Caution: White People
I need to practice more caution with ‘White’ people, y’all — for realz!
First, I don’t have anything against a stranger just because they happen to fit a description of Whiteness. I don’t think there is anything—good or bad—inherent to character based on lightness of skin. I have, however, come to understand White culture—the practices, ideologies, and modalities that are particular to aspirant Whiteness—as problematic for me. These cultural peculiarities make it psychologically treacherous for me to engage with people in a White cultural context without taking precautions.
Foremost, Whiteness was not developed with the safety of non-White people in mind. Whiteness was developed specifically at the exclusion of non-Whites and to subvert the sovereignty of non-White people. (Read Theodore W. Allen’s ‘The Invention of the White Race’.) Historical reality makes being White as an intentional practice, an act of anti-Blackness. Fortunately, a lot of people already know that, and adjust accordingly. Most people I encounter don’t make a production of their White cultural identity the way other cultures get promoted and performed outwardly and openly. That is not a contradiction.
If you’re scratching your head right now, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people I’ve encountered don’t even know what Whiteness is. It’s not that they think it’s one thing when it’s something else. People generally can’t answer the question “What does it mean to be White?” or name a common practice of White culture (other than comic stereotypes). Jokes about rhythm, cooking ability, blandness, lack of style and the like are humorous attempts to give a benevolent face to something that is anything but harmless.
I’m not conflating White with being Western, either. I’m not using White as interchangeable with being of European descent. I’m not even referring to phenotypical Whiteness—having so-called white skin. I’m talking about the Whiteness that was codified in law in the U.S. and then exported to the rest of the world by theologians, scientists and political thinkers. I’m talking about the Whiteness that was asserted as the dominant race under a doctrine of White supremacy.
That being the case, it is a risk for me as a non-White person to engage with anyone within a White context—in an environment that has been shaped predominantly by an adherence to White standards—who hasn’t investigated what it means to be White. This is regardless of their appearance. Those spaces were routinely weaponized against non-Whites and still do psychological damage. Entrances, facilities, amenities were weaponized with “Whites only” signs. Times of the day were weaponized by nefarious activities taking place routinely and exclusively at those times (such as night raids). Actions were weaponized like reading, looking, and walking. Where a person is allowed to live was weaponized. Black bodies have been weaponized against themselves (what they look like and how they are exploited).
Once weaponized, Whiteness can never be benign and can be wielded against non-Whites at-will. Proximity to Whiteness that hasn’t been examined is a minefield of triggers based on the ways that Black and Brown bodies have been under threat because of the general weaponization of our existences. I acknowledge that danger and enter those spaces with caution. I allow myself time to calibrate my own apprehension—not paranoia—and assess potential hazards. I have to read the body language of the people present. I listen for tone and check the decor for signs of hostility and welcome. This kind of inspection isn’t unique to being Black among dominant Whiteness. Women do it in male-centric spaces. I do it as a trans person.
My experience of race requires safety checking and it’s time I made that transparent. I’m asked, “Is something wrong?” at a loss for words not having taken the time to articulate it for myself. I’d like to be able to ask the question openly: Does this place seem safe to everyone? I want to get better at checking in with myself and to stop assuming a place is safe just because it’s “nice.” As for my White-passing colleagues, it might not hurt for you to do some of the vetting as well. In case you’re not sure how to start, perhaps you can count the number of non-Whites in the room and ask yourself why that is.
—Notorious Pink
