Racism on My Mind (I'm obviously a Weirdo)!

As an aging white man, the worlds of my past (at least) are very different from my current world!

A classmate posts this picture of fellow high school classmates and their rock band from 1968.   To me - The Confederate Flag - immediately SCREAMS out to me.   To other classmates, the haircuts and clothes and more are what makes the picture fascinating.   When I show the picture to my (Black) wife, her reaction is similar to mine.

Victories is what it is( Personal growth )….what it becomes will be because of a group of men helping to transform it…..I believe by addition…..

Perhaps the addition is a weekend that directly “deals/heals” with diversity…..I know that MH put that out there a few months ago…..

Translating - the man who is partly involved with equity/diversity, Victories is (solely) focused upon personal growth.    So, we nearly all white, het, upper-middle class men focus solely upon our personal growth and perhaps if we succeed in transforming it, it may focus upon issues like racism, sexism, classism and homophobia.

It seems that I have two distinct worlds.   In one world, there are most of the white people that I know.   In that world, the priorities may be in quite a varied set of areas.    They generally only marginally, if at all focus upon issues such as racism, sexism, classism or  homophobia.

In my other world, "political issues" - such as I have noted above are very important!    My "personal" world is very political!    Racism, sexism and homophobia - transphobia - 

are both personal and political within my family and thus in my daily life.

I am Jewish.   S.Y. Agnon, Israeli's first Nobel Laureate was my great-uncle, by marriage.   A significant majority of my father's family lives in Israel.   I have spoken out since the 1980's about how Israel has treated its Palestinian residents (some citizens) that live not by choice in a "Jewish State" that is very similar to apartheid South Africa and the U.S. of not that many years ago.   Killing people- and enslaving people- in my name - as a Jew and a U.S.ian is not o.k.!

I do not expect that other people will make my issues their issues, as in them being equally important.    I do, however, recognize that racism will NOT become a minor issue until it is a "white problem"  or an "all people problem" i the U.S.    As long as it remains a "Black Problem" - change will be miniscule and for each step forward, there often will be a step backward.   Similarly sexism (including rape and domestic violence as well as child abuse) will remain a "women's problem" until we men own it as a "male problem" or an "all people problem".

We will not eliminate racism and sexism until we white men do more than tokenly try to be "better" and actively work to end racism and sexism in varying ways beyond simply talking nice in our individual worlds.    There are many ways in which we can do better! 

Thanks!