I see white writers on here make this statement very often. The idea that you can never and will never understand the experiences of many non-whites in this country seems too absolute to be true. You can’t be sure that a white person hasn’t dealt with similar racism that a non-white person has - and for the record, I’m using the common definition of racism which includes prejudice regardless of power; I don’t accept the “prejudice + power” definition. Perhaps said white person lives in an area where their racial group is not dominant. Such areas do exist here.

For my part, I may not have dealt with what some people call microaggressions as often as the average black person might, but I certainly have experienced them. So I would say that to a certain degree, yes I do understand those experiences. I don’t need to downplay my own to show that I care about my non-white neighbors. And mind you, even between non-white people experiences with racism vary immensely.

You mean well, I understand that. But to be frank, having witnessed plenty of discrimination and vengeful sentiment against whites in the name of “anti-racism” based on false or exaggerated ideas, I do not find your essay to be convincing. I am not inclined to be an ally if it means embracing a philosophy that’s based very much on the dismissal and vilification of whites, and proposes flawed solutions like race-based equity. To embrace that would be a disservice to my non-white neighbors as much as myself.