Anti vs non

Instead of a normal Startup to Last episode this week, my co-host (Tyler) and I discussed racism. It was an uncomfortable conversation for us both. We decided to publish this episode because we felt we needed to model the type of conversation privileged white men could be having right now. I’m glad we did.

Towards the end of the episode, Tyler challenged me with a simple question. Are you “anti-racist“ or just “non-racist”? The truthful answer to this question is that, for most of my life, I’ve been mostly just non-racist. Yes, there have been times in my life where I spoke out or acted in anti-racist form. But there are way more situations in which I was silently non-racist.

Before this episode, I might have argued that being non-racist was enough. But, it is now clear to me that it is not. When I had this realization, massive regret rushed over me like a broken dam. There have been too many moments in my life where I should have spoken up and I did not; and too many moments where I should have acted and I did not. Sadly, I expect there will be plenty more opportunities for me to make amends.

There is a significant difference between being “anti-something“ and just “non-something”. To eradicate something from our society, we must all be anti-it. This applies to murder. It applies to rape. And it applies to racism.

In essence, the Black Lives Matter movement is a call for anti-racism. Until Americans understand this and commit to anti-racism, expect the Black Lives Matter movement to grow louder.

We must all commit to becoming anti-racist. Anything less is tolerance.