As our culture becomes increasingly dependent on social media to communicate, conversations that were difficult to have in person become more challenging.
Conversations around issues of race have always been charged and often heated. That fact has not changed since our interactions moved from living rooms to virtual social circles.
Often, people of color find themselves in conversations around race that seem an endless hamster wheel of heated back and forth that typically includes racially offensive comments and stereotypes.
When conversations shift from being a legitimate exchange of ideas and factual analysis and become spiral into negativity, there is a group of white ally volunteers who are ready to step in and give people of color a break from the negativity and burden.
Enter White Nonsense Roundup. White Nonsense Roundup is a volunteer group of around 100 white social media users who volunteer their time online to ease the burden of people of color in dealing with racist and bigoted people and comments.
If someone posts about the recent National Football League protests of racial inequity and brutality in policing, and that person is a person of color, and their post is met with racist comments or stereotypical responses, then the original poster can simply tag White Nonsense Roundup.
White Nonsense Roundup then steps in to provide facts and support. It grants the original poster a reprieve and hands the baton off, even if only momentarily. Terri Kempton is a book editor, college instructor, and the co-founder of White Nonsense Roundup.
Kempton said of her effort:
“It’s really unfair that we expect people of color to experience racism, but then also explain it to us.”
She continued saying:
“I think, as white people, we are taught that intentions are all that matters. We think that if our hearts are in the right places and we consciously doubt racism, we’re good to go. So that was a light-bulb moment to me, where I didn’t think intentions are enough.”
After her lightbulb moment, Kempton talked with her friend Layla Tromble, and they launched White Nonsense Roundup on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Their effort has been successful and to date has 138,000 followers.
From their Facebook page:
Kevin Tillman is an educator in Oakland California who says he utilizes White Nonsense Roundup daily. He said:
“It’s inspiring. I really appreciate the work that they’re doing and I steadily promote them. And the reality is white folks will sooner listen to them. They’re handling things people of color have been handling all our lives.”
Featured Image Via YouTube Video.
