Truly, I believe that you speak a great deal of truth here, Sandra. Excellently written.

Your willingness to be so upfront about people in your own racial group is commendable, although at some points I think you speak too generically about black people. In a perfect world, no one would ever have to speak negatively about those of their own race. Even if what they say is true, it makes me feel sad when black people speak about problems of crime and such in the black American community.

In regards to Black Lives Matter, for a while I did try to give them the benefit of the doubt even though I still took issue with some of their rhetoric and methods. But eventually I found that I couldn't give them that anymore. Its supporters frequently insist, among other things, that white supremacy is widespread among white Americans, and that equity based on race - rather than individual circumstances - is a good solution to our country’s disparities. This may be part of the reason why, among all Americans, opposition to the BLM movement has recently been at its highest since at least 2017.

I agree with you that systemic racism in America does not exist in the way that BLM supporters and "anti-racists" usually say it does. The examples they give - like biases in hiring or criminal sentencing -point to interpersonal racism rather than systemic racism. I do believe that there are true examples of systemic racism against black people and other non-white people that exist in soft forms, such as affirmative action. I wrote an article titled "The Problem with 'Equity'" which explains how these soft forms of systemic racism hurt not only white people but also non-white people.

Once again, excellent article, Sandra. Very on-point and honest.