To Stand by is to Collude

“Stand by, Proud Boys?”, the president says.

No, together we resist the ready racial hatred of young white men.

I was born a white guy—perhaps you were too. For more than fifty years, I have invested my life in inclusion. I have been utterly blessed in decades of relationships with Black people. This president does not speak for me when he refuses to denounce white supremacy.   

“Stand by, Proud Boys?”

No, together we renounce white supremacy. This must not be a partisan consideration. Is there really a political party that agrees with racist violence and anti-Semitism? My Republican friends, you may agree with the president’s financial policies. That’s fine. But silence is complicity in the face of outright racist hate. 

“Stand by, Proud Boys?”

No, together we repudiate Islamophobic fascists waiting in the wings for the call to violence. If you are a white male executive, I pray that you are trying to lead more inclusively. Right now that means you step beyond By-Standing—you are no Proud Boy, after all—and declare that white supremacy and hate is wrong.

Act by funding the Southern Poverty Law Center, or the Anti-Defamation League, or The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Find out from them about the racial hate groups operating in communities where your company does business, and find ways to support law enforcement and local leaders who fight racial hatred there.

Use your position power and ethical strength to support inclusive conversations in your company between colleagues who are focused on racial justice and those connected with law enforcement and the National Guard. Talk about racial justice with your family—they will remember your courage, or wonder why you failed to use your voice.

There is no neutral for leaders when it comes to racial hate. We speak and act, or we collude.