White supremacy is like water. It seeps into every crack and crevice. It pools in low areas, creating a narrative of normalcy for all other isms to thrive. It drips from the mouths of agents who seek to maintain control and it eats away at the resolve of those who attempt to contain it. It consistently searches for a river that will help it travel to those who do not have access to it.
It is in you and me. No matter the color of our skin or the environment we were raised in. Just like the 60% of our body that is water, it flows through us in ways that we cannot control, but with an understanding of how to contain it, we can move forward.
Unlike water, which we need to survive, we do not need white supremacy. But in order to tear it down and build a better future, we have to agree that it isn’t a necessity. That, in fact, we can live good lives within a structure that does not rely on one group of people being considered superior to all others. That we are all genuinely equal and can live in community with one another. Helping each other, rather than calling each other out. Pulling people close, rather than pushing them away. Understanding that if we don’t work together as one human race, we will lose the ability to have our home on earth.
When water freezes, it does even more damage. It can burst pipes and cause vehicles to spin out. It can wreak havoc on a community. White supremacy has frozen our systems of governance, commerce, and justice. It has seeped in and allowed the systems to stay in place that favor the few over the many.
White supremacy is like water, but we can turn off the faucet and stop the damage. We can listen to those who have been oppressed in this supposedly free nation and learn how to dismantle the white supremacist systems. We can stay engaged and do the work to move forward. We can stop the flow of misinformation shared online, in the media, and person to person by talking to one another about change. White people need to talk to other white people about white supremacy and how to stop the flow. The faucet has been steadily dripping over the years and it is time to gain control, once and for all. When everything is soaked, it may seem impossible to find the surface, but can do it together. Dry ourselves off and move forward as a people.