In this conversation on race, LeRon Barton asks. “Why are white people interested in helping out now? Where were you ten/ twenty years ago?”
We wonder what is making white folks come out now? Is it because they saw the very public murder of George Floyd? Did they understand the systemic racism and murder of other Black people by white racists in law enforcement and white supremacists?
Key Points in this episode of Everyday Conversations on Race
1- Black people are tired but still have to be active and not let up. White people and other non-Black people need to follow the lead and participate.
2- This is the same systemic racism that puts young kids in ICE camps, separates families and treats immigrants as less than human
3- LeRon talks about his partner Michelle who is LatinX and says that what impact her as a Latina impacts him, and that we have to all take the position that what impacts our friends and families impacts us (if we we have friends and family from different races and cultures.) We have to know what impacts the people in our lives and the people we care about about.
4- The importance of thinking outside of ourselves. This is particularly important for white people, many who are just beginning to think outside of themselves.
5- The time to act is now, we will need to tell future generations what we did during this time. Be on the right side of history.
6- Inaction is action-it’s choosing to ride with the other side.
7- When people just stand by and do nothing- they help deny Black and Brown people voting rights, and they help normalize confederate flags
8- Black people going to Robert E. Lee High School can compare to a Jewish person going to Adolph Hitler Higher School. Think about that!
9- The murder of the Rosenbergs and prosecution by Roy Cohen and J. Edgar Hoover
10- LeRon talks about how he used to laugh or get irritated when white people saw documentaries like “When They See Us,” and would get emotional. He says that he realizes it was wrong and that people have a right to feel. “I will never ridicule anyone again like that,” say LeRon. “I realize we need everyone.
11- Why LeRon doesn’t trust white allies but sees their importance and wants them to continue being allies and stepping up.