Fawn Walker-Montgomery: Have we compromised our way out of Black liberation? Part 2

by Fawn Walker-Montgomery Thank you to all who took the time to read my previous column on Feb. 28, which posed the question: “Have we compromised our way out of Black liberation?” This question was meant to spark an important discussion about Black radical thought and to offer a different perspective on how we address social justice and Black liberation. My goal is to create space for more Black radical schools of thought in local organizing, which are sometimes unfairly seen as negative or problematic. As a radical Black socialist feminist, I often find myself facing pushback from both Black and White people. It surprises me that my words and actions of resistance are sometimes met with more criticism than the oppressive system itself. In this column, I will delve deeper into this as well as how Black people internalize White supremacy. Specifically, with perfectionism, urgency, internalized racism, defensiveness, quantity over quality, capitalism, keeping White people comfortable (White proximity), worship of the written word, paternalism, either/or thinking, power hoarding, and fear of open conflict and individualism. All of these have showed up locally here in Allegheny County. For instance, it’s no secret that we deal with neighborhood violence that often...