I am a white citizen. I have never faced the level of discrimination and injustice that is rampant in our so-called “land of the free.” I had been so blinded by the silent approval my skin gave me that it took thirteen years for me to realize the very act of driving down the street was a privilege, an assurance that I would never be pulled over and shot by a police officer of the same race for merely existing. 

When I learned I had a privilege I didn’t earn that placed me higher on a social status than any person of color, I nearly vomited. How can we live in a society that praises itself for being “progressive” and “accepting” when my fellow citizens are arrested and/or killed for doing the things that, as a white person, would not even have an eye batted in my direction?

White supremacy exists. People don’t like to talk about it, don’t want to admit our society is run on discrimination and racism, and have tried to convince us that the topic is taboo. Some have decided to utilize this fact and abuse it to the degree that they believe white people are the superior race. That is revolting and unacceptable given the fact that we are in the 21st century. 

I didn’t talk about racism when I first discovered it. I was influenced by the fact that it barely was talked about, and if it was it was only in history books that printed the photos in black and white to make it seem like slavery and civil injustice wasn’t only 61 years ago.

I finally realized when I was fifteen that the color of my skin was a societal armor against the injustices that my black friends faced. I decided to weaponize my privilege for the good of my friends. I started utilizing the concrete certainty that I would not be shot, maced or arrested for protesting for the rights of my friends, but I cannot be the only one to stand against white supremacy. Waving handmade signs and shouting with all the fire in my heart in the street for the rights of others is not enough, even when I wouldn’t suffer any consequence because of the color of my skin.

White people everywhere: we need to stand up. We need to realize the society we were born into with privilege should be a right for all American citizens. We need to admit we have been influenced by racism, and we need to grow past it. Justice for others cannot be a minor goal. Unpunished brutality and pride for white supremacy cannot be pushed to the sidelines any longer. 

Say something when you see discrimination in your life. Stand up for minorities when they are punished with unequal “justice” that our society has gotten entirely too comfortable with allowing. If we all stand against systemic racism and injustice, if enough of us raise our voices against this tyranny of discrimination, we will get through to those with enough power to change the way our world runs. We cannot afford to subscribe to sitting quietly and staying out of conflict any longer.

I want to grow old in a society where my black friends and family don’t live in fear of a neo-Nazi storming their house and shooting them dead. I want to live in a world where being treated equally means exactly as it says, not just a formality in our Declaration. If that is a goal that the youth of my generation have to force to come true, I will do it. Regardless of how this future comes to fruition, this is what is required for this nation. There are no exceptions.