5.9
June 5, 2020

Dear White People: How F*cking Dare We? {Poem}

How dare we take people of colour from their homelands with violence. 

And build new worlds on their backs.

How dare we enslave black men and women and children, and deny them the rights and dignity they have always deserved.

How dare we distance our own selves from what our white ancestors have done,

While reaping the privilege it has bestowed on only our fair skin.

How dare we take from black culture the parts we choose,

While discriminating against black people for the very same things.

How dare we refuse to show support for our black friends for fear of being judged.

How dare we counter the words “black lives matter” with the words “all lives matter.”

How dare we refuse to share the same space with people of colour.

How dare we prioritise the medical care of white people over black people.

How dare we say “I’m not racist, but…”

How dare we remain silent when we should have called out hateful slurs.

How dare we choose a white candidate because their name caters to the racist clientele we are servicing.

How dare we make assumptions about people because of the colour of their skin.

How dare we refuse to stand up to our racist colleagues, family, and friends.

How dare we refuse to educate ourselves because it’s too uncomfortable.

How dare we use our white privilege to silence black pleas for help.

How dare we deny people of colour the very mercy we preach in our houses of worship.

How dare we decline to hold our own race accountable.

How dare we be complicit in racism.

How dare we strangle their voices with our white hands.

How dare we remain deaf to black cries for justice.

How dare we remain blind to the suffering we have caused.

How dare we keep our knees on their necks.

How dare we.

How f*cking dare we.

~

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