Dismantling White Privilege: Manifest Destiny

In order for the systems of racism to be dismantled, the responsibility lies upon the shoulders of white people since we are the ones who have created, benefitted and continue to benefit from these systems of inequalities.

This is not a debate. White privilege exists and what is more, this country, The United States of America, functions within a white supremacist system. This is fact. Furthermore, when we debate the validity of these proven facts, we negate the experience of people of color by denying the realities that are, which only results in perpetuating white supremacy.

Note, if one is already experiencing resistance to the above mentioned realities, check in with that resistance. Where is it coming from and why? Don’t give into the defensiveness and keep reading.

It is time to move past denial and debate and enter acceptance and action.

These writings will be a historical evaluation of the origins of white supremacy in this country and they will each be tied back to events taking place today. This is not white guilt for what has happened in the past; rather, this is white study of the historical systems that were put in place that are still alive today that perpetuate the systems of white supremacy.

Before we begin, there are a couple of distinctions that need to be made:

1.     Racism – is a system of power that only white people can perpetuate because white people are in control of power in this country.

2.     Privilege – benefit(s) that one does not work for but are endowed with i.e. being born white, straight, male, physically and mentally able, etc.

White supremacy is not only limited to ‘white power’ that is often associated with skinheads, neo Nazis, the KKK and other racist groups white power groups. White supremacy is an all-encompassing term that refers to the white power that controls this country. Not all white people are racist and subscribe to racist ideologies; however, all white people live under and benefit from a white supremacist system because white people have been and still are in power in this country.

If one is to dismantle systems of white supremacy, then one must begin by looking at his or her privilege. Being white is a privilege in this country. Being white does not mean that one is inherently racist; but one must be aware of the privileges that come with simply being a white person.

If one is to dismantle systems, one must recognize that white supremacy permeates every ‘system’ i.e. education, corrections, business, housing, etc. within the United States. Dismantling racism must occur at every level within the white supremacist system and none can be overlooked.

Today’s topic: Manifest Destiny

During the 19^th century as the colonists continued to ‘settle’ the ‘new’ world, more and more white Europeans ventured to the ‘new’ world. Today’s unpacking of langue will begin with analyzing the word ‘settle’ which has two pertinent definitions: first, ‘to fix, resolve or appoint definitely and conclusively’ and two, ‘to put in a desired state or order’.

When we consciously, or knowingly make a choice, to refer to the colonists as ‘settlers’, we are in turn saying that they were putting order to the ‘new’ world. What is ironic about this term is that there was upheaval when they arrived because they were displacing and murdering an entire population of peoples. To expand, if we consider the connotation of ‘fixing’ that applies to ‘settle’, this suggests that the continent needed to be ‘fixed’ and that is what the white colonists were able to do.  Words matter. History matters. Context matters.

John O’Sullivan, a journalist of the time, is credited as being one of the first to suggest a ‘divine’, meaning God given right, destiny for the white European expansion of the ‘new’ world. Did O’Sullivan have a conversation with the indigenous populations that already occupied those lands and did they graciously turn over the land because they too agreed that O’Sullivan’s God had decreed that they should be given the land?

Nope.

What is more, O’Sullivan further explained this divine destiny to expand westward was so that a moral dignity and the salvation of man would be established over the land. This sense of religious purpose must be unpacked because ‘saving the heathens’ is a Christian notion that has been used to justify imperialism and colonialism for generations throughout the world.

For many who believe in certain western religions, spreading the word of God is an important tenant of their religious practice. The term ‘heathen’, which is defined as ‘an individual of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible’ and because the indigenous populations that lived in the ‘new’ world did not believe in the God of the Bible, there were generally considered to be heathens.

Taken further, in the Declaration of Independence, the document that the colonists drafted citing the abuses of the British prince and justifying their need to separate themselves from Great Britain, the last abuse they referenced stated this:

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

‘…merciless Indian Savages’ is how the colonists of the times referred to Indigenous populations of the land. ‘Savage’, when referring to a person, is defined as ‘uncivilized’. What made the native populations ‘uncivilized’? The fact that they fought back against imperialist foreign colonists that were murdering them, taking their land and challenging their way of life? Or was it the fact that the indigenous populations did not believe in the God of the Bible?

‘Savage’ was the white European definition of the indigenous populations and should be noted as such.

So to continue with the theme of white entitlement that has been discussed in past editions, let us review the current levels of white entitlement the white European settlers practiced: a). traveling to a foreign land uninvited and b). establishing colonies by taking land away from indigenous peoples and c). then justifying the further expansion into the already occupied lands after already displacing thousands by using one’s own God all while dehumanizing the indigenous people ‘savage’ and ‘heathen’.  The white Europeans literally took this continent from indigenous populations and justified their actions because they claimed their God had ordained their actions.

