Member-only story
I used to brace for it, ready to strike at the first sign of its emergence.
Like an exterminator waiting for a cockroach to crawl from the drain so he can zap it with deadly chemicals, there I would stand, waiting for the pivot.
And by pivot, I mean deflection.
And by deflection, I mean the kind white folks often deploy as a conversational escape hatch whenever asked to think about the issues of racism or white privilege.
When leading discussions about race, or giving a speech on the subject and opening the floor to questions, I would experience the pivot in many forms.
First were the white women who would steer the discussion to matters of sexism and misogyny. Then came white LGBTQ folk who would share their stories of homophobic or transphobic mistreatment. These would be followed by white Jews insisting they weren’t really white, or at least not like other white people.
And finally, the capstone: white folk who wanted all to know of their Appalachian bona fides, or at least their modest financial roots.
Each time I would pounce, not with particular aggression, but in a manner that made sure to let them know: I see what…
