Reading and Tweeting Are Not Enough, but Neither Is Protesting

Sustaining white antiracism requires real cross-racial connection and relationship

Photo: Diego Lozano on Unsplash

Don’t worry. This will not be yet another essay lamenting the sometimes performative nature of white antiracist activism since the killing of George Floyd.

First, we already have enough of those, most of which amount to the woke-scolding of racial justice newcomers by those who think making folks feel shitty for an admittedly simplistic Instagram post will help grow the movement. Hint: It won’t.

Neither will insisting that white outrage now is meaningless because it didn’t emerge in sufficient amplitude five or 10 or 20 or 400 years ago. However justifiable that frustration—it is entirely so, and I share it—such sentiments are 0% effective at changing anything or anyone, so I won’t be adding to that despairing genre of commentary anytime soon.

But second, even the things typically considered more substantive, like protesting, can be performative.

Marching with a sign that spells America with three Ks, while perhaps cathartic on some level, doesn’t transform law enforcement or bring about a different system of public safety.