Welcome to Silver and Shadow

"Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds." -L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

This is a blog I will be using for topics other than food. Politics, religion, spirituality, humor, green living, anything that I want to talk about that doesn't fall under the food/cooking category.



Sunday, October 1, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-The Conclusion

The End or the Beginning?

This has been a lot, I know. All of this just scratched the surface of antiracism. You are probably overwhelmed, and feeling a lot of emotions about it. It’s been a long month. This is good. Just sit and live with those feelings for a while.

Now is the time for quiet reflection and beginning to look inward into your own life and thoughts to see where you now stand on antiracism. Reread this all from the start, and see it with opened eyes.

Once you have worked through your feelings, you can begin the other work. Read the books, educate yourself. And above all, humble yourself. You can beat yourself up for not coming around sooner, or you can just get going.

Other things you can start doing: Voting like Black lives matter, supporting Black-owned businesses, showing up to protests. And most importantly: talking to other white people about all of this. This is our job, and we can get it done if enough of us want it to get done. Are you one of us?

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 30

 Why Do Black People Get Arrested More Than white People?

This harkens back to past topics, including the school-to-prison pipeline, over-policing of Black and brown neighborhoods, and the 13th Amendment. All those issues add up to more Black people being arrested than white people. Please believe me when I say this is the system working as designed, it’s not broken.

Black and white people commit crimes at about the same rate, but the justice system, built to benefit white people, works to disproportionately affect Black and brown communities.

You might have gotten the idea in your head that Black people must be inherently more dangerous and likely to commit crimes, and this is because of how the media and entertainment industry reinforced what the legal system already does. We see it, we hear about it, but we never think about why. This is white supremacy in action. We are trained to excuse our own issues. white shooter?-lone wolf, mental illness, loneliness, improper upbringing, etc. But always that one person’s issue, never a collective issue. Black shooter? -Well, what do you expect? This is what society and the media beat into our brains daily.

Black people are arrested more because they are literally targeted more. They are overpoliced and the justice system is set up in such a way that people are encouraged to plead guilty in exchange for lesser sentences because it saves time and is less of a strain on an overburdened system. Even if they are not guilty. Keep this in mind.

We must start seeing how white supremacy works to protect white people from punishments Black people rarely are spared from. And get that idea out of your head right now that there is any sort of inherent criminality or violent tendencies by the Black community. That is just pure racism.

Friday, September 29, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 29

Black-on-Black Violence

Oh, this old chestnut...A lot of white people seem terribly concerned about so-called “Black-on-Black” crime/violence, mostly in Chicago, for some reason. Why are you concerned about this? What does it have to do with dismantling white supremacy? Are you trying to imply that because there is this alleged issue, then white people don’t need to stop white-on-Black violence/crime? This is usually in the form of cops. When there is a high-profile murder of a Black person by a cop in this country, this argument pops up. Like clockwork.

Are you concerned at all about white-on-white violence/crime in this country? If not, why not? Have you ever given a thought to segregated cities or gang violence as a direct result of white supremacy? Do you enjoy Mafia movies and shows while railing against “inner city” gang violence? If so, your white supremacy is showing.

Again, this goes back to staying in our lane. Work on dismantling white supremacy, and stay out of Black people’s business.


Thursday, September 28, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 28

Africans Had/Sold Slaves Too...

So, that makes chattel slavery ok? There has been slavery in most societies for as long as there have been humans, and none of it was ok. But chattel slavery, generational slavery, is different from most other forms of slavery, and that must be acknowledged. And it is the basis of our nation. That has to be acknowledged as well. I’m not talking about super long ago slavery, I’m talking about the one that built this country, and all our systems. That’s why it still matters, and why we bring it up even though it was a “long time ago.” Thanksgiving was a long time ago too, but you have no problem bringing it up every November…

The idea of bringing up Africa’s role in the slave trade seems to be an attempt at shifting the blame, but there would be no selling if there was no buying. If there was no market for enslaved people, they wouldn’t be sold. We don’t get to shift that blame. Is that why you bring it up? Are you trying to say that what our ancestors did wasn’t as bad because other people participated in it as well? We shouldn’t have to change our behavior and our systems because others did it too? The other groups didn’t set up a white supremacist system in this country for us to benefit from.

Also, this is a case of staying in our lane. How Black communities in this country and African nations today deal with their past, is actually none of our business. Our business is to dismantle white supremacy. This is a whattaboutism argument of the worst sort.


Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 27

Irish "Slaves"

This is absolutely untrue. There is a huge difference between indentured service, and chattel slavery. Indentured service is voluntary, and temporary. It’s a set time working off a debt in exchange for money for things like passage to the US from Ireland, in this case. It was not being kidnapped, chained to a boat, sold away from friends and family, and living the rest of your life as a captive, working for no pay, and any children you have being born into that system, as well. Indentured service was not generational.

Did the Irish face discrimination in this country when they first arrived? Absolutely, but they were never slaves. They have also since been inducted into whiteness and benefit from and participate in white supremacy now.

Think of indentured service in terms of today. A good example is a person joining the military to pay for medical school or college. The military pays for your schooling, and you work a set amount of time in the military to pay them back. This is a voluntary state of being, unlike the involuntary state of enslavement. It’s insulting to compare the two. Please stop perpetuating this harmful myth.


Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 26

Reparations

This is a mostly unpopular idea for white people in the US, because it involves a potential loss of money, as well as formally acknowledging our nation’s and ancestors’ guilt, and the fact that we currently benefit from white supremacy.

Reparations is the idea of financially compensating people for wrongs done to them, or their ancestors. It is a huge step on the way to equity. No amount of money will ever make up for our past wrongs or current benefits, but it’s mostly symbolic. Black people, and their ancestors, are owed acknowledgement and apologies for what we did.

There is no current consensus of what or how reparations will be handled, but I highly suggest you start working on your feelings about it now. This is the right thing to do. Our nation has done it in the past, for Japanese Americans interned during the second World War. We must do this for Black and Indigenous people in this country. Whether it’s money or land back, the communities should decide, and we make it happen.

No more excuses. But when we do this, it will not resolve inequity or end white supremacy. It won’t be “wiping the slate clean” or “now we’re even.” It’ll be a step in the right direction.


Monday, September 25, 2023

Antiracism 101: So, You Just Found Out You're Racist-Day 25

Yes, the Majority of white People Voted for Trump

I know you can’t fathom that most white people in this country voted for Trump, but the statistics say otherwise. We have to accept the fact that most white people in this country are willing to vote away their own rights in order to maintain white supremacy.

You, like me, might not even now anybody personally who voted for Trump, but we have to accept this hard truth. The majority of white people actively enjoy their white supremacy and will fight tooth and nail to maintain it. Many will say they had no choice, they vote GOP, regardless of the candidate and that it wasn’t about Trump. Whatever the rationale, a GOP vote is a Trump vote.

And on that note, any vote not for the Dem nominee, is a Trump vote. Voting 3rd party, not voting at all, writing in a name, all that works in Trump’s favor. Another large swath of white voters opted to do this, which helped elect Trump.

So, what do we do about this? The fact that we don’t know anybody personally who voted for Trump, is actually a big problem. It means we’re not reaching out to others enough and having those hard conversations. We need to interact more with people who think differently from us, and work with them on white supremacy. This is our job as white antiracists, to do that hard work.

Stats for the Racial Breakdown of the 2016 Election.

Stats for the Racial Breakdown of the 2020 Election.