Power Trip
White Supremacy Acts Like a Bully, and It Can Be Dealt With Like a Bully
Like the system of white supremacy, the bully thrives on fear
The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows.
— Assata Shakur
When I was nine years old, my babysitter put water on a grease fire and our house burned to the ground. My father, sister, and I moved to Grandma’s house, to a different part of town — leaving our small but separate bedrooms to share a bed in her living room — about 15 minutes away. And my sister and I started going to a new school. The thing I remember most vividly from that year is the walk home from school. I remember the sweaty palms, the dry mouth, the bravado, the focus, the running.
And I remember the fear.
There was a bully on our block on the walk home, always present, even when I couldn’t see him. And every day, the 10 minutes between the school parking lot and my grandmother’s yard were full of anxiety. I’ve thought a lot about that year since then, especially after teaching sixth grade and seeing the way children are taught about power — about who has it and who doesn’t, how to wield it and how to share it…
