By Guest Columnist Sabra Williams
My dear Brits- This is for my white brothers and sisters.
Let me start by saying that wherever you are reading this in America, you are on land stolen in a genocide. In LA we are on is Tongva land. Blessings on the Tongva people.
My name is Sabra Williams. I am an actor and activist and have been living and working in LA for eighteen years. I am a mixed-race woman of color and have a twenty-year old son, Kai, who is darker than me. After Trayvon Martin died, my husband and I talked for hours and days about giving Kai ‘The Talk’. We agonized over it for many reasons- we didn’t want him to be scared of the police, or feel different, or feel less than. We were also frankly angry at the injustice that his white friends’ parents didn’t even have to know what The Talk was. But we sat him down and did it because the alternative could be his death. Can you imagine how that feels? And at twelve, it was tragic to hear him say, “Yes, I already know Mum because of Trayvon” Our children are not safe. We can be lynched in public with no repercussions. We can be shot or strangled because of the color of our skin for just walking down a street.
Take a breath right now and ask yourself how you feel? Angry, ashamed, sad, indignant, scared? Are you justifying how you feel with something like, “not all white people…” “But looting isn’t the way…” “MLK said…” “I have many black friends..”
I’m not asking you not to feel these things, in fact they are proof that something is moving inside of you and you’re ready to make change. But they are only feelings, not facts and they will change. What hasn’t changed so far is the cause of them. Like it or not we live in a culture founded and upheld on White Supremacy. That is a fact, not an opinion or a feeling. And, after 400 years of struggle it’s time for you to get to work. We’re not asking only you to do this work however, we have been doing it for 400 years just to survive and not lose our minds. We are asking you to join us. It will be messy, we will all make mistakes. It will be supremely uncomfortable and completely exhausting, but you will also find joy in solidarity and growth. Listen to black and brown people. Sit with your discomfort. Instead of responding, read, watch, take action. This moment will be in the history books of tomorrow. Do you want to be able to say you were on the right side of history? That takes more than hashtags, it’s work- long-term, generational work.
Here’s a place to start: Instead of amplifying the tiny percentage of protestors looting, amplify the peaceful ones (and not just cops kneeling). And while I don’t condone looting, bear in mind that rich folks aren’t doing it. Why is that? People who have what they need don’t do it. When we target young people with aspirational advertising of things they then think they need to be successful and happy, and will never be able to have, they act out when they have the chance. They are showing us our deficiencies. If you are ever intending to highlight the looting, I challenge you to attend just one march. Walk with us and you will see. If you amplify the looting and not the reasons for the protests, you must also post your plan to end white supremacy. In fact, what is your plan to end white supremacy? Maybe start working on that.
If you want to be a true ally and start to do your work, there are some great resources and ways to make change on this website: https://www.awarela.org/white-people-4-black-lives
Thanks to my friend Craig for inviting me to share and for amplifying black voices. You are an ally.
I look forward to seeing you all on the streets and at the ballot box. Let’s GO!
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
(Sabra Williams is the Executive Director of Creative Acts and a Visiting Lecturer at UCLA)
