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I see a lot of versions of "I understand that I can never understand, yet I stand" around lately. This statement gets at an important truth (i.e. non-black people can never experience what it& #39;s like to be black in America) but it& #39;s a dangerously superficial form of solidarity.
1/ It obscures the work involved in building ideology and strategy. Having a particular experience doesn& #39;t immediately translate into understanding or not understanding the sources and consequences of racism. It takes analysis to move from experience to understanding.
2/ It depicts black Americans as a monolith. With whom do you stand, exactly? Lori Lightfoot? Angela Davis? Black Americans are ideologically diverse. That means that white solidarity can& #39;t be based on a blanket deferral to black people& #39;s authority. Allies have to think.
3/ It takes the burden off of allies to learn about policies that can address racism. Most Americans now support M4BL but not its central demand, & #39;Defund the Police.& #39; That shows that we need a lot more education and organizing for symbolic solidarity to become meaningful.
This points to a bigger question: where is this multiracial movement going? Will it bottom out with BLM yard signs in wealthy suburban neighborhoods or will it lead to a revolutionary transformation of the systems of capitalism and mass incarceration that oppress us all?
We can hope for the latter. 10% of Americans have recently protested. Historically, it takes 3.5% to overthrow a state. There will be more uprisings in the fall. In the meantime, the 10% need to work to understand why they protested and what we all have to gain from abolition.
