White

Guest Blogger: Becky

Hey guys? Guess what?

I’m white!!!

Yep, I’m white. I’m white, I’m white, I’m white, I’m white. White, white, white, white, white.

I. Am. White.

Wow it feels soooo good to say that!
I have spent so much energy thinking of other things to call myself so that I don’t have to admit that I am white and I was starting to run out of things to say. I had tried “I’m Caucasian” but then someone told me that that is an anthropological category that includes lots of brown-skinned people (oh, it's also a breed of dog). I tried “I’m Irish” but then I was told that that is an ethnicity (not a race) and that once again, brown-skinned people can be that too. Then I tried “I’m 1/16 Native American,” but that was just a lie.

Now I can just say “I’m white!” So cool!

I have to admit, I was so freaked out by the whole thing that I had to ask one of my old college professors to help me to understand how this all works. I didn’t want to enjoy it too much if it’s not the right thing to do. It can get pretty confusing at times. I used to feel so much guilt every time I said white. Even when people of color explained to me that not saying my race was a part of a racist system. I never got that. I always thought that being white was a bad thing. But then someone asked me to think about all the good things that are white. I did. I thought about clouds, and snow, and soft bunnies, milk, and George Clooney, and I felt so much better. I know that white people have done some pretty bad things over the years. It’s hard to admit that people like Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer and the Unabomber are white like me, but I have to acknowledge that they are as much a part of my race as the good people like Thomas Edison, Howard Zinn and Mr. Rogers, but I think I can do that. I mean, no race is perfect is it? Wow, how’s that for a revelation?! White people aren’t perfect! This is so freeing!