I can’t stop thinking about the George Zimmerman verdict. I’m angry, sad, frustrated. But, as a white woman I can simply go on with my life. I’m not worried about people thinking I am a “criminal” when walking home from the grocery store wearing a hood because it’s raining. And, that privilege afforded to me is the product of racism and at the expense of people of color. People may not believe white privilege exists, but, if you are white, ask yourself this: Do you worry about people targeting you as a criminal when you are shopping in a store or driving through a different neighborhood? Honest answers, please.
Just because our president is African-American and we don’t use separate drinking fountains anymore doesn’t mean racism is a thing of the past. Things must change.
As a mother, I don’t believe in a world where adults can gun down children with impunity just because the legal system values some lives more than others. I don’t know exactly what the next steps are, but I do know keeping quiet is not one of them.
Erin Clabaugh
Vancouver
