Gracefully Surrendering the Things of Youth; Why Can't Our Great America Do This Simple Thing?

by Irene Daniel

When I was in high school, I read Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann. There was one line that really struck me: that one about "gracefully surrendering the things of youth." And I have been wondering lately: why can't America, our great nation do this simple thing?

And what are these "things of youth," of which I speak? Well, let's just tackle one of them in this essay. And that one thing is white supremacy and its natural consequence -- white privilege. Why can't we surrender this ugly thing?

Many Caucasians accuse me of hating white people. That is because they confuse and conflate my utter disdain for white privilege with themselves. They take it personally. I don't hate white people. My BFF since 4th grade is white, my son is white, and I have lots and lots of white friends. That is, of course, white friends who are capable of thinking critically and understand the difference between these two things: the legacy and ripple effects of centuries of legalized white privilege, and actual white human beings walking this land today. These are different things.

If you are white and reading this and insist on taking it personally, so be it; but you could not be more wrong. Moreover, your inability and/or refusal to make an effort to understand this distinction only serves to prove my point. Your subliminally ingrained attitude is the very by-product of  centuries of the legal, and often brutally enforced, white supremacy of which I speak.

I love my country with the maturity that enables me to love it, warts and all. It is not, nor certainly ever has been, that "perfect union" of which Abraham Lincoln spoke. Our infant nation could not wear the clothes of a matured sovereign nation. And in our infancy, we got a lot of things wrong, chief among them, the affirmation of only white male owners of property. Those were the only people who had any rights in this nation until the 20th century, merely a century ago.

I love my country enough to see past its imperfections, especially as it continues to strive to get it right; to live up to our true creed of equal justice under the law. We are not there yet, but we are closer than we were even 50 years ago. Even 10 years ago.

And what I love most about this USA is that it is the only young nation, for we are quite young in the grand scheme of things, that is even trying to live up to such a creed. Everyone equal? That is a tall order for any nation, much less a young and struggling one. So, I forgive and accept that we have created much injustice in our past, as we have struggled to break away from old ideas and prejudices. It is not an easy thing to do. But I love my America for trying, over and over again, to get it right.

Our founders created a system which allowed for the growth and expansion of ideas of freedom, as well as the expansion of our borders. And it is this system of justice and self-government that provides us with a vehicle that insists on constantly examining itself by inviting the full participation of all citizens. With that idea, came the understanding that we must expand the notion of what it means to be a citizen, if we are to grow into our grand ideal.

This is what makes America great; that we have a system that not only encourages, but necessitates, a constant self-examination in order to grow into our notions of fairness, justice and equality. This is how and why our Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson (separate, but equal) in Brown v. Board (separate is inherently unequal). This is how we have added many amendments to our original constitution, as we grew into our idea of freedom and justice for all, and found it wanting. This is what gave the Civil Rights Act life in 1964, enabling us to include, rather than exclude, those who are not white, not male, and do not own land.

It is our system of self-governing that has enabled us to enlarge and increase the franchise in order to be true to our American soul. This is what is great about America.

And yet, as we see images of racial injustice all around us, the most recent that now infamous Texas pool party, where we watched a white police officer slam a 14 year-old girl to the ground and then proceeded to draw his gun on several young black men, I wonder why some white Americans cannot surrender their false sense of superiority. 

I don't know what it's like to be white, although there have been times that I have been mistaken for white. As a California attorney, I was also often mistaken for the Spanish language interpreter in courtrooms. I guess me being an attorney seemed strange to some white people. I don't know what it's like to not have to constantly be proving myself in a white man's world. No doubt, it would be easier to not notice the slights and injustices inherent in this land of white privilege if I were not the constant victim thereof.

No one is born superior to another human being. We are what we make of ourselves. Some of us are born into an environment rich in the resources necessary to create our own successes. Many of us are not. And most of us not born into wealth are not white because our country has only recently affirmed our rights to access higher education, equal housing and employment.

So, our nation has only recently come into its own; its own truth about equality and fairness. Therefore, how can we not be at this very important and pivotal moment in our history? How can we not be confused about fairness when our government has had more experience dispensing injustice than justice?

Perhaps we should all be more patient with one another as we march toward that "more perfect union," that we all honor in our American souls. One thing is for certain, however. It is time for white Americans to give up the built-in privilege of whiteness that has dominated our society since its very inception. You are not better than we are. Your ancestors were affirmed in ways that mine were not, even though my parents were both born in the USA.

Surrender this injustice that has stilted the growth and greatness of our extraordinary nation for too long now. For the times they are a'changin' and our "more perfect union" cannot ever be unless and until we do so. Surrender gracefully, before we face more civil discourse and unrest. More violence will only make that surrender an involuntary one; and can only sow more seeds of discontent.

Haven't we all had enough of this false sense superiority enjoyed only by those with pale skin? The sooner white America can let go of the unjust enrichment of white privilege, the sooner we will be able to truly be the land of "liberty and justice for all."

                                                                           Copyright 2015, Irene Daniel, All rights reserved.