Social CommentaryVanessa EvoenJune 01, 2020social justice, black lives matter, social activism, activism2 Comments

A Call to Action: A Zero Tolerance Policy for Willful Ignorance on Social Injustice

Social CommentaryVanessa EvoenJune 01, 2020social justice, black lives matter, social activism, activism2 Comments

““Every society has its protectors of the status quo, and it’s fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant, and to face the challenge of change.” - MLK”

Henceforth, as a black woman, I am holding every person and cooperation/business I interact with accountable for dissembling the structures of white supremacy. I immigrated to the US in 2005 with two goals in mind; 1) successful career in a STEM field, and 2) encourage as many people of color as I can to do the same. However, I have spent the last week in turmoil because, along the way- I have given my care, love, friendship, and financial support to willfully ignorant people and cooperations who uphold the status quo. I am no longer aiding and abetting systemic oppression.

For most of my experience in the United States, I have almost always been the only black girl, surrounded mainly by white and Asian people, and in fewer numbers, Hispanic people. I recall when I first talked to a guidance counselor at the local community college. I told her I wanted to go to UCLA to study engineering and Caltech/MIT for a graduate degree. She looked at me with a smirk and said, "people always overextend; let's shoot for a Cal State." She proceeded to give me the course requirements for transfer to a Cal State. I remember not understanding how to process that interaction. I eventually went online at the computer lab (yes, I didn't have a laptop), to plan out my class schedule. I had never been underestimated academically until this experience in the US.

Unfailingly since this encounter, every time I meet a new person in this space, I see the judgment in their eyes; I see the evaluation. I see the checklist that they parse, and I see the shift in standing when I have passed the assessment. Attractive - check, educated - check, smart - check, interesting - check, and very smart - check. I hate to admit it, but I got accustomed to, perhaps even enjoyed, being underrated. I always knew I had what it took, to surprise, to beat expectations, and to overtake my challenger. I am acutely aware that it is with a stroke of luck and hard work I have achieved some of my goals, but I cannot help but wonder if some of the people I have allowed to have access to me, would consider me EQUAL to them if I did not pass their shrouded litmus test. And that is the problem!

I am not speaking about overt racism. On my first day on campus at Caltech, a Jewish student told me I was only there because of affirmative action. A white guy called me the N-word and threw an open can of Budweiser at me from a moving car, as I biked to school. I have been kicked off the Caltech campus by campus police because the Hispanic officer did not believe I was a student. I have had a white lab mate tell me black people are "not cut out for science," I have had said lab mate actively dog me in every step of my Ph.D. I have experienced overt racism in many forms, and I am not disappointed in how I handled any of these situations. I am disappointed in how I have handled covert racism.

“ I am disappointed in how I have handled covert racism.”

This week I have been taken back to so many memories from my past. I recall an incident that happened in grad school in 2014. During the Ferguson riots, when an Asian colleague asked mid-conversation at lunch, "I know you would be objective about this situation because you are well educated. What do you think about this Black Lives Matter movement? If you were a cop and had a big black man attacking you, wouldn't you shoot him too?" The whole table was silent. I responded with a similar phlegmatic way I would react if I were discussing science. I kept my cool, said if you look at the facts, neither Trayvon Martin nor Michael Brown deserved to die. I argued that fear of unarmed black men is not an adequate reason for an armed citizen or a police officer to decide to shoot to kill. None of my friends/colleagues said anything to defend my argument. I saw that almost everyone around me was uncomfortable till a supposed peacemaker tried to diffuse the situation with a joke. I decided to 'back off' and just stated, "we can agree to disagree, but America has a history of race relations you wouldn't understand." I look back at this situation with regret because, at that moment, I did not say enough. Following this, I was still cordial; he might have even considered me a friend. I never actively called him out or compelled him to evaluate his prejudice. I never held him accountable for his ignorance.

I can recall numerous similar situations with friends and coworkers. I have not held so many people I have interacted with, accountable for willful ignorance. People who tout "... but black people commit more crime", "... but nobody is outraged by black on white/Asian crime!" "... why do Africans always need aid". I have allowed such people to continue to have access to ME because I have been gentle and cowardly in my objection. I felt if I demonstrated that I was an upstanding member of society, it would help 'cure' their prejudice. This is where I feel like I have failed.

Although I denounce overt racism, until very recently, I have not actively rooted out covert racism. I have not held people I interact with accountable for being educated about social injustice, white supremacy, the root of white supremacy, the evils of colonialism, income inequality, etc.

