Around three years ago, the Black Lives Matter movement began. And for the most part, I've stayed silent. I watch the news every day and continuously see acts of institutional racism, and yet say nothing about them. Sure, I’ve shared and liked videos on Facebook that others post, but that is the extent of my action. Or, I guess I should say, inaction. I hear these discussions of white supremacy, but refrain from saying a word.
I've been granted the luxury of silence. I’ve been able to watch the country I love crumble around me without it directly affecting me because of a single truth, I’m not black. And while I am Hispanic, and therefore a person of color, my privilege appears in other aspects of my life. My privilege comes in the form of socioeconomic status. I usually tiptoe around the fact that I am in the upper middle class, but it’s the truth and part of who I am.
My parents moved from a developing nation and started a business here, a very successful one, one that I could not be more proud of. They worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to give my siblings and me a better life, and they succeeded. I recognize that, because of their efforts and our current status, I most likely have not encountered as much racism and injustice as someone of my color in a lower socioeconomic class would.
I’ve had this privilege for a while now and have used it to do nothing. I chose to not make a difference simply because I was afraid of misspeaking, of saying something ignorant, of using a wrong word or phrase and being called out for my mistake. I believed it wasn’t my place to speak out.
I questioned whether I would seem like too much of a hypocrite if I advocated for #BlackLivesMatter. I was under the false impression that because other people were talking about it, there was no need for me to speak out. This is where I went wrong.
I was so focused on remaining neutral and indifferent that I was blinded to the opportunity in front of me – the chance to take my privilege and use it to strengthen this movement and attempt to even the battleground.
We’ve gone way past the point where silence is acceptable. People who remain inactive can at times be just as harmful to society as the oppressors. If you’re like me and have remained silent because you fear you are uninformed and afraid of saying the wrong things, ask questions. If you say something wrong, figure out why it was wrong, learn from it and go on to teach others.
To those of us who have privilege and choose to do nothing with it, the time has passed for us to remain passive. The scales of justice are entirely too unsteady for us to not support the side that needs help.
The only way to get rid of the institutional racism that riddles our country is by having those difficult conversations about it, by bringing awareness to the issue until it is absolutely impossible to ignore.
The truth is that people with privilege, particularly white privilege, are heard much more than people of color. If you hear or see an instance of racial bias, don’t think someone else has already said something about it, because more often than not they haven’t.
To all those who are too shy or afraid or have simply remained silent – it’s time to step up and speak out. Ask questions. Be an ally. Make the difference that only you can.