We Cannot Solve Racial Injustice in a Vacuum
Let me make this 1000% clear, if it is not already:
Our current world was INTENTIONALLY set up to be hierarchical.
As a large part of that, race, an artificial construct, was created to dehumanize, minimize, traumatize and often eradicate a large portion of humanity. This has been proven time and time again—through genocide, medical experimentation, slavery, and the criminal justice system.
I truly appreciate that we are collectively waking up to the level at which these injustices have existed and continue to exist. I often see statements that “we must do better.” And we must…but how? Remember, there is a contingent of folks who take no issue with being racist. For them, there is nothing to fix—except perhaps creating MORE systems of oppression. There is no “do better” with the intention of eradicating racism, so we probably can’t address it from that angle with everyone.
So…consider this: racial injustice cannot be addressed in a vacuum. In addition to targeted racial justice initiatives, we need a holistic approach that targets root causes that have nothing to do with race. Racial injustice, as I see it, exists because of our deep need to scapegoat others for our personal and collective pain (I’m simplifying here, because there are other reasons it exists, as well). But ultimately, racism is a symptom of a sick society. When we heal the source of physical illness, the symptoms usually fade. Can it also do so here?
We must keep getting deeper and deeper into this collective illness—addressing generations of unresolved trauma. Perhaps, then the toxic “need for racism” as a maladaptive symptom can dissolve.
