Where You Least Expect It

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Published on Jun 21st at 6:00am

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A. R. Olivieri writes, directs, & produces podcasts.

Lee Rosevere Music created the soundscape.

White supremacy finds you where you least expect it.

Oh, it finds you where you most expect it too, like in government & police forces, but even after we finally accomplish defunding the police & electing better public representatives, racism will still exist. White supremacy integrated into the very fabric of society will still exist.

You have to worry about the places where you least expect it.

Back in 1989, when I was 4 years old, my Pop-Pop — a man I loved dearly & would later need to reconcile many aspects of — asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Leaving shock & silence in the room I said: LL Cool J.

Now later on in life — really knowing the extreme racist my Pop-Pop was — my family always framed this as a really funny moment where a little kid naively said something they shouldn’t have in front of an elder; just child’s innocence. Only I don’t think it was innocent at all.

White supremacy finds you where you least expect it.

The most superficial generational changes in perception allow you feel comfort that racism is being eliminated or at the very least, you can’t be racist. That comfort is privilege. That privilege is White supremacy, & that’s why I told you this story. It’s likely you have one of your own.

There’s nothing funny or cute about racism, & I am disgusted & ashamed to think of any time where I was thoughtless enough to be racist. Innocence be damned. Intentions be damned.

To my White listeners: educate yourself every day, & not only when the crisis is most visible. Do the difficult work. Listen to, support, & pay Black people. Be active, or to quote a great friend, be an accomplice. The fight for justice will not end in our lifetime, but with no justice, there can be no peace.

I’ve always spoken to you directly & it wouldn’t have been right to continue sharing content without speaking to you directly about this first too.

Now please, arrest the cops that murdered Breonna Taylor.

Thank you, & Black lives matter.