Four Ways White Supremacy Harms Everyone (Including White People)

White supremacy is defined as both “the belief that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races,” as well as “the social, economic, and political systems that collectively enable white people to maintain power over people of other races.” Many people still visualize white supremacists as hood-wearing, torchbearers who are outspoken advocates of oppressing Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). While this is certainly still the case, white supremacy has shape shifted since the United States’ inception. Holding on to this outdated version of a white supremacy and using it as the prototype is one of the reasons why dismantling and deconstructing white supremacy has remained a challenge. It’s likely that we have all engaged in activities and behaviors that contribute to white supremacy, whether we are aware of it or not. What is less commonly known and understood is how a system based on white supremacy harms not only BIPOC, but also white people. This article explores four ways that upholding white supremacy harms all of us. 

1.    Government programs help all people. While there is documented evidence of the positive effects of affirmative action programs to increase diverse group representation in the workplace, there is a segment of the population that believes that these programs, which were designed to increase equity, are actually a form of reverse racism. A persistent myth about affirmative action is that it unfairly advantages BIPOC. This was demonstrated in Chelsea Handler’s 2019 documentary Hello, Privilege, It’s Me, Chelsea. In the documentary Handler visits a group of white women from Orange County, California and a discussion about white privilege ensues. The women shared their belief that people of color receive unearned privileges and unfair advantages in society. In reality, the group that benefits the most from affirmative action programs are actually white women. The irony of this is that white women, according to reports, are actually some of the staunchest opponents of affirmative action programs. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that white people are the largest beneficiaries when it comes to government assistance programs. Racialized phrases like ‘welfare queen’ have propagated the false narrative that Black people, and particularly Black women, are the ones who unfairly benefit from government programs. Without government assistance programs that were designed to aid the working class, white people would be severely disadvantaged. Following the election of America’s first Black president Barack Obama, anti-black sentiment rose. The Affordable Care Act, which was dubbed Obamacare, was staunchly opposed by many white Americans. According to one report, when analyzing those who gained health insurance coverage from 2010 to 2015, 8.2 million people who gained coverage were non-Hispanic whites (43%) compared to 2.8 million non-Hispanic Blacks (15%) and 6.2 million Hispanics (32%). Opposing these Obama-era policies has actually been harmful to white people in several different ways.

2.    It stifles innovation. There is a wealth of evidence that indicates that diversity is beneficial to companies in a number of different ways, including how it enhances creativity and allows for greater innovation. Research from McKinsey found that racial and ethnic diversity also led to greater financial returns for corporations. One of the main tenets of white supremacy is the belief that “whites should live by themselves in a whites-only society.” When there is no diversity within a group, the same ideas, thoughts and beliefs create an echo chamber. Organizations with a homogenous makeup will find it challenging to remain competitive in the future, as the country becomes more racially diverse. Refusing to hire people of different racial backgrounds will disadvantage companies, no matter how successful they’ve been in the past. No company can survive or thrive by pushing BIPOC out.

3.    It’s ruining our environment. A less understood outcome of white supremacy is that it’s harmful to the planet. Hop Hopkins wrote “you can’t have climate change without sacrifice zones, and you can’t have sacrifice zones without disposable people, and you can’t have disposable people without racism.” Hopkins explains that much of the environmental issues that our planet is currently facing are a result of deeming some parts of the world as disposable. More often than not, the parts that are deemed disposable are those primarily inhabited by BIPOC. Environmental racism is defined as the “disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color.” White supremacy supports the belief that whites should have dominance over people of color. This dominance manifests in different ways including the treating of BIPOC communities as disposable. What many fail to realize is that what is done to BIPOC communities from the Flint water crisis to fracking on Indigenous lands has a deleterious effect on everyone. Environmental injustice impacts every person on the planet, regardless of race. Upholding white supremacy will ultimately deteriorate the Earth that we all have to share and is therefore harmful to everyone.

4.    No one is free until we are all free. Martin Niemöller wrote a powerful poem called First They Came that best articulates why white supremacy is harmful to white people. White supremacy is based on the ideology that the white race is superior to all other races and must therefore assert dominance over non-whites. White people who don’t fit the picture of perfection that is deemed the prototype of whiteness are at risk of being castigated and banished from white supremacist society. White people who don’t fit the archetype of whiteness may be subject to ostracism and will lose their hold of white privilege. Anti-racism educator Monique Melton shared that “perfectionism is white supremacy by another name.” For white supremacy to thrive, there must always be a subordinate caste to oppress. One less considered fact is that any person at any time can become part of a marginalized community through no fault of their own. A person who suddenly becomes disabled, for example, may experience discrimination based on their disability status. As long as white supremacy exists, those in marginalized groups will continue to be oppressed. Dismantling white supremacy is beneficial for everyone, particularly because anyone can find themselves in the subordinate caste and as long as white supremacy is able to flourish, marginalization will continue. In the words of the Dr. Martin Luther King, “no one is free until we are all free.”

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The Pink Elephant newsletter is a weekly LinkedIn newsletter designed to stimulate critical and relevant dialogue that centers around topics of race and racial equity. The newsletter is curated by Janice Gassam Asare, Ph.D. who is a writer, speaker, consultant, educator, and self-proclaimed foodie. Janice hosts a podcast the Dirty Diversity, where she explores diversity, equity and inclusion in more detail. Janice’s work is centered around the dismantling of oppressive systems while amplifying the voices and needs of the most marginalized folks. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share with others you feel would gain value from it.

Photo 1 credit: Photo by: Samantha Hurley on Burst

Photo 2 credit: Photo by Dan Gold from Burst