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What do you think about the recent practice of white people “not taking up space” in racially diverse groups?
Should white people speak last? I mean, on a Zoom call, in a meeting? Not like in a presentation or panel discussion. Sometimes there is gravity to being the last to speak in those formal settings. White people can’t be silent. I don’t want them to be silent. After George Floyd was killed, in a board meeting where I, the president, was the only black person in the organization, someone asked me “What I thought” about being black, and the racism in the USA. I wanted to scream, “Maybe you should ask me about the racism I experience at this very moment.” In a shaky voice, I said, “I don’t want to say anything about that because I am not sure about the repercussions for saying what I really think. But part of what I really think is that you white people (and I actually stressed you white people) should be doing the talking. This is your issue, too. I want to hear what you think. Racism isn’t just my issue.”
We can’t ask white people to “not be silent” and then get mad at them for talking first or taking up space. During a breakout session at a mental health workshop, the only white man in our group spoke last. I don’t know if he wanted congratulations, but before getting into the meat of the discussion, he said, “I remained quiet till everyone else had spoken…
