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jennymagleave5y ago
Because of the systemic racism that black people have experienced throughout history that constitutes centuries of hate, violence, fear and ignorance, the least that white people can do is to educate ourselves in how to tackle white supremacy. There are hundreds if not thousands of books, infograms, documentaries and podcasts - to name a few resources - to educate white people about racism. Black people do not owe us the energy to teach us about their history, frustrations and injustices. Frankly, to educate ourselves about racism and our own privilege is the very least that white people can do.
Link to some educational books here: https://secretmanchester.com/books-educate-systematic-racism/#:~:text=%2010%20Books%20To%20Invest%20In%20Now%20That,in%20all%20parts%20of%20our%20culture%3A...%20More%20
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For
JoiFoote15y ago
**Whilst black people may be in an advantaged position to educate white people about racism, this does not translate to an inherent responsibility.**
- My issue with this statement lies in the word ‘responsibility. This implies black people have an obligation to educate white people about racism. This I believe is not the case. Black people are in no way required to do so.
- However, this is not to say they do not occupy a better position in enlightening white people about racism. Although racism doesn’t solely affect those who are black, [‘Racism harms black people the most’]( https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/09/black-people-racism-anti-blackness-discrimination-minorities) As such their experiences on this particular subject put black people in an advantaged position.
- This is something we can analyse in terms of standpoint theory. [Standpoint theory has three main arguments.]( https://iep.utm.edu/fem-stan/)
1. That knowledge is socially situated.
2. Marginalized groups are socially situated in ways that make it more possible for them to be aware of things and ask questions than it is for the non-marginalized.
3. Research, particularly that focused on power relations, should begin with the lives of the marginalized.
Black people occupy a privileged point of view, they are advantaged in terms of their experiences of racial oppression. However, as previously mentioned this does not come with it the responsibility to educate others on said point of view.
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