I am White. Does That Automatically Make Me a Racist?

I just had to unfriend somebody on fedbook.

We had been friends since 2015 when we met at Occupy Democracy’s #TarpaulinRevolution in Parliament Square.

Over the last year I have had many long debates with her about the nature of racism.

Today’s brief convo was the last straw for me though:

I am white. I am male. I am fragile.

I am deeply saddened by this person’s definition of racism:

“oppression towards the inferior less powerful race – get to know! – white people are the supremacist race”

I thought that racism was:

“a product of the complex interaction in a given society of a race-based worldview with prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Racism can be present in social actions, practices, or political systems (e.g., apartheid) that support the expression of prejudice or aversion in discriminatory practices”.

I’ve campaigned actively against racism my whole life. I’ve spoken out, acted out and produced tons of anti-racist propaganda. As a small child, I marched against SA apartheid and participated in die-ins outside the SA embassy.

I’ve had endless debates with this person, who feels that because she is not white, she cannot be racist. ‘Bashing’ all whites is justified by this person, because white privilege.

I admire her anti-imperialist/supremacist work, but don’t know what more I can do to persuade her that not all whites are fascists. The commander in chief of the largest imperialist force on planet earth is a black man for God’s sake…

I don’t know what else I can do about this sorry situation apart from blog it.

Your thoughts and advice would be much appreciated, whatever your skin tone might be.