WHITE PRIVILEGE: A MANIFESTO

by Seth Michelson

 

—found in an interview with actor Levar Burton, who is African-American

Listen: I'm gonna be
honest with you. This
is a practice I engage in
every time I'm stopped
by law enforcement.
I've taught this to my son,
now thirty-three, as part
of my duty as a father
to ensure he knows the kind
of world in which he is
growing up. When I get
stopped by the police,
I take my hat off
and my sunglasses off,
put them on the passenger seat
and roll down my window.
I take my hands, stick them out
the window and lay them
flat against the door
because I want that officer
to be as relaxed as he can be
when he approaches
my vehicle. I do this
because I live in America.

 

 

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