White supremacy is a shape-shifting beast, an ideology so entrenched in the foundations of this country and in the global colonial legacy that it can be hard to even recognize its presence.
It's not just about overtly racist individuals - it's a poison that has seeped into every crack of our society, infecting our media, our education systems, our beauty standards, our definitions of success. As minorities in the West, especially as Black people who make up only 13% of the American population, we are constantly swimming in a sea of whiteness, where our own cultures and identities are seen as inferior, as something to be suppressed or erased in order to survive.
In a society where white supremacy is so pervasive, operating with a "safety first" mindset is so crucial. We have to protect our minds and spirits from the constant onslaught of white supremacist messaging. It's a sly devil, working its way into our subconscious, making us doubt ourselves, making us feel like we have to contort ourselves into white molds in order to be accepted, to be seen as human. Even in supposedly Black spaces, like HBCUs, white supremacist thinking can take hold, making us value white standards of success, white aesthetics, white ways of being over our own rich cultural heritage.
Elitism, colorism, classism - these are all manifestations of the white supremacist virus that we've internalized. We have to understand that this self-hatred is not natural - it's the result of centuries of psychological warfare. Colonizers and enslavers knew that the most effective way to maintain control was to get inside our heads, to make us believe in our own inferiority. They manipulated religious imagery to equate whiteness with godliness, a masterful and devastating trick. They rewrote history to erase our accomplishments and paint Africa as a dark, primitive continent. They set up caste systems based on proximity to whiteness.
Overcoming this programming is a daily struggle, a constant process of deprogramming and decolonizing our own minds. We have to have the courage to confront these racist thought patterns within ourselves and our communities. To question the unconscious biases that have been drilled into us since birth. To unlearn the lies we've been told about our own alleged unworthiness. It's not easy work, and it can often feel like an uphill battle in a society that is still so resistant to truly confronting its white supremacist foundations.
But this is the work we must do to truly free ourselves. We have to build our own anti-racist communities, collaborating with others who are committed to dismantling white supremacy both within and without. We have to create spaces of radical love and acceptance, where Blackness in all its diversity can be celebrated without the judgmental white gaze. We have to find ways to uplift our own stories, our own heroes, our own cultural traditions, even as the dominant society tries to silence or appropriate them.
Most importantly, we have to protect our energy, to be selective about the influences we allow into our lives and into our minds. Curate your social media feed, your friend circle, the art and media you consume to prioritize Black voices, Black art, Black joy. Heal yourself with self-love and self-care. Nurture your spirit with rituals and practices that connect you to your ancestors, to the divinity within yourself. Remember that your Blackness is not a curse, but a gift, a sacred identity that connects you to a lineage of resilience and beauty and strength.
White supremacy may be a intractable force, but we are not powerless against it. By operating with intention, by making our mental and spiritual health a priority, by building revolutionary communities of resistance, we can begin to break its hold on our lives. We can create a world where Blackness can thrive, where our children can grow up feeling valued and seen and safe in their own skin. It starts with each of us, doing the inner work to decolonize our minds and reclaim our power. And it ripples outwards, as we join forces to dismantle the systems of oppression that have kept us caged for far too long.
None of us are free until we break every chain, until we build a world where every Black life can flourish and shine.