How White is your Righteousness?

Reads: 1632 | Likes: 5 | Shelves: 3 | Comments: 3

Featured Review on this writing by Roxanne B.

"I loved this! Great job and I totally agree. White supremacy is sickening, so many people are walking around with blinders on and the worst part is that many of them know the blinders are there. They are just holding them to their head as hard as their MAGA hats, because it benefits them and it’s comfortable. "

Racism in this America is perpetuated by the majority of White America remaining silent and therefore co-signing the second class citizenry of all non-White Americans, and most notably African Americans...

How White is your Righteousness?

Tell me if you can-

How white is your righteousness, What color is your humanity,

How light is your sympathy, How deep is your apathy,

I wish I knew how gingerly must one be

to have more gingers fight to stop this Insanity,

some of you want a race war, some of you stand for equality,

most of you are apathetic, pretending It’s all copacetic,

there’s more to people than just aesthetics,

Lord I pray Hate isn’t Genetic, but it’s energy is damn sure Kinetic,

the general white response to racism is Very Synthetic,

All you Sideliners are so Pathetic, You’re the true engine of racism, There, I said it,

It’s not the ones with the white sheets, skinheads and confederate flags,

we can see them coming, they’re just Antiquated relics,

You Sideliners are the true Danger to the common Good.

I know most of you are hard working people and do what you should,

you spend your days providing for your family, but you know and I know,

you don’t actively support Equality. You have family, friends and coworkers

who are twenty first century racist, and you bathe in your unlikeness, while in stasis,

never Confronting their prejudice. This simple fact, is Why racism persist today,

too many of you have this “Me first thrust” that 74 million Americans

Voted to keep White America First, generation to generation you keep

passing on this curse, Why can’t you let your righteousness

get a Little darker, stand up, speak out and let Others in,

it’s time for White America to Stop perpetuating this Sin.

So tell me if You can-

am I not a man? Are my children Not entitled to the access and opportunity Your children are, because that has never Happened in America thus far, if you’re not Blinded by your Whiteness, you know this to be true, so this is the reason why I ask you,

How White is your Righteousness?

Submitted: May 28, 2021

Poetry racism silence-is-violence

Add Your Comments:

Sign in to write a comment

Comments

Roxanne B.

I loved this! Great job and I totally agree. White supremacy is sickening, so many people are walking around with blinders on and the worst part is that many of them know the blinders are there. They are just holding them to their head as hard as their MAGA hats, because it benefits them and it’s comfortable.

Sat, May 29th, 2021 4:22am

Author
Reply

Amen baby girl, we're kindred spirits, I love all people no matter what they look like or where they come from, I just pray for the day when we all get there...

Sat, May 29th, 2021 12:24am

Steven P. Pody

Am always up for a dialogue. Your poem promotes that dialogue, and is therefore an instrument of solution. My accolades. Unfortunately your well-written accusation of a poem also includes a few errors. For instance, "Am I not a man?" was originally written in the 16th Century as a phrase spoken by a Jew. Did you, yourself, stand outside of a synagogue with a supporting sign in hand after 11 Jewish worshippers were gunned down in Pittsburgh? I don't remember seeing you there and speaking up. We all have crosses (and other religious symbols) to bear. We all can do better, and many try. Don't confuse silence as hate, and let it justify mass condemnation. Lump assumptions swing in all manner of ways, and let he who is without guilt cast the first honking big rock. If you like, read my poem "Dry Of Dreams". Let us speak of, and work towards, more humane ways and of a better future together... Thanks for sharing. SPP

Sat, May 29th, 2021 4:39am

Author
Reply

Hello Steven, and thank you for sharing your comments, I too am always up for a dialogue, however, I find your reference of error as to my usage of "am i not a man"
quite ironic, firstly, not because of a grammatical error of my verse, and if so, I would happily take heed, but seemingly, because of my use of the phrase, which you determine was spoken by a Jew, and with no other determinate facts, I might add. That info I would be happy know if you have it at hand. The only information I can find on that phrase as early as you state is from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is what you're referring to. So the irony is in your reference to a phrase spoken by a Jew, in a Play, written by a Christian. Which is not verbatim. So the error is not mine, if this is so, but your reference does seem to be misleading. Just so you know, what I was referring to, was a phrase written by Josiah Wedgwood a British Abolitionist in the late 18th century, verbatim, "Am I not a man, and a brother." You can see here, in the Library of Congress,https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661312/
Furthermore, I would imagine you are from the Pittsburgh area, and so, had the blessed opportunity to be present for those 11 souls murdered. I however, being born and raised and living in the Los Angeles area, was unable to attend, as were many of my Jewish friends, and please don't damn them for not attending... Silly, boasting statements are useless in a true dialogue, of which I would be happy to have, I hope you would agree. Finally Steven, my poem did not confuse silence with hate, I did however, equate silence with the perpetual scourge of racism in America, this debate I will also be happy to have, if you feel it necessary. Again, Steven P. Pody, I thank you for your comments and I do so love a great conversation. P. S. Read your poem, Dry of Dreams, Loved it...

Sat, May 29th, 2021 3:51am

Pink Wish

man, I respect that you speak out against the reality of racism. We have Black Lives Matter because we have this sickening and killing Police Violence. Black people get killed in the US every day for no reason. That is such a problem and a shame and a crime and nothing seems to ever change.
I am glad you write about it. Racism is wrong and destroys our world.

Tue, July 20th, 2021 7:35pm

Author
Reply

Amen Gilbert, but you and I know, there's more good people in the world than bad, So we fight the good fight...

Tue, July 20th, 2021 4:11pm