seluvian:

I want to talk about one of the greatest luxuries white people enjoy, without even realizing they have this. To never have to think about racism. I’m not saying some white people don’t consider their impact or their role in white supremacy. I’m saying that the luxury they have is never being required to think about racism. They don’t HAVE to. They don’t live with it. It doesn’t have a negative effect on their lives. In fact, the racist systems this country is built on actively help white people.

People of color, especially black people, have to think about racism constantly. It’s woven into the fabric of our entire lives. Every interaction with white people runs past that filter. And you’d be shocked how much racism we catch that we simply never comment on, at work, at school, even with our friends. I have a lot of white friends. And yes, they do and say racist things, or don’t speak against racist things, maintaining the racist status quo with white-serving white silence. And they never have to consider those actions. They never have to consider their impact. What an incredible luxury, to exist in a world where you can decide whether racism exists, or not. What a gift to live free of that heavy burden that so many of us find chained to our backs.

White people can, and should reblog this, just mind yourselves in the notes.