White People Labeling Others Racist: Whose Battle Are You Fighting?

Unpacking the problems with White people labeling other White people racist without any additional discussion on why.

Over the last few months, I’ve seen an anecdotal uptick of folx being called racist in both virtual and in-person settings. The folx being labeled racist tend to be White, or White passing POC, more often than not, and the folx prescribing the label also tend to be White.

On the one hand, I am encouraged to see so many people endeavoring to use their voice, their platforms, and their privileges to bring attention to racism in our daily lives in the same way that I am trying to do, but on the other hand, I wonder if there is room to improve as an ally that is not on the receiving end of racial power and injustice in practice.

This approach exhibits a failure to successfully decenter our own White narratives from these types of experiences. If we are dead set on calling other White people racist without offering up any discussion as to why we believe that to be true, what are we accomplishing?

Whose fight are we really fighting?

Are we overlooking racist thoughts and actions in our own minds and lives by projecting focus on others?

Ibram X. Kendi discusses this practice of conflating all White people with racist power in his book How To Be An Antiracist in a specific chapter dedicated to this topic. In about 15 pages, he walks through how it is possible to recognize the severity of White racism while also recognizing that a sole focus on hatred of everyday White people does nothing to fight racist power or racist policymakers.

To be clear, I believe a direct approach, or traditionally accepted leadership style, is needed — the kind of leadership where we say “you are racist,” but for White folx, I think that is needed when we are examining our own lived experience. The “you” is to the person staring back at us in the mirror. We then make changes in our own minds and actions based on what we learn in our antiracism practices.

We can then use collaborative or supportive leadership in public spaces where we are operating as allies. Anything short of this would seem to be us utilizing knowledge of racism, which we learn creates hurt & pain in this world in many ways by listening to Black voices speaking of their lived experiences, as a weapon to create more hurt and pain without understanding.

This behavior can ultimately lead to less White people listening to Black voices which then leads to less examining racist behavior and thoughts in their own White lives.

All because we as White people too often wield a weapon that isn’t ours to wield, in a fight that isn’t ours to lead.

If you haven’t read it yet, I can’t recommend Dr. Kendi’s book How To Be An Antiracist enough for those interested in learning more about racism and establishing an antiracist worldview.