No one is free until we are all free. Martin Niemöller wrote a powerful poem called First They Came to that best articulates why white supremacy is harmful to white people.
White supremacy is based on the ideology that the white race is superior to all other races and must therefore assert dominance over non-whites.
White people who don’t fit the picture of perfection that is deemed the prototype of whiteness are at risk of being castigated and banished from white supremacist society. White people who don’t fit the archetype of whiteness may be subject to ostracism and will lose their hold of white privilege. Anti-racism educator Monique Melton shared that “perfectionism is white supremacy by another name.” For white supremacy to thrive, there must always be a subordinate caste to oppress. One less considered fact is that any person at any time can become part of a marginalized community through no fault of their own. A person who suddenly becomes disabled, for example, may experience discrimination based on their disability status. As long as white supremacy exists, those in marginalized groups will continue to be oppressed. Dismantling white supremacy is beneficial for everyone, particularly because anyone can find themselves in the subordinate caste and as long as white supremacy is able to flourish, marginalization will continue.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “no one is free until we are all free
