“Fighting racism is not about taking a side,
it is about having humanity.“
By Leslie K. Hughes
Events of the last few weeks have been a major wakeup call for many, myself included; a wakeup call that significant change needs to happen in our society — change that may be uncomfortable at times, but is undeniably necessary and long overdue; a wakeup call that forces us to look at what white privilege has given us and the realization that we need to use that privilege to support the people who haven’t had the freedom to explore the same opportunities and advantages.
It is NOT enough to simply not be racist — we all need to be tirelessly working to be anti-racist. The work to end racism needs to be more than just a social media trend for people, but rather a movement treated with the proper high level of severity and urgency in order to change the world for the better, forever, and to bring black people equality that should never have been in question in the first place.
How do we do this?
There is no simple answer in an issue as complex and deeply-rooted as hundreds of years of racism, but there are some initial steps we can take in our everyday lives to get things moving in the right direction.
One step is educating ourselves on how our society has created this massive inequality and what we can do to not only reverse the systemic racism, but to lift up black voices in all aspects of our lives.
Another step to take right now is to open up our ears and our minds and listen.
As a white woman, I am taking a step back from talking and am handing over the reins to someone whose voice is of far more importance than mine.
I reached out to my friend Scott Camaran*, an incredibly talented creative, model, and actor, and with no hesitation he took the time to answer some questions about what’s happening in our country, and what should be happening.
Read on for his thoughtful and insightful look into our current state, and how we can use our privilege and our voices to make this country a place we are all safe and proud to live in.
Visceral Magazine: How do you feel about the changes that have happened over the last few weeks?
Scott Camaran: The current climate of society right now is unsettling and yet inevitable. For me and for many people of color, this state of racial tension especially within law enforcement is disappointing but not surprising. I personally feel emotionally and mentally fatigued and yet I’m furious, as I feel it to be my responsibility to raise my voice for this to stop here before I bring my children into this world.
As a nation we have been combatting police brutality for over 100 years and discrimination and racial prejudice has been at the helm of many of these violent acts that have put those who “protect and serve” us under a controversial lens. And it is not only the police but civilians that enact racist violence that is so rarely condemned by our justice system. This is not new, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland … this is not the first time we’ve come to a boiling point in our country in outrage over unjust murders of the innocent and unarmed.
VM: What do you feel optimistic about?
SC: I think that the death of George Floyd was ‘the straw to break the camel’s back’ for society.
In combination with COVID-19’s imposed national lockdown and the evermore present political tension, Floyd’s death had lit a fire on a gasoline doused nation and in-turn ignited the flames of international unrest and allyship to mourn the black lives lost and support and protect the black lives living.
This global spotlight is unprecedented and has created a new path for us to make real change rather than to go through waves of racial reformation. The key is to change the hearts and minds of people not just complying to shallow performances of support and representation.
VM: What are you concerned is going to need a lot more work and what priorities should we be focusing on right now?
SC: I actually do think we can make some real systematic changes now that the people have found their power in influencing the system once united.
What we need to work on is the societal changes that will take uncomfortable conversations and previously hidden education to those who are ignorant to diversity and oppression. We will need to correct our friends and family when ignorant or racial slurs, jokes and opinions arise. We cannot allow pardons to our loved ones because they are the ones collectively anchoring our progress in society when they persist and perpetuate outdated and harmful ideals. “Grandpa/Grandma is just old, she doesn’t mean anything by it” is part of the problem and not a valid excuse because we’ve been fighting for the same rights and respect for more than 60 years.
Again this is not new, ignorance at this point is a choice and age is not an excuse.
VM: As a black man, how do you feel white people can be helpful at this time?
SC: I have seen some white people that feel as though not being racist is enough, but it’s not, you must be anti-racist. To work vehemently to eradicate both systemic and societal racism. White allies are essential in this change as they are the ones who have benefited from the 400 years of black and indigenous oppression and thus have more leverage to dismantle it and enforce the equality that is still deprived from people of color.
It is more than just acknowledging that there is racism, we must come together to tear down the glorified perception of racial elitism and the “white standards” enforced and taught in American and global society.
VM: And how do you feel all people can be helpful in the long-term so this does not just fizzle out, but actually makes changes that last forever?
SC: I think we need to reevaluate what is needed from our government and our people. Are we looking for equality or are we looking for justice? Are they one and the same? We need to understand the debt we’ve put each black life in before they were even born and then come up with ubiquitous decision to adjust ourselves for the future.
I don’t have the answers but I think we should be more calculative about how we approach our future. We cannot not just “apologize” and say “we’re not racist anymore”, that is equivalent to putting a bandaid on a severed leg. We also must understand that it is not enough to have diversity, representation and judicial “justice”, we as black people are starting a race 400 steps behind, we need financial, educational, mental and emotional reinforcement in order to have some sort of ‘fair’ status in the world.
It’s hard to imagine a foreseeable solution to those elements of life when we can barely overcome the fundamental right to just live one’s life in peace without unprovoked harassment, violence and death.
VM: If you had one piece of advice to offer, what would it be?
SC: Know your privilege and know your influence. Understanding that you don’t have to fear walking outside with the potential that someone might shoot you, beat you, spit on you, threaten you or frame you is a privilege. The fact that you can provide a voice or petition a position for your black peers is your influence.
Never feel as though you are too small to impact real change and never feel that the problem is too distant from you. I hear so many people say that they “have it hard too” and that they too are afraid of the police but until you understand and can embody the fear that your father, mother, brother, sister or you could walk into a store or down the street one day and become a random target and victim of unbridled racial prejudice then you will never be able to say that it is the “same thing”.
Know yourself and take a stand. Fighting racism is not about taking a side, it is about having humanity.
Resources
Here are some resources to get you started on this journey to change.
BOOKS
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
MOVIES & TV SHOWS
When They See Us | Netflix
13th | Netflix
The Hate You Give | Amazon Prime & Hulu
I’m Not Your Negro | Amazon Prime
Fruitvale Station | Amazon Prime
Just Mercy | Amazon Prime
Selma | Amazon Prime
PODCASTS
The Diversity Gap | Bethaney Wilkinson
Still Processing | Jenna Wartham & Wesley Morris
Hear To Slay | Roxane Gay & Tressie McMillan Cottom
Jemele Hill Is Unbothered | Jemele Hill
DONATIONS
Visit blacklivesmatters.carrd.co for links to great places to donate. It is regularly updated with new information.
This website is a wealth of information for a variety of ways we can help end racism.
*Scott Camaran is a multifaceted creative, model, and actor represented both domestically and internationally by elite talent agencies. He is also the former Creative Director and Senior Fashion Designer of the emerging luxury streetwear brand, KROST New York. The brand has received coverage in Good Morning America, Vogue, Forbes, Essence, CFDA, Paper Magazine, V Magazine, Milk and more. The clothes Scott has designed have been seen on Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and many others. He is now working between New York and Los Angeles on projects for film and fashion both in front of and behind the camera.
[feature photo by @themichaeldonovan]
Great work ; equality /justice =both. Scott shares so much to do/ Now- his message resonates.