fields Jr. We should condemn their actions and all of the violence perpetrated against browner skinned humans in this country. We, the mass citizenry, are also culpable. We have pursued comfort more than justice. We have loved ourselves more than others. We have tried to make the most of a system which clearly advantages one group over another, rather than calling for it's removal. White supremacy is in all of us, how will we respond?