Dear White People

February 28, 2019 9:41 AM

"Recognize and admit your power and privilege and the fact you are benefiting from racist systems." Originally a Facebook post intended for an audience of transient workers in the far north communities of Nunavut (Canada) and specifically addressing Inuit issues and concerns, this piece republished on the CBC's website has broad applicability through many intersectional spaces where people of privilege blithely wander unaware of the damage their presence and actions cause.
posted by seanmpuckett (13 comments total)

Sandra Inutiq, the author of this piece, is notably one of the graduates of the first Akitsiraq legal program. It was an effort to provide more Northern indigenous legal professionals, rather than always relying on Southern consultants.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:15 AM on February 28, 2019 [5 favorites]

Thanks for posting this.
posted by parki at 10:31 AM on February 28, 2019

[this is good]
posted by Freen at 10:47 AM on February 28, 2019

Yes, thanks for posting.

Feeding Nunavut.
posted by JanetLand at 10:50 AM on February 28, 2019

> Asking other non-Inuit how long they have been here is a common question to seemingly test legitimacy in the North, as if competing for expertise. Stop.

>Stop expecting Inuit in the office to translate words, work or give advice on what "Inuit think" as if Inuit are ethnographic objects of study. Not only is this an expectation of subservience ("Translate this for me"), it is a clear superficial engagement that serves only to get an Inuk stamp of approval to legitimize your work.

These two are pretty simple and clear.


https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674nunavut_inuit_to_explore_self-government/

Interesting. I was completely ignorant of what Nunavut Tunngavik, Inc. was.
posted by anthill at 1:38 PM on February 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

This is a great piece - and needs to be read by every member of the non-Inuit people who work/live there.

So - I first saw this on Reddit, with a title of "Dear Racist Lady" - posted by an angry white-guy - and I tried to do a little more research on him - gave up because of the "crazy", but his blog title of "stormhavendotme" was triggering me... "stormfront" perhaps?
posted by jkaczor at 1:41 PM on February 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

8. If there are mainly Inuit or Inuit-spaces, allow that to be, either by excluding yourself or by listening and not talking.

Man, I wish there was a public education campaign on this alone.
posted by schadenfrau at 2:15 PM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

"stormfront" perhaps?

it's common for white and male supremacists to troll like this on reddit as a recruitment tool, sometimes in groups. if marginalized people show up to point out how their "reasonable" take is wrong they risk being harassed and stalked across reddit.
posted by schadenfrau at 2:18 PM on February 28, 2019 [7 favorites]

8. If there are mainly Inuit or Inuit-spaces, allow that to be, either by excluding yourself or by listening and not talking.

My eye was caught by the suggestion of voluntarily excluding yourself. I always thought that racism starts in, or is made worse by, ignorance -- so it would stand to reason that knowing more about other cultures would make people stop being so terrible to them.

On the other hand, no one should have to spend their lives as a lesson to other people.

So I am not sure whether it's better for me as a white person to be honestly interested in other traditions, or if I should just respectfully keep my nose out of their bizness. I mean, I wouldn't expect to be admitted into the sacred spaces of a religion that I don't practice: I can still respect the people without crossing those boundaries.

Is this what the author is getting at?
posted by wenestvedt at 7:22 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]

My feeling on that one was that it was about taking up less space. Like, okay, if you're going to attend a cultural event and appreciate the Inuit culture, that might be fine. But don't take up all the space in an event, crowding out the people the event was made for. Don't be the first person in every line, blocking out the people the event was made for. Don't stand to speak if there's an open microphone portion if there are Inuit voices who want to be heard. Don't stand around making snide remarks about how you would do things better or differently or how you find some aspect of the culture weird or the food unappetizing or whatever.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:37 AM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]

*nods along silently*
posted by wenestvedt at 8:42 AM on March 1, 2019

There are tensions between various imperatives here, wenestvedt. As white people who want to be "good," I know we want simple rules that we can always follow to be "good," but unfortunately it's a complicated world, racism is a devious opponent, and judgment is required. I think the main point is to remember that as a white person, you automatically have a spotlight and a microphone following you around, so it is very easy to (even accidentally) disrupt an atmosphere that is meant to be primarily for another race or cultural group. Obviously, do your best to stay out of spaces that are truly not for you; but even in other spaces, don't call attention to yourself, don't demand that the space cater to you in some way (e.g., by asking random people to explain things going on during a formal activity), don't impose your own values on the event, don't talk over people of the other race, consider whether you need to talk at all.
posted by praemunire at 8:55 AM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]

don't call attention to yourself, don't demand that the space cater to you in some way (e.g., by asking random people to explain things going on during a formal activity), don't impose your own values on the event, don't talk over people of the other race, consider whether you need to talk at all

Actually - this is great advice in general - I don't get people who do all of these things to cultures/genders/minority-groups anyways. Be quiet, shut-up, listen - and if you have a question save it for later (and for someone else) and maybe, ummm do a little freaking research yourself... It boggles my mind why people invest thousands of dollars in these mobile connected devices they carry around everywhere, devices that can reach the "internet" and yet are constantly asking obnoxious questions to the people around them - expecting others to always answer your questions is also a form of privilege. (And, when it is a cultural outsider asking questions, can probably also be a form of "emotional labour" for the person being asked)
posted by jkaczor at 9:11 AM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]