Dear Kiantha: Liberal white women can be racist, too

Dear Kiantha,

I am a white woman who happens to be a liberal, but I don’t think this applies to me. Is liberal white women and racism really a thing?

Dear Friend,

I recently read an article written in February 2020 in the Guardian titled “White women pay a lot of money to learn over dinner that they’re racist.” The article spoke about white liberal women and their proximity to both power and racism. While the article spoke of white liberal women being open to changing their behaviors, it also noted that their behaviors were “a thing.”

The relationship between liberal white women and racism is very nuanced and complicated as most liberal white women (of whom I have thousands of friends who identify as such) are often caring, well-intentioned and supportive until they are not.

For this reason, helping people see that liberal white women and racism is a thing can be daunting.

Luckily, this subject is more than a matter of opinion. Over the past few years, we have seen more and more writers openly discuss the subject of white liberal women and their cadence of power and destruction.

The Washington Post, the New Yorker, the Black Feminist Collective, NPR, the Holy Book and Twitter have all reported on the value of us looking critically at the relationship between white liberal women and racism. This is not to say that all liberal white women are racist because they certainly are not, however, you may be surprised to find racist undertones and hypocrisy inadvertently sprinkled in the actions of many.

A white liberal woman using her social capital, money or proximity to privilege to manipulate or demonize a person or people of color is an example of subtle racism.

The term “Karen” known in pop culture as the identity of a racist white woman who agitates people of color by proclaiming to be victimized by the actions or words of a person of color is a persona often attributed to white liberal women in the workplace and in community settings.

This not-so-subtle behavior is dangerous to the personal and professional lives of people of color.

Satirist Esther McBee, in her debut book, “Live Liberally,” provides a hilarious account of her and her liberal friends and their liberal musings. Consider reading it to see if you and your circle of white liberal women friends can relate. If so, again, you will see that liberal white women and racism is definitely a thing.

The good news is that it is no bigger a “thing” than all the other things we have to work through as a community. The first step is understanding yourself. The second step is being open to do the repair necessary for any harm you may have unknowingly caused as a white liberal woman.

Let’s work on this together.

Soul to Soul, Kiantha