Why Do Some Black People Support White Supremacy?

We must first define white supremacy instead of letting it be defined for us. Here’s a dictionary definition:

noun

1. the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups.

That definition is good as far as it goes; I like another one better by Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez:

“White supremacy is an historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations, and peoples of color by white peoples and nations of the European continent, for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of wealth, power, and privilege.”

The keywords in this definition are “historically based,” “systemic,” “purpose,” and “wealth, power, and privilege.” It mentions the oppression of continents and nations; white supremacy is global. One example is the G-7 determining policy for the rest of the world. The G-20, which includes all the G-7 members, is more inclusive, but do they ever do anything the G-7 hasn’t already decided? I will focus on white supremacy in the United States and address those Black people who wittingly and unwittingly support it and why.

The historical basis for white supremacy in America began after Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676. Black people in America were consistently discriminated against; there were Black enslaved people, Black free people, and Black indentured servants. At one time in America, Black indentured servants outnumbered Black enslaved people. White indentured servants worked alongside Black indentured servants and enslaved people.

Nathaniel Bacon was able to unite the indentured servants of any color and the enslaved (ironically, to drive out Native Americans) and ended up burning down Jamestown, then the capital of Virginia. The response was to change the economic model to make Enslavement the primary source of cheap labor and elevate the lowest white person above the people they once worked alongside.

White supremacy was always about money and power; it was as much class-based as race-based. But after Bacon’s rebellion, the mechanism to divide people to maintain economic control for a relative few became race, just as it is today. The Black Codes eventually replaced Enslavement. Then came Jim Crow, which theoretically ended with the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s though the Supreme Court has constantly whittled down their effectiveness. They include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968; none of these Acts eliminated white supremacy or systemic racism; they just allowed America to say so.

Laws and policies that support white supremacy still exist in local, state, and federal governments. Major corporations, small businesses, unions, public schools, and colleges and universities are all places where white supremacy is embedded to some degree. To be sure, many attempts have been made to eradicate white supremacy, but for every affirmative action program or Board v. Board of Education, there’s a Stop Woke Act or Shelby v. Holder.

Brown v Board of Education was supposed to end segregation in American schools. The phrase calling for implementation “with all deliberate speed,” allowed states decades to desegregate schools. It took federal consent decrees to force movement in Northern and Southern school districts alike. We still have segregated schools in areas as diverse as California, Mississippi, and New York. The latest trend is to take money from public schools to give to private and Christian schools, often as segregated as their predecessors. I say all this to say that systemic racism is still prevalent in America, and I wonder why some Black people are supporters.

Remembering that white supremacy is as much about power as race, it’s only natural that Black people would explore various paths to power just as white people do. The first Black power brokers typically came from the church and institutions of higher learning. They formed their own organizations, sometimes with the aid of white people, like the Niagra Movement, the NAACP, the National Negro Business League, the Pan-African Movement, and the SCLC. Those leaders included W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

They didn’t all think alike and sometimes disagreed with each other. The NAACP was formed after leaders like Du Bois disagreed withThe Atlanta Compromise supported by Booker T. Washington. Washington backed a more general approach and was likelier to compromise with white leaders, but none of them could be accused of supporting white supremacy. Nobody thought that way of the Nation of Islam or the Black Panther Party.

The number of leaders I’ve omitted exceeds those I’ve mentioned. Women like Ida B. Wells fought against lynchings and for the suffrage movement. Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and others need their stories told, but my point is that they didn’t support white supremacy, and all knew what systemic racism was.

Today, several Black people of prominence actively support white supremacy. Some unwittingly, and others perhaps not. Once upon a time, when Black men anyways got the right to vote after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, Black men voted over 90% for the Republican Party because that was in their interest. The Democratic Party was virulently racist, and to vote for them would be self-defeating. Both parties changed over time, with the Republican Party taking on many traits of the Democratic Party and absorbing many of its most racist members over time. All of the racist Democrats did not leave, nor are all current Republicans racist. A Black person can support the Republican Party without meaning to support white supremacy. It’s hard to see how they do so without acknowledging they are working alongside white supremacists unless they’re deaf, blind, or dumb.

Black leaders who support white supremacy are following a route to power, fame, or money, sometimes all three. Some, like Senator Tim Scott, may believe he can enact change from the inside. He may have conservative beliefs he believes make him better aligned with Republicans. He has, indeed, stood his ground on a couple of occasions to fight against the appointment of a couple of racist federal judges. I can commend him for that while rejecting his claim that America isn’t a racist country. Scott will likely run for the Republican nomination in 2024 though his chances are no better than Herman Cain’s or Ben Carson’s were. Many of Scott’s votes as a Senator have supported voter supremacy and police brutality. To vote other than he did would have cost him the support he needed for re-election. He chose his personal power over fighting white supremacy; most of the time that he got the opportunity.

Others like Pastor Darryl Scott and Pastor Mark Burns appear to be little more than grifters. Scott was best known for leading 100 Black ministers into a meeting with Donald Trump and implying the group endorsed Trump. Scott has stepped up several times to support white supremacy in apparent hopes for personal gain. Burns’s reputation was tarnished after pretending to be a member of Kappa Alpha Psi when he wasn’t. Each has done their best Stepin Fetchit imitation while supporting white supremacy.

There are certainly others who make their living supporting policies that hurt Black people. Stacey Dash tried it until Fox News finally fired her, and her personal life spiraled. Candace Owens still ekes out a living being anti-Black. The late Diamond and her sister, Silk of Diamond & Silk fame, weren’t bright enough to discuss the issues but supported white supremacist views wholeheartedly. It’s certainly possible that some of their views had nothing to do with white supremacy, yet their constant support of white supremacist issues made it impossible to give them a pass for ignorance. The latest batch of white supremacy supporters are more clowns than leaders, but they do what they’re paid to do.

To be clear, I’m not condemning all Black Republicans. Some at least managed to maintain their integrity and remember who they were and where they came from most of the time. J.C. Watts, Will Hurd, Colin Powell, and others could stand up and say when something was wrong. If they recognized they had no meaningful impact, they left their positions.

I’ve stuck to so-called leaders to this point, but the few run-of-the-mill Black Maga-ites that exist deserve recognition too. The fool with the “Blacks for Trump” sign that is centered behind Trump at every rally has a special place in hell reserved. They couldn’t have paid him enough. Some of you might have firm anti-abortion beliefs, but can’t you stand up and reject what you don’t believe in? That’s assuming they disagree with something.

Part of the defense from being called a white supremacist is to deny its existence. Some point to you as proof because if it existed, surely you would object. I suppose there’s another category besides that do it for money, fame, or power. Some people are either stupid enough to believe the hype or so disingenuous as not to care. I didn’t mean to leave out Kanye, so make room for the mentally challenged.

Most individuals I’ve named, with the possible exceptions of Diamond & Silk, should know better. I don’t want to know if you’re Black and support white supremacy, even if you got rich doing it. If somehow you’re uncertain because the news you listen to tells you there’s no such thing as white supremacy. Hit me up, and we’ll have a chat. If all your white or Black friends support white supremacy, get new friends. The ex-President who had just got indicted called the Black Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, an “animal.” If you still support Trump and his ilk, don’t bother to ask, we know who you are.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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