In October, Principal Strategist, Travis Jones, gave a TED Talk entitled “Bad White People” at the annual TEDxCharlotte event on how Whiteness, as an ideology, works in the world. In his talk, he explored how people can move from being non-racist, or “Good White People,” to being anti-racist, or “Bad White People.” He challenges the “false moral choice” white people have been making between staying silent or identifying with overtly racist white nationalists– and asks us to consider a new way. Because, as he argues, “People are too messy, racism is too complex, and the stakes are too high for such simplistic thinking.” He asks us to be observant, to pay attention to history, to consider the damage that white silence has inflicted on our society, and to become disruptors, willing to find our voices and speak out.
Yesterday, Travis’ talk was made public on the TEDx YouTube channel, so we wanted to take this opportunity to share it with all of you, and to challenge you to consider what it means for you, if you are white, to become a Bad White Person? And for all of us, what can we do to disrupt the silence of colorblind racism, to name whiteness and the way it works in the world, and to embrace the messy and the complex — to become anti-racist, not just non-racist?
What can we do to disrupt the silence of colorblind racism, to name whiteness and the way it works in the world, and to embrace the messy and the complex -- to become anti-racist, not just non-racist? Share on X
