To the editor:
I’m a white woman. I have a white family. I have white privilege.
• I can drive down the road and be pulled over, and if I jump out of my car apologizing the police won’t think twice.
• I can easily buy my child a doll that looks like him or her.
• I can walk through an expensive neighborhood and have no heads turn.
• I will never have to sit my son down and explain to him that a lot of the world will be against him and will expect him to be a statistic and nothing else.
Each and everyday this world falls further and further from Christ. Racism breaks my heart, knowing that I have these “privileges” breaks my heart, but they are privileges and it’s not right. As a white person living in a white world it’s so easy to turn your head and pretend this stuff doesn’t exist or even that it doesn’t effect you because in fact it does!
Here’s why: as mothers and fathers it’s our responsibility to change the way our children grow up to see the world, we can’t just tell them “treat everyone the same” or “don’t look at color.” It goes beyond that! You need to put love in their hearts, you need them to learn and know that God made each person and there will be terrible people that walk among us but God loves those people too.
We need to teach our children to stand up when they see something that’s not right, to embrace who they are, to have good manners, and even greater morals. We may not see the end of racism in our lifetimes but they can see it end in theirs! Color should not define someone. Color should not give you the right to confront an individual with guns drawn. We have a responsibility as Americans to stand up and protect all Americans.
Deborah Conner
Rockingham