being able to write about your experience with public housing and having people see your need as legitimate. It is getting to write about your living situation in a major metropolitan newspaper. It is being able to gain access to those types of connections despite not having much education because people see that you are working hard and that you are an inherently good person who is down on their luck. 


Even though I do experience a lot of class hate, whiteness definitely allows me to navigate the world easier. It definitely gives me access to more class privileged spaces, people are far more likely to see me as “inspiring” than lazy.  It also causes people to give me the benefit of the doubt more. I have been able to talk my way into resources because I appealed to folks sense of morality, which I fucking doubt I could do if I was black or had an accent or was an immigrant.

Basically, our culture gives me power over poor black and latin@ folks (basically the people I share my building with). I can get almost any person of color in my building, especially if they are a guy, kicked out and sent to bangor Maine (yea, not kidding- they are shipping undesirable poor folks from my bulding in metro Boston to public housing units in Bangor- so far its only been somalian immigrants)*. I was basically told this when I moved in. 

*There seems to be obvious racial bias going with the relocation thing, but I have no idea how to approach this.  The POC in my building avoid me and for good reason. I would avoid me too if I was in their position. I have had barely any chance to talk to folks about this except from the commentary from the racist white men in my building.  If anyone has any suggestions- I am all ears. I think I should just try to get information from the housing department first, see how they are billing it. I know nothing for sure, just chatter around the building. 

All these blogs are run by PoC. And where made for PoC or specifically for ppl in their own respective communities but they are also good for other PoC to follow. Some of these are really informative. Please read all the blogs “About” and “FAQs”, go through the tags, etc. before…

Whenever I try and talk race and white supremacy with other white people, I always hit this same wall:

“You’re just trying to make me feel guilty!”

At which point I backtrack and say well no, it’s not about feeling guilty, it’s about taking responsibility for your own role in a system of oppression against people of color, and acknowledging that there is no “neutral” position for white people

But at this point once I hit that wall I’m just going to start saying:

“Yes. I am trying to make you feel guilty.”

Because why the fuck shouldn’t you? Why shouldn’t you feel guilty about closing your eyes to racism your entire life and benefiting from a system of global murder and enslavement, regardless of whether you intended to? Why shouldn’t you feel guilty about the ugliest inheritance on Earth?

I don’t care if you feel guilty. I care if you act on that guilt. I care if your guilt compels you to take up the fight or wallow in it.

So yes, I am trying to make you feel guilty.

I am hoping that I can shame you out of your cowardice.