Afterthought #31—Part of the Problem, Part of the Solution

Even though I took a break from news headlines while on Vacation Time, I’ve been aware of the turmoil in Ferguson, MO since the killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson.  This essay, Different Rules Apply by Matt Zoller Seitz, reminded me that I’m part of the problem of racism and white privilege.  I urge you to read Seitz’s personal reflection that leads to this conclusion:

... there’s another lesson to draw from the incident, and it’s more disturbing, because it illuminates the flaws in a larger society, as well as the fact that complicity in racism is mostly passive: if you’re not fighting inequality every day, in ways both large and small, and if you accept the benefits of white privilege without questioning their rightness, you’re part of the problem, too. 

One group that is “fighting inequality every day” is the American Friends Service Committee and its efforts to confront systemic racism. I may be very far from Ferguson, but I can join this work by contributing to AFSC's response to the crisis in Ferguson. One small step toward being part of a solution to the problem of white privilege.

“Afterthoughts” are my blog version of a practice followed in some Quaker meetings. After meeting for worship ends, people continue in silence for a few more minutes during which they’re invited to share thoughts or reflect on the morning's worship. I’ve adopted the form here for last-day-of-the-month brief reflections on headlines, quotes, comments overheard, maybe even bumper stickers.