Let me tell you of my friend, whiteness;
Too often confused with a concrete feature, too infrequently seen for the essence it is.
If you’re looking for my friend with outward eyes or in a mirror…
Let me tell you, my friend, it’s not there.
Let me tell you of my enemy, whiteness;
A crushing, insatiable destruction, an attractive mirage none can resist pursuing.
If you believe my enemy is weapons and war…
Let me tell you, my friend, it is silent.
Let me tell you of my teacher, whiteness;
A compassionate sage that always guides me to my place, patient and persistent in all directions.
If you think you’ve unlearned my teacher’s lesson…
Let me tell you, you were never its student.
Let me tell you of my student, whiteness;
An arrogant bully daring its classmates to reject my authority over it—and myself.
If you think you can teach my student acceptance…
Let me tell you, it will only exploit your talents.
Let me tell you of my homeland, whiteness;
The fertile ground of my indigeneity, the furnace from which my people were forged.
If you think this land is redeemable…
Let me tell you,
those aspirations belong to my friend, enemy, teacher, student, homeland: America.
Let me tell you of my colonizer, whiteness;
Meticulous in construction, shifting, twisting—less seen yet fully inhaled as we breathe.
You imagine yourself as woke to its ways and ready for its destruction?
Let me tell you, its greatest creation is me.
Author’s Note: In the wake of the 2024 election, I found myself grappling with the pitfalls of progressive movements—how easily white supremacy’s tools and mentalities can follow us, even as we strive toward liberation. None of Us Are Free, reflects and interrogates whiteness—not as a mere feature, but as a pervasive force that shapes society and people. It reflects my ongoing journey to explore identity, communal belonging, and the tension between brokenness and repair.Â