There was no thought about the indigenous people and their lives, their lands, their cultures, their histories, their customs or their Gods and Goddesses. If there had been, the white Europeans would had left the ‘new’ world and traveled back to Europe. One cannot rationalize that the white Europeans traded goods with the indigenous populations and portioned off lands for them in good faith and brotherly love; today, many Native Reservations are the poorest lands in the country with the highest rates of addiction and alcoholism as well as the highest rates of suicide. Not to mention, that the indigenous populations were dramatically reduced due to disease, war, and genocide. These are not coincidences.

White entitlement began hundreds of years before this country was ‘founded’ and it was white entitlement that stole this land and ‘founded’ the United States of America. The colonists did not stop until all of the northern American territories seeing as some central American territories were acquired as well. Wars were literally fought to take ownership and control over lands that were already occupied by indigenous peoples because not surprisingly, indigenous people did not want to give up these lands. White entitlement could not be satiated until all of the territories had been acquired.

One more, important distinction of white entitlement that needs to be addressed is the belief that ‘divine’ destiny which later was referred to as manifest destiny was behind the justification for white Europeans to claim already occupied lands. To suggest that one’s God had ordained the seizure of lands is the utmost example of entitlement. For those that believe in God, they know not to question or challenge Him for His word is law. And if God ordained something to be, well then, it must be i.e. because God ordained the white Europeans to move west, then they must obey God’s desire and move west.

Furthermore, the fact that ‘God’s desires’ for the white man to expand further west is suspiciously in line with the white ‘settlers’ desires to continue to expand. There is no proof that God exists which in turn means that there is no proof that God did indeed ordain the white ‘settlers’ to move west and thus further displace the indigenous populations that already occupied the land.

There are theories that suggest that trauma can be passed on through genetics meaning that certain populations like African-American or Native-American peoples experience higher levels of trauma because of the trauma their ancestors experienced at the hands of the white colonists and slave traders and owners and I personally believe in this theory.

In light of what is currently happening in this country between white people and their inability to address their white privilege or acknowledge the fact that the United States of America functions off a white supremacist power structure, I believe that another, different and more dangerous genetic trait of entitlement has been passed on through the white population of this country. This is a generalization and I am by no means a sociologist or geneticist that has actually researched this theory; however, whether it be passed on by nature (genetics) or by nurture (conditioning), the level of white entitlement that is still present in the country today is astounding.

One last word that has yet to be defined which is an oversight on my part and that is ‘entitled’, which is defined as, ‘furnish with grounds for laying claim’. When I suggest that white people are ‘entitled’ it means just this, that they feel an innate ability to lay claim to anything and everything. This sense of entitlement permeates white people’s being as can be seen in their actions throughout history and continues today because white people have not truly completed the work to dismantle white supremacy in this country.

If white privilege is not checked by white people, meaning if white people are not aware of their power in United States society and do not work to dismantle their unearned privilege, then they will only result in perpetuating white entitlement and the systems of racism that are a product of white privilege and white entitlement will only grow stronger in this country.

White people, it is time.

The 'Foundation' of the United States Exploited People of Color

In order for the systems of racism to be dismantled, the responsibility lies upon the shoulders of white people since we are the ones who have created, benefitted and continue to benefit from these systems of inequalities.

This is not a debate. White privilege exists and what is more, this country, The United States of America, functions within a white supremacist system. This is fact. Furthermore, when we debate the validity of these proven facts, we negate the experience of people of color by denying the realities that are, which only results in perpetuating white supremacy.

Note, if one is already experiencing resistance to the above mentioned realities, check in with that resistance. Where is it coming from and why? Don’t give into the defensiveness and keep reading.

It is time to move past denial and debate and enter acceptance and action.

These writings will be a historical evaluation of the origins of white supremacy in this country and they will each be tied back to events taking place today. This is not white guilt for what has happened in the past; rather, this is white study of the historical systems that were put in place that are still alive today that perpetuate the systems of white supremacy.

Before we begin, there are a couple of distinctions that need to be made:

1.     Racism – is a system of power that only white people can perpetuate because white people are in control of power in this country.

2.     Privilege – benefit(s) that one does not work for but are endowed with i.e. being born white, straight, male, physically and mentally able, etc.

White supremacy is not only limited to ‘white power’ that is often associated with skinheads, neo Nazis, the KKK and other racist groups white power groups. White supremacy is an all-encompassing term that refers to the white power that controls this country. Not all white people are racist and subscribe to racist ideologies; however, all white people live under and benefit from a white supremacist system because white people have been and still are in power in this country.

