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Ebony Magazine created four epic covers to discuss the aftermath of the murder of Trayvon Martin, salute the struggle and have a conversation among its readers about this. I haven’t received my September 2013 issue yet, so I can’t comment on the actual article itself.
I think the covers are powerful. And as a Black woman, I do want the conversation on Black girls and Black women to be had as well, to be ongoing and also be intersectional. Black women always do. I always reject the lie that our lives are “easier” than Black men’s lives. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want these covers to also exist. They are important.
Apparently, Ebony Magazine has been receiving some hatred from Whites about the covers. They call the covers “racist.” This is the world that we live in—one where critical thinking on race and racism is adamantly refused. Blatantly.
I tweeted about this earlier today, and the gist of what I tweeted was:
Many White people still think that “acknowledging the experiences of Black people” = ‘racism’.” They have no clue what racism actually is, hence hate for Ebony Magazine. The real anger by some Whites is over the fact that the Ebony covers humanize Black men and Black humanity is contradictory to White supremacy. It forces them to feel guilty. Their external anger is internal guilt. They’re mad that even for a second they question White supremacy. Loving families concerned about Black boys’ safety. How do these Ebony Magazine covers insult or create oppression for Whites? They DON’T.
"You make me feel bad about racism and White privilege. And that’s ‘racist’ you hear!" - some ridiculous Whites
Oh look, stuff to read:
- Why Whites Call People of Colour Racist
- A White Woman Derails A Post About Racism Since She Thinks “Racism = Insults”
- Whiteness Is Not Universal (I challenge the idea of Whites being “normal” “boiler plate” and “the default.”)
- Who Defined That? (via racismschool on Tumblr, on the word “racism”, and also see the rebuttal to a dissenter here).
- The Dictionary and Marginalized People (via Womanist Musings)
- Essay Lists: On Race and On Race II
Again, I really like these covers. But I also wish they didn’t have to exist. They exist because of the reality of injustice.