Race has always been a polarizing topic in America, even though the country itself was founded on slavery and the exploitation of various Black, Indigenous people of color (BIPOC). You and I are on the cusp of the most divisive presidential election in recent history and are constantly assaulted with politically-charged sentiments. We hear accusations of people and institutions being blatantly racist or discriminatory, but what does that mean?

Racism comes in various forms, mainly individual and institutional. Individual racism is when a person of privilege discriminates or holds prejudice toward people of a certain race. Conversely, systemic racism is the unequal power distribution between races based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that marginalizes people of color. The common denominator in both of these circumstances is power imbalance, which brings us to the myth of reverse racism.

Reverse racism does not exist because white people have never been systematically oppressed. BIPOC have never been in a position of power over white people. Some comments such as “cracker” or “Karen” are merely insulting, with no historical allusion to past oppression, such as slavery or colonialism.

You may start to get a bit defensive now, but don’t worry. That’s normal and is called white fragility: when a white person becomes uncomfortable when presented with information about racial inequality and injustice. You may be asking yourself, “Why does everything always have to be about race?” 

It is easy to forget about racism when it doesn’t disadvantage you. 

Despite laws passed to address racial inequalities, no legislation to this day has corrected structural disparities between white people and BIPOC. Instead, the legislation has repeatedly plotted secret agendas to undermine equality between the groups. 

One of the most flagrant examples stems from the War on Drugs in the 1970s. John Ehrlichman, the former domestic policy chief under then-President Richard Nixon, went on the record to state: 

"We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin – and then criminalizing both heavily – we could arrest their leaders, raid their homes and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

The persistent media coverage and rhetoric on the Black Lives Matter movement and the ideology of anti-fascism, or Antifa – which is not, contrary to popular belief, a terrorist organization – has vilified BIPOC. These systemic tactics used both currently and previously by the Nixon administration directly facilitate implicit racial bias in news and reporting that is seen ubiquitously in media coverage today.

By understanding the War on Drugs, it is crucial to realize hard work is not enough for Black people and people of color to be able to surpass the structural obstacles they face.

You need to accept your privilege. White privilege does not mean that whites don’t have obstacles in life; it simply means that race is not one of them. While white people aren’t necessarily used to being referred to by their race, BIPOC individuals find this unavoidable.

It serves no one when race issues are taken personally or used as an excuse to disengage. Instead, some active steps you can take to be a better ally are learning to listen to the experiences of people of color, amplifying their voices and speaking up against injustice. You can also educate yourself and other white folks on anti-racism by seeking resources instead of relying on people of color to educate you. It is not enough to not be racist, we must all actively seek to be anti-racist.