White Folks Facing Race: Maybe Don’t Call the Police

[This is part of my White Folks Facing Race series, originally written on November 13, 2017 to an email group created for community members in the Washington, DC area.]

Hi Friends!

First, HOORAY HOORAY for the fantastic election results in Virginia! I took a day or two to just feel good. Now, back to work. Especially because the demographics about voters is a clear sign of the systemic problems we face (more here).

Also, on November 8, our school district posted new middle school boundary information. They have eliminated Option B and have updated Option A. They heard us on demographics and I understand the reasoning for moving forward the way they are. We need to work beyond school board issues to address the stratified demographics in our county — most families want to go to school close to home, so our communities need to diversify.

One of our members passed along some great info. The image below is worth discussing in terms of ways the community can respond differently (instead of calling the police) in certain situations. I have wondered about this often since an incident that happened in the last few months at our house and I’d love to discuss this, maybe at our upcoming meeting.

I read a really helpful and insightful article (which I found through Embrace Race) at The Daily Beast called “Why Do White People Feel Discriminated Against? I Asked Them.” It might help give some insight when you’re talking to anyone who might feel that way. Maybe some ways forward there.