LJ’s Paradox_dragon has a thought-provoking post on how to change your own racist attitudes, even if you don’t realize you have them.

Goal #2: Learn to live with your white privilege once you’ve acknowledged it.

Baby-step: Shut up. No, seriously, don’t talk. If someone calls you on your white privilege, or you want to say something but you’re not sure if it’s coming from a place of privilege, or you feel guilty, or you just don’t feel like people of color (henceforth abbreviated POC) are properly acknowledging your efforts to change, or you don’t like the tone of whoever called you out, don’t do anything….

(And, of course, someone responds to the call not to make it all about yourself by… ummm…. making it all about herself. :-) )

In response to the Jena 6 incident, a blogger tells, in all-too-painful detail, why it is not a surprise.(h/t autographedcat)

But one of the note’s points of interest got some of the young people going. It stated, that after 8:00 P.M., NO ONE WAS TO GO DOWN ACROSS THE RAILROAD TRACKS, PAST THE GREEN HOUSE (an actual green-colored house), AS THAT WAS THE DEMARCATION LINE BETWEEN FREE-GOING COUNTRY, AND KLAN TERRITORY.

Doing so was, according to the note, “tempting fate” and “taking your life into your own hands”.

Many of the assembled—particularly the younger ones, were agog at this special note, thinking it was a.) a joke, b.) a silly wive’s tale, and worst of all, c.) an open provocation to their God-given right to flex their northern-bred muscle and “rights”. After much clamor, older relatives prevailed upon the upset youngers, and implored them to please observe the warning. It was not a frivolous one….

My Uncle A. rushed into the Wilmington club, got on the mic, and requested that all family members leave immediately to get back to the main homestead.

As we left, we were told that shots had been fired at the brazen revelers who had line-stepped that aforementioned threshold.