Complain, Complain, Don't Go Away

I'm sure some of y'all have heard about this mayor out in Cali.

This cat had to resign after he sent a racist email out to bunch folks basically suggesting that since Obama's in the White House the annual Easter Egg hunt will be replaced by a watermelon picking contest. Just lovely. Oh yeah, he was a Republican.

But, I'm not hear to get all hot and bothered over the latest racist incident connected to President Barack Obama. If I tried to generate anger over all of these incidents my blood pressure would be higher than it already is.

Nope, I want to talk about the sister who snitched on the mayor. Yep, that's right. The only reason this cat got caught and ultimately had to resign was because a black woman saw his email and decide to take some action. She complained loud and hard, and forced the mayor's hand and the hands of all the other folks on his email list.

Start Snitching.

That's my message. When you see someone behaving in a racist manner, snitch on their ass with the quickness. Particularly if they have the gall to get all racist at work. I want you to run to the Human Resources Director so fast that cats start calling you Jesse Owens. Snitch like your life depended on it.

Some of y'all may be surprised by this advice. Most of our parents taught us that nobody likes a tattletale, and our peers made sure we learned that snitches get stitches. "Rats" are viewed with contempt in almost every social and professional setting, and the easiest way to become a pariah in this world is to develop a reputation as a fink.

I don't care. Keep snitching.

Don't allow the folks benefiting from the status quo to try to tell you that you have to adhere to the status quo. If you listen to them, you'll never get ahead. Don't be a team player when it comes to racism, don't be thick-skinned. Be a sensitive, complaining, snitching pain-in-the-ass.

Snitching, or complaining, is the only way we are going to force folks to own up to their racist behavior and change. We have to use our complaints as leverage. We need to document racism and if our immediate supervisors won't assist us in rooting it out, then we go over their heads. We need to go to the corporate office, we need to make EEOC complaints. Don't be a silent witness or victim, open your damn mouths.

Racism and discrimination flourish with silent acceptance. Look at our history in this country. The only time we've been able to force those in power to make some attempts to rectify wrongs is when we opened our mouths and told them that what they were doing was wrong. As long as we quietly ate shit, they kept taking a dump on our faces and saying "Would you like some more?"

I know complaining has some drawbacks. You'll probably get told that you're obsessed with race, that you're too politically correct, that you don't know how to take a joke. Your co-workers may stop inviting you out for drinks, or stop talking to you in the breakroom. People don't like their flaws pointed out, and they will surely attempt to punish you for exposing them.

Who cares? Do you really want to be cool with people who are fine with racism? Are those the types of folks you want to spend time with?

I didn't think so.

Obama's election has made it more difficult to get some white folks to admit racism is a problem. That's why it's our job to yell at the top of our lungs whenever somebody effs up so that there can be no mistake that racism and discrimination are still huge problems. We have a responsibility to our children to keep standing strong in the face of criticism and ridicule. We owe them the power to speak up and be heard.

Keep talking.






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