Many white supremacists take the privilege of driving a car and use it to do harm, terrorize, and murder. What’s worse is that some U.S. states are making it easier for them to do so
I was seven years old the first time white supremacists tried to run me over with a vehicle.
My mother and I were crossing a street when a white van ran through a stop sign, heading towards us. My mother picked me up and ran across the street, barely missing the van. As the van sped past, the passenger, who was a white man, shouted out the n-word. It was the very first time I remember ever hearing the word.
It’s important to note that my mother is white, so the word was clearly aimed at me, a child. There…
How white women’s covert aggression turns them into a Black woman’s nightmare
White women have been the cause of the most painful, traumatic experiences in my life. I called them my friends. I called them my co-workers. I’ve even called them my family members.
What’s worse is they have never and will never admit that they were the aggressors.
They sincerely might not even realize they were the aggressors. They might have not even intended to do as much harm as they did to me. For the most part, white women are taught not to be openly aggressive. In multiple ways, society teaches all women to suppress their anger — that anger…
While we can be a challenge to be around, being a challenge isn’t the same thing as being toxic
“Getting rid of negative people can be so refreshing.”
“We don’t appreciate negative vibes around here. Move along.”
“‘I love my negative life,’ said no one ever.”
I often see quotes like the ones above floating around social media. There are also a million articles telling people to dump anyone who is “negative” and “toxic” from their lives.
As someone struggling with bipolar disorder and PTSD, it’s extremely hard for me not to take it all personally.
I’ve been labeled “negative” and “toxic” because I can be depressed and irritable at times. I’m aware that my mood swings turn people…
The battle against whiteness begins within ourselves
White supremacy is the idea that those with white skin are superior to all others, especially those with brown and black skin.
Whiteness is the establishment of white supremacy, declaring that the culture, customs, and beliefs of white people are the norm or the standard. Whiteness is considered to be neutral and objective when it’s anything but.
We are all subliminally taught that “white is right” through our education. This is why, within the U.S. government, Republicans want to stomp out the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project and critical race theory. Both aim to deconstruct whiteness and ultimately white…
Blind compassion isn’t compassion at all. It’s cowardly avoidance and neglect. And it leaves you with blood on your hands.
“Don’t be mad. They don’t mean it.”
This is what a former white friend of mine told me when I took a chance to open up to her about the racism I experienced as I was growing up. We both grew up in the same area, only I had a very different perception of our white, rural hometown than she did.
I ended up sending her a message with some links trying to show how what she was was invalidating and derailing. …
A moment of reflection
A month ago, I wrote a piece entitled, “Dear White Women: This is Why it’s Hard to Be Friends With You.”
I expected it to do as well as any other article I wrote on Medium — somewhere between 500–1,000 views, a few claps, and a few comments — some of them angry that I am “stereotyping ALL white women” (I didn’t) and claiming calling out white women for their covert racism is just as bad as being a racist (it isn’t).
I would have been happy with that. When I started writing on Medium in August 2020, I didn’t…
How do you expect any productive dialogue to happen if you force BIPOC to walk on eggshells?
I’ve been writing about racism off-and-on for about a decade. Ever since I started, I have gotten several complaints about the language and tone I use.
Many Black women who also write about race get the same complaints. Strangely, I rarely see any men, especially white men, receive the same scrutiny.
Tone policing, also known as “making the tone argument,” is where a person dismisses everything you say simply because they don’t like the tone in which you said it. It’s known as an ad hominem — a personal attack where your capability to speak is called into question.
It’s…
It is nearly impossible to maintain an “acceptable” number of pounds or a “perfect” body. Bodies change, and we need to accept them when they do
(Content warning: mention of eating disorder and suicidal idealization)
I have always had issues with my weight for as long as I can remember. I have almost always been bigger, except for my senior year of high school when I lost 70 pounds on the Weight Watchers diet. However, I went to college, and I gained it all back and then some. I’ve remained heavy ever since.
To say I have body image issues would be an understatement. I was just recently diagnosed with an eating disorder (yes, fat people can have bulimia, too). To this day, I refuse to…
Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this piece! I try to respond to comments I receive for all my pieces, and I started to with this one; however, it's now difficult for me to keep up with them all. I'm trying, though! I do read the comments and appreciate everybody's input!
Except for trolls and those who make personal attacks. Expect to be automatically blocked :).
Mental health stigma often paints people as either rage-filled animals that must be kept under control or feeble-minded five-year-olds
After years of therapy, my doctors and I found I have bipolar disorder, (complex) PTSD, and ADHD.
Yes, it’s a lot. And hell yeah, my conditions sometimes affect my ability to function in society.
But no, I’m not incapable of reason. I’m not incapable of fairness. I’m not incapable of making my own decisions and judgments, especially when it comes to my own life.
Mental health stigma often paints people with the same disorders I have as either rage-filled animals that must be kept under control or feeble-minded five-year-olds.
Mix that stigma in with racism and/or sexism, and you often…
Savannah Worley
writing about my experiences with racism & mental health | #WEOC member | she/her
