The false equivalency of #BlackLivesMatter and... Almost everything else

White folks, please read the whole thing so you don't take this as a personal attack because it isn't. 

I'm having a moment of realization around how hard many white people are pushing back against the Black Lives Matter movement/Civil Rights Reboot... it is still white supremacy at the core, however I'm noticing one particular manifestation of white supremacy - the myth of "Bootstraps" and the lack of empathy that creates, which leads to the "what about me and my struggles" reaction that clouds the vision of many. 

White supremacy harms white people (in many ways, this is one piece) by enforcing a culture that is disconnected from empathy and each other. White people *culturally* do not engage with each others plights because we are taught as white people we can and should be able to deal with it ourselves. I'm certain some of us do it individually or in community, but our culture, the dominant culture in this country and arguably globally, does not. That leaves many of us coping with very real and valid plights and challenges unseen by those around us. That is destructive to our well being and deeply impacts how we interact with people. 

So in a moment, when Black people are literally fighting for their survival, it's like "Wait a minute! We're allowed to talk about our struggles?? No one talks about MY struggle!" Which is real. And many times is a false equivalency. Everyone wants to be seen. Everyone wants their struggles to be validated, it's necessary to not feeling completely alone in the world. But this is not our time for derailment. It is our time to step up and say "Wow, we ALL have been doing this "society" thing wrong". Maybe no one has been standing up for you, because you aren't standing up for yourself or anyone else, because you've been taught your whole life you don't need anyone else. This is also false. We need each other, very much so. When you authentically show up for others, they will show up for you. We are all bound together. We must start believing it and walking in that truth. 

"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting our time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."