Reckoning with truths about ‘American Democracy’

In the Taos News Thanksgiving week, I found the title of the article “In Celebration of American Democracy” [by Ariana Kramer] very disturbing. This was not at all personal to the talented journalist or the talented musician about whom she wrote. Rather, a response that invites all of us who are white-embodied Americans to recognize how we’ve been taught to center ourselves in this country’s history, values, policies and culture, and the harm that frequently imposes upon Black, Indigenous and People of Color. This includes but is not limited to our choice of words, our assumption of equality, our beliefs about the “justice” system and oft-erroneous history we learned as kids; our worship of historical figures – like Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson; and our unexamined acceptance of myriad norms and privileges we maintain as white folk. American Democracy began and continues as a framework of white supremacy. As such, it is not to be celebrated. White Americans have an enormous responsibility to understand this and become part of supremacy’s dismantling. This letter is an appeal that we look honestly at the impact of our white-centeredness, accept the shame of our complicity and allow these experiences to shift our behavior. If you are willing to begin this work, here are some resources: Scene On Radio podcast, seasons 2 (on racism) and 4 (on myths of American Democracy); All My Relations podcast, My Grandmother’s Hands (on racialized trauma,) Me and White Supremacy (workbook for examining racism.)

In solidarity …

Penny Holland lives in El Prado.