Why have I allowed people that are willfully ignorant about the society they live in have access to me, my civility, friendship, and validation?! Most of my peers are scientists, engineers, doctors, who make a living, being objective, and data-driven. So why have I tolerated laziness when it comes to social studies? Why have I supported businesses, brands, influencers who have not demonstrated real solidarity and support for issues marginalized people face? It is not enough to be passive; it is not enough to be non-racist, henceforth, to have access to me, you have to be ANTI racist.

“It is not enough to be passive; it is not enough to be non-racist, henceforth, to have access to me, you have to be ANTI racist. ”

Everyone in modern society needs to study and understand systemic racism. Especially white people, your ancestors built and upheld this system, take responsibility for it. I am also speaking to immigrant populations of the Asians and Africans, who have not made an effort to study America's history. The 1965 Immigration Act only allowed Asian immigrants with high levels of education and specialized skills in the United States. This influx of immigration created the Asian Model minority that was predetermined to be successful. The media painted the model minority as 'good,' law-abiding citizens, in stark contrast to black people, who were protesting for their civil rights in this period. As a black immigrant, I am conscious of the fact that my struggles in the US are in many ways similar to those of African American descendants of slaves, but in more ways, very different.

Examine America's history, beginning with the exploitation of the Native American population. Educate yourself on slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow laws, the prison industrial complex, the creation of 'ghettos.' Understand how white supremacy's inception in Europe created the current geopolitical climate across the globe. I have never met one European who won't proudly assert that racism in Europe isn't as bad as America. I have lived in Europe and America, and this is unequivocally false! Europe hasn't had its overdue civil rights movement. Understand the struggles Asian minorities face in the US, study the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the lasting effects of Japanese concentration camps in WWII. Acknowledge the roles Asian countries have played in the exploitation of African countries for resources, and condemn the ongoing persecution of Africans in Asian and Arab countries. Fight oppression against Muslims and other marginalized groups in the Middle East, by acknowledging how the West destabilized the Middle East and supporting policies that aim to bring peace and stability to people who have been robbed of their humanity. Understand the struggles of queer and trans communities, and support their fight for equality.

Racism and prejudice is a form of trauma. Racial microaggressions cause lasting transgenerational psychological and physiological effects. The oppressed do not enjoy talking about their oppression, protesting for their rights, sharing graphic traumatizing videos, creating hashtags to spread awareness. There is a long list of human rights violations worldwide, and it should be a continuous, ongoing effort to study them, and consequently affect change. Concerning the outrage sweeping America right now following the murder of George Floyd, it should be clear; there is racial bias in the administration of capital punishment. If you are not outraged, you are on the wrong side of history.

“Concerning the outrage sweeping America right now following the murder of George Floyd, it should be clear; there is racial bias in the administration of capital punishment. If you are not outraged, you are on the wrong side of history”

If you are willfully ignorant of your society's history, you are part of the problem and, albeit unwittingly, the oppressor. You are the oppressor because, through conscious or unconscious bias, you perpetuate systemic racism.

The arduous task ahead is to hold EVERYONE we interact with accountable. As a person who works in tech in the Bay Area, I know it will take sacrifice, and I am ready. If all of the people in positions of power, cops, judges, and politicians had previously been held accountable for their prejudice, by family members, friends, and coworkers, how much progress might this society have made? How has Amy Cooper not been held accountable for her prejudice until now? Everyone she had interacted with before Christian filmed her, likely enabled her.

Racism isn't purely hate. Hate is one manifestation of racism. You might like people of a different race, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't treat them with prejudice. This insidious disease must be acknowledged and unlearned, especially if you have the privilege of being white or a model minority.

Henceforth, I will be acutely aware of prejudice, and I will call it out, in people, in structures, regardless of identity or standing. I'm going to do better about not cowing to racism, not adjusting to racism, not trying to beat racism; I want to FIGHT systemic racism. If ‘we the people’ do not individually take ownership of systemic racism, the system, our society, will not change.

“If ‘we the people’ do not individually take ownership of systemic racism, the system, our society, will not change. ”

As a black woman, to have access to me from now on, you need to do the work to understand black history and be aware of current geopolitical and socioeconomic issues that affect black people worldwide. I ask all other minorities to expect the same from others, respectively. Henceforth, reparations for decades of oppression must be interpersonal, in perpetuity. Willful ignorance will no longer be tolerated.

Resources on Organizations fighting the good fight

policing.civilrights.org/toolkit/

obama.org/anguish-and-action

If you are looking to donate

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Nationwide Bail Fund for protestors in your community

Comprehensive list of local organizations supporting protestors

Campaign Zero-Organization that utilizes a research-based platform to end police brutality

ACLU - Minnesota

The Movement For Black Lives

George Floyd - GoFundMe

Ahmaud Arbery -GoFundMe