Why Can't We Talk About Racism?

It only takes one well-armed racist to make a tragedy. In this case, that well-armed racist murdered nine black men and women (mostly the latter) in cold blood. The killer was white and had quite the history of racially charged statements. When he was getting ready to gun down his victims, he made the statement, "you rape our women and you're taking over our country." He has an "us vs. them" mentality that is plain for all to see. His car had Confederate plates and, according to his roommate, he favored segregation. 

The killer was undoubtedly racist and had an agenda that included the brutal murder of black men and women. This is beyond clear. Why is it, then, that we are so bad at acknowledging this? Why has the governor of South Carolina posted a statement in which she muses on the fact that "we do know that we'll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take the life of another"? Why are Fox News and Senator Lindsey Graham trying so hard to redirect this crime towards that of faith rather than skin color? 

Why can't we talk about racism? Because we don't want to. I suppose this seems like an overly simplistic and vague answer to a question that demands a much broader explanation, but it's the answer that many people (white people, in particular) need to hear. It's the answer that reveals the protestations for what they are: childish stubbornness. We don't want to talk about racism because we've created the myth that it doesn't exist. We've built up this myth so much that we actually believe it. We've so wholeheartedly embraced this myth to the point where we have started whitewashing history. It doesn't take a historian to note that. Just look at South Carolina, the state where this most recent massacre took place. 

Flying the colors of a former (and failed) seceding nation that fought on the side of racism is an excellent example of this collective mindset of willful ignorance. Ta-Nehisi Coates has already broached this subject much more eloquently than I ever could here. But his call for the take down of this symbol of systemic racism has unfortunately, for now, fallen on deaf ears. 

We like to think that racism is dead, killed by the Civil War Amendments and buried by 1960s legislation. We like to think we've kicked a nasty habit of our forefathers and that we live in a new progressive world of forward thought and color blindness. But it precisely this post-racial mythical world that we have fashioned for ourselves that perpetuates a racist mindset and prevents us from pinpointing racism when we see it. It's uncomfortable and incriminates ourselves as assets to the crime. 

I can't do anything about the collective consciousness of anachronistic white folk and a media that likes to avoid discomfort at all costs, but I can throw in my support as an ally and step forward to say this: I am sorry. I am sorry that we are so bad at talking about racism and I am sorry that I have contributed in any way to its perpetuation. 

I am sorry that one guy with racist ideas and a gun killed nine of your sisters and brothers. Their names are here: 

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton 

Rev. Clementa Pinckney 

Cynthia Hurd 

Tywanza Sanders

Myra Thompson 

Ethel Lee Lance 

Daniel L. Simmons 

Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor

Susie Jackson 

(Buzzfeed has actually written up a beautiful memorial for them here.)

I am sorry this tragedy happened, especially because I know it could have been avoided. The first step to avoiding any more massacres is admitting to ourselves that racism is alive and that it is extinguishing black lives. From there, we can work towards further progress. Please, please, please spread the word. Inform your friends and family. Have the uncomfortable chat. Let's talk about racism until it truly is dead and buried.