If one is to dismantle systems of white supremacy, then one must begin by looking at his or her privilege. Being white is a privilege in this country. Being white does not mean that one is inherently racist; but one must be aware of the privileges that come with simply being a white person.

If one is to dismantle systems, one must recognize that white supremacy permeates every ‘system’ i.e. education, corrections, business, housing, etc. within the United States. Dismantling racism must occur at every level within the white supremacist system and none can be overlooked.

Today’s topic: This Country was Founded on the Exploitation of People of Color

Today’s date is July 8^th, four days after this country celebrated it’s 240^th ‘Independence Day’. The day that North Americans celebrate the anniversary the colonists liberated themselves from the tyrannical British Empire by signing The Declaration of Independence. This day is honored as the day that represents America’s birth as a nation and is observed as a national holiday.

Let’s stop here. This land, this continent, was not unoccupied when the colonists arrived. There were millions of indigenous people that were already occupying this land for generations and in order for the colonists to escape from their tyrannical overlords, they had to displace those indigenous peoples.

Once again, language matters and the term ‘colonists’ needs to be unpacked. Colonists refers to ‘those that colonize’ which in term refers to ‘colonialization’ which is defined as ‘the act of bringing into subjugation’. And just in case anyone is unclear of what ‘subjugation’s means, the definition states: ‘the act, fact, or process of bringing under control; enslavement.’

To recap: whether directly or indirectly, it does not matter, because the colonists fled their homeland to occupy a ‘new’ land, which was already occupied, the white Europeans are defined as colonists and by definition, the act of colonizing a country in turn means the subjugation, or enslavement of, the indigenous population.

Questions?

Yes this all happened over two hundred and forty years ago so why does this matter? All of this matters today because white people need to know and understand that the values of freedom and equality that were written into the ‘founding’ documents of this country that are so cherished, were in reality only written for white men. Before we evaluate I must point out one more troubling word: ‘founded’.

This country, the United States of America, was not ‘founded’, it was stolen. As mentioned before, this continent was already occupied by millions of indigenous peoples who had established cultures, customs, religions and histories that existed long before the white Europeans happened upon the continent.

The word ‘founded’ is too nice as well as too misleading. This word suggests that this continent was empty or somehow waiting for the white Europeans to ‘discover’, occupy and then ‘create’ a country where there was none. Once again language matters. Language matters and I’m going to say it again, language matters!

When we consciously use the word ‘founded’, when we consciously instruct i.e. pass on knowledge with the word ‘founded’, we ignore what really happened. When we use the word ‘founded’, we minimize and ignore the experience of the indigenous peoples that were here prior to the white European colonists. Once again, the United States of America was not ‘founded’, it was stolen. Hear the difference?

This country was stolen from indigenous people who had their own systems, their own ways of life; ways of life that white Europeans did not value. As discussed in the last edition, white entitlement continues here after the ‘Age of Discovery’. White Europeans felt entitled to land that was already occupied. So much so, they had no problems displacing, enslaving and murdering millions of peoples that were already here.

Studying true history through a white supremacist lens is not white guilt. This is white responsibility. If systems of racism are to be dismantled, white people must take on white responsibility of understanding how and where these systems originated. For example, white entitlement, or the belief that white people can take customs and cultures from other people, can be seen today in instances of appropriating cultures as can be seen in team mascots, trending clothing store styles or in Halloween costumes.

As mentioned before, white entitlement began long before the ‘creation’ of the United States of America and if systems of racism are to be dismantled, white people must understand white entitlement and check their actions, their mentalities every day.

Let’s take this deeper. When the ‘founding fathers’ stole this land from indigenous people and created the United States of America, they championed the ‘freedoms’ and ‘liberties’ that had been denied to them from the British Empire. What they chose to ignore and what today’s history continues to neglect, is that these same men were demanding certain freedoms for themselves, were actively denying these basic liberties to populations of people who did not look like them.

The Declaration of Independence, as prophetic and poetic as it may sound, is a lie. The ‘truths’ that are written in this document were written for straight white men, and straight white men alone. This document was not written for the indigenous people that the white Europeans were already displacing, enslaving and murdering nor were they written for the millions of kidnapped, displaced and enslaved Africans that the white Europeans were exploiting and benefitting off of in more than one way.

As noble as the ‘founding principles’ of this country may seem, the reality is that these liberties were never meant for everyone. If they were, there would not have been slavery. Period. The foundational belief that promoted slavery was that Africans were not human; instead, they were subhuman meaning they were below human i.e. property i.e. not equal to the white man.

