The Hidden Toll: How Racism Harms White People
Before I was born, James Baldwin, one of America's most insightful and provocative writers, told a group of Berkeley students:
"Every white person in this country – I don't care what he says or she says – knows one thing. They may not know what they want, but they know they would not like to be Black here. And if they know that, they know everything they need to know. And whatever else they say is a lie."
This powerful statement exposes the unspoken awareness of privilege that exists within white communities, even when that privilege is denied or downplayed. cuts to the heart of a profound truth about race relations in America: we know just how bad it is, even if we've been refusing to admit and confront it.
While the harmful effects of this system on marginalized groups are well-documented, it's crucial to understand that it also inflicts significant damage on white people, too. This is, after all, how white supremacy works.
Understanding Racism
I can already hear it: "But Kelie, I'm not a white supremacist!"
White supremacy doesn't mean you are a white supremacist. Instead, it describes an interlocking system of oppression that combines racism, sexism, and capitalism. It's a framework popularized by cultural critic and feminist theorist bell hooks to highlight how these systems work together to maintain social hierarchies and inequalities.
White supremacy (and its best friend, patriarchy) isn't just about individual beliefs or actions. It's a pervasive societal structure that:
- Promotes the belief in the superiority of white people over other racial groups
- Upholds male dominance in political, social, and economic spheres
- Exploits marginalized groups for economic gain
This system is deeply ingrained in our institutions, cultural norms, and even our subconscious minds. It's so pervasive that many people, especially those who benefit from it—even marginally—are likely to deny its effects.
The Psychological Burden of Privilege
Baldwin's quote points to a fundamental psychological burden that this phenomenon places on white people: the awareness that being white confers unearned advantages—even if unacknowledged— creates a cognitive dissonance. This internal conflict arises from the gap between the ideal of equality that many of us profess and the reality of systemic racism we implicitly understand.
This dissonance can lead to guilt and shame that are often unprocessed or misdirected, denial and defensiveness when confronted with racial issues, anxiety about losing status or privilege, and difficulty forming authentic relationships across racial lines.
The psychological toll requires constant mental energy to uphold false narratives of superiority or to deny the existence of systemic racism. This energy could otherwise be directed towards personal growth, empathy, and building genuine connections with others. It's often the case that once you see these systems you can no longer pretend not to see them.
Another racist harm to white people is isolation from diverse experiences and perspectives. When racial and gender boundaries are strictly maintained, white people have only superficial relationships and interactions with Black folks. This isolation leads to limited cultural exposure and understanding, missed opportunities for personal and intellectual growth, perpetuation of stereotypes and misunderstandings, and difficulty in navigating an increasingly diverse world.
The homogenized social environment that results from this system deprives white individuals of the richness and learning that comes from diverse interactions. It creates a false sense of normalcy that doesn't reflect the true diversity of human experience.
The Economic Cost of Racism
While white supremacist patriarchy may seem to economically benefit white people (especially white men, in the short term) it ultimately harms everyone, including its perceived beneficiaries. Here's how:
- It stifles innovation by limiting diverse perspectives in the workplace
- It creates economic policies that favor the few at the expense of broader societal well-being
- It leads to economic instability and inequality, which affects all members of society
- It discourages the full use of talent from marginalized groups, hindering overall economic growth
By being unwilling to confront this system, we rob ourselves of the creation of a more dynamic, innovative, and prosperous economy and society that could benefit everyone.
The Swimming Pool Metaphor: A Concrete Example of Racism's Cost
Heather McGhee (pictured above), in her book "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together," provides a powerful metaphor for how racism harms everyone, including white people: the story of public swimming pools.
In the early to mid-20th century, many American cities built grand, resort-style public pools as symbols of civic pride and community investment. However, when the civil rights movement pushed for integration, many cities chose to drain and close these pools rather than allow Black and white people to swim together.
This "drained-pool politics," as McGhee calls it, is a stark example of how racism leads to the withdrawal of public goods and services when they must be shared across racial lines. The closure of these pools didn't just deprive Black communities of recreational spaces; it also took away valuable public resources from white communities. This pattern has repeated itself in various forms across the country, from the defunding of public schools to the resistance against universal healthcare.
In Oregon, where I live, this history of racial exclusion runs deep. While specific examples of pools being filled in due to racism are not explicitly documented, the state's history of Black exclusion laws provides a context for understanding how such practices could have occurred. Oregon's past includes a series of laws designed to prevent Black people from settling in the state, effectively establishing it as a "white utopia".
This legacy of exclusion likely extended to public spaces like swimming pools, contributing to the broader narrative of racial segregation and discrimination in the state. The swimming pool example illustrates how racism can lead to a lose-lose situation. When white people, driven by racial animus, choose to eliminate public goods rather than share them, they also deprive themselves and their communities of valuable resources. This zero-sum thinking ultimately results in poorer outcomes for everyone, regardless of race.
The Moral and Spiritual Cost
Perhaps the most profound harm that white supremacy inflicts on white people is moral and spiritual. By participating in or benefiting from an unjust system, even unwittingly, individuals compromise their own humanity. This results in diminished capacity for empathy and compassion, a stunted sense of justice and fairness, difficulty forming genuine, equal relationships with people of all backgrounds and an extremely limited understanding of oneself and one's place in the world.
James Baldwin himself spoke extensively about how racism dehumanizes not just its victims, but also its perpetrators. The same can be said for the broader system of white supremacist patriarchy. It asks white people, especially white men, to accept a false sense of superiority at the cost of their full humanity.
The Path Forward
Recognizing the harm that white supremacist patriarchy inflicts on everyone, including white people, is a crucial step towards dismantling this system. It's not about inducing guilt or shame, but about understanding how this system limits our collective potential for growth, connection, and true equality.
Moving forward requires:
- Acknowledging the reality of systemic racism and sexism
- Actively working to dismantle these systems in our institutions and daily lives
- Accepting that we will experience temporary discomfort while we confront these issues and build something better
- Embracing diversity and seeking out diverse perspectives
- Cultivating empathy and genuine connections across racial and gender lines
In the end, creating a more equitable world benefits everyone, allowing all of us to live more authentic, connected, and fulfilling lives.
Once we acknowledge the truth of our situation, we can begin the challenging but necessary work of creating a society that truly values and uplifts all its members. By understanding our shared history, including the legacy of exclusion laws in places like Oregon, and recognizing how racism has led to the loss of public goods like swimming pools, we can better appreciate the true cost of maintaining systems of oppression.
It's only through this understanding that we can work towards building a society that benefits all its members, regardless of race.
