The White Voice in Black Conversations
When white people decide they “know” the Black experience
Recently I was invited into a conversation about something I’m interested in, even though I was not originally included. The topic was race (I know — quelle surprise) and the people included were white or Black. In one sense, everyone was on the same side, so to speak — everyone believed that Black people have gotten a raw deal from life, and that white people needed to do some work to make that change.
But then there was the most interesting digression of whether one of the white interlocutors was fairly understanding what the Black people were saying. What had happened was a statement was made about white people and their lack of understanding, and the white person responded with “proof” of their sincerity and knowledge, that they were really an ally and did not deserve to be doubted. The conversation felt a bit heated, and I can understand how that happens. I know that tempers can flare when we talk about sensitive issues, and no one is going to be less surprised about the sensitivity of discussions about race than those involved in such a discussion when the conversation is among white people and Black people, especially the Black people involved.
In my experience, there seems always to be that moment when the white participant…
