21 Signs You
or Your Organization May Be the White Moderate Dr. King Warned About Posted on January 17, 2021 by Vu This
week we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose
teachings have often been beacons of light for our sector. As we transition
into something resembling hope and renewal with this incoming presidential
administration, I encourage us to reflect on the words Dr. King wrote in
his Letter from a Birmingham Jail,
where he warned of the “white moderate” being the biggest barrier toward
social justice. He said: “I must confess that over the past few years I have been
gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the
regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride
toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner,
but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who
prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace
which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in
the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’;
who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s
freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises
the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from
people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from
people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than
outright rejection.” I
had written about this earlier, quoting the
same passage, but I think it’s important we explore it further. Regrettably,
nonprofit and philanthropy have in many ways become one giant white moderate
sector. It is filled with good people who want to advance justice and help
create an equitable society, yet we often get in our own way. We may have the
same dreams as MLK, but so many of our good intentions serve to further the
very injustice we claim to be fighting. Here
are a few ways you or your organization or foundation may be perpetuating
this sort of well-meaning white moderation that’s preventing progress. This
list, aggregated from colleagues across the sector, is not comprehensive.
Also, all of us, including people of color, are prone to many of these
because this is what we have been taught. We all need to constantly examine
ourselves and make adjustments:
There’s plenty more. Please
add in the comment section. And feel free to disagree. This week, and the
rest of 2021, it’s not good enough just to post inspiring quotes by MLK. We
all need to reexamine our actions to see which ones align with equity and
justice, and fix the stuff we do that don’t. FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest16Tumblr16 Posted
in nonprofit field, Race, Equity, Diversity, InclusionTagged equity, Martin Luther King Jr., MLK, MLK
Jr., nonprofit, white
moderate |
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