One cannot argue that the United States of America promises the freedom of equality to everyone and then systematically enslaves an entire population of people. What is more, Africans did not come to this land freely-they were forcibly removed from their country, from their society, from their culture, which means that white Europeans not only removed them from their native lands, but then brought them to a new land and systematically dehumanized and disenfranchised the entire population.

Similar to this is the United States of America cannot claim that this is the land of the free when this land was stolen in the first place. Furthermore, because entire populations of indigenous people were displaced, murdered and enslaved on their land is further proof that freedom was only a right meant from white Europeans. If the white Europeans believed in freedom for ALL peoples, they would have gone back to Europe and left the indigenous populations alone. If freedom and equality were meant to extend to he indigenous populations, there would have been no displacement, no enslavement and no genocide.

We can’t change what happened centuries ago so why talk about it? Though we cannot change history, we can rewrite it. We can change the lies and fallacies we teach and thus promote, which in turn perpetuate white entitlement. We cannot preach one thing, i.e. equality and practice the complete opposite i.e. racism. This is called cognitive dissonance. We believe we are one thing but in actuality, we act in the complete opposite way. If we, white north Americans, truly believe in equality, then we will acknowledge our privilege, acknowledge the inequalities, acknowledge the truth and then move to actually ACT upon change. To act is a verb which means to do something.

Food for thought: if all men were truly equal today it would not revolutionary that we voted our first African-American president after two hundred years. If we truly believed that all men were equal, white murderers and rapists would not be excused as ‘mentally ill’ while murderers of color would be explained as ‘thugs’, ‘drug dealers’ or ‘gang bangers’. If all men were equal the news would not cover white criminals with school photos and use mug shots for suspected criminals of color. If all men are truly equal, white 2^nd amendment enthusiasts would be the first to defend black men’s legal right to open-carry rather than using his same right to justify his killing by a white police officer. If all men are truly equal, police officers would calmly deescalate all offenders committing crimes, resisting arrest, peacefully protesting, playing with a toy gun, selling cigarettes or CDs, obeying traffic stop regulations, running away with his hands up screaming ‘don’t shoot’ without any deaths occurring.

Yes no one wants to be pegged as racist or a bigot or even as privileged. No one wants to take the blame. No one wants to take responsibility. This is part of the problem. Not all white people are racist; but all white people benefit from white supremacist systems that do not equally benefit people of color. White people have privilege. Period. This country was founded by and for white people and the systems that were put in place were put in place by white people. The very foundation of this country ignored people of color and two hundred plus years later, these systems continue to protect white people while persecute people of color. No matter the laws that have been written, people of color have never been and still not are equal and free in this country because of white supremacy. This was the very ‘foundation’ of this country.

To my fellow white people: don’t want to be labeled a bigot, racist or ignorant? Then don’t be one. Don’t believe the racist systems that are present in this country and call out the racist status quo. Do you research and do so without exploiting people of color by demanding to hear about their most personal and difficult experiences pertaining to racism in this country. (FYI you can become aware without re-oppressing someone). Research the racial disparities that are occurring daily in this country and act and speak out against these disparities. You have power. Use it.

Next, check you privilege. You will always be privileged because of the color of your skin and that will never change. Reflect: do you respond with ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ in the face of authority? Is your voice heard? Do you answer first or do you allow someone else to answer before you? Even if you want to speak do you ever hold your tongue and allow everyone else to speak without your input? How much physical space do you take up? Do you wait for people to walk in front of you or do you go first? Do you move to make physical room for other people? Do you notice authority figures eyes following you as you shop in a store? How many times have you been pulled over while driving without being given reason for being stopped? Have you had the talk with your kids yet about ‘how to not get shot’ or ‘how to respond to police when they begin to question you’? Do you bow your head and drop your eyes in the presence of authority? Notice how many times you get stopped by cops walking down the street or talking with your group of friends while in public.

Last but certainly not least, listen. It is time for white people to stop talking and to start listening. We have been talking, creating, mandating, ordaining, ordering, the list goes on for millennia and it is time for us to stop talking and to start listening. This is part of your privilege. You have been heard in your life. People of color have been not. You may feel like you are losing privilege because you are no longer being heard-sit with that uncomfortability. What does that feel like? Imagine if this was your reality, every day of your life. Are you angry? Resentful? It does not feel good. Deal with it.

Create space for others by sitting down and shutting up. Share as much of your privilege as you can. Begin by becoming aware of your white privilege and move on by dismantling the white entitlement you have been directly and indirectly taught from the white supremacist systems of the United States.

Dismantling racism starts with you. It starts with this.

Next Edition: Manifest Destiny