The words “encouraging” and “White people” aren’t often seen together these days. Especially in the United States. Years of systemic racism have resulted in ongoing violence against Black people in this country.

Although the recent – and ongoing – killings of Black Americans at the hands of the police can make it feel like things are getting worse, there is another view. Will Smith put it beautifully: “Racism isn’t getting worse. It’s getting filmed.”

That filming, that awareness, is making a difference. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a long way to go. There is so much more work to be done to dismantle the systems of oppression that are continuing to harm our Black sisters and brothers in this country.

But I promised encouraging news, and there is some. White people are beginning to wake up.

As a card-carrying nerd (yes! there’s a card!), I find solace and enlightenment in statistics. That’s why I love the website 538. 538 is chock full of stats about everything, and a recent article shed some light on the changing views of White people in America.

These particular polls focus on White Democrats, but these stats speak to a trend that can be found in other subsets of the population as well.

Here’s what they found:

• Eighty-eight percent of White Democrats said that police treat Black Americans less fairly than White Americans.
• Eighty-six percent of White Democrats said they thought the overall criminal justice system is unfair to Black people.
• In 2009, 50 percent of White Democrats agreed with the idea that “the country needs to continue making changes to give Blacks equal rights with whites.” By 2017, that number had increased to 80 percent.

That last statistic was the one that really turned my head. White people are starting to wake up about the presence of racism in the United States. (In another, deeper, issue, White people are also starting to wake up about the presence of racism in ourselves. But the stats aren’t showing that. Yet.)

There is, like I said, so much more work to do, but this Great Awokening, as it has been dubbed, is a sign of very real change.

Change comes in many forms but we know, because we speak Woo-Woo here, that it all starts in consciousness.

Until the consciousness around race in this country changes, we won’t see change in the political and social realms. But as consciousness does start to change (and that change is already happening), we will see the manifestation of this shift in the external realm.

I’m aware that this post is focusing on White people. And the powers that be in this country have a tendency to focus on White people a lot. To the detriment of everyone else. But that’s what’s starting to change. Up until recently, a majority of White Americans haven’t cared about Black people. Or at least not enough. And we’ve had a society that reflects that. We’ve recently entered a new phase, a portal of possibility. And the consciousness of White Americans is a crucial component of what’s necessary to shift things for the better.

It’s time. It’s long past time.

My K-12 years and my ministerial education were (both) shaped by my classmates of color. I was extremely fortunate to have had this education during my childhood, and again during my ministerial studies. One of my Black classmates in ministerial school once said that until White people start to wake up about racism and White privilege, nothing would change.

That wake up is now happening. I pray it continues.

There’s a lot of information out there right now, and one book that is mentioned often is White Fragility, by Robin Diangelo. It’s a great resource for supporting the needed shift in White people’s understanding. How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi is another excellent resource. Other great resources can be found here. I’ve also found that watching “lighter” fare like Insecure and Black Lady Sketch Show, television programs created and produced by Black people, to be an important part of my education.

There is so much more to say and do. Education and changing our consciousness are not substitutes for taking inspired action for change. Action and consciousness are both important. Here’s a great link with multiple short and long term actions to take. And here’s a great article by my friend Dereca Blackmon about being a good ally.

The encouraging news about White people’s shift in views about racism certainly doesn’t mean that racism has been dismantled in America. Not by a long shot. But it does mean that the Awokening is having an impact. An impact in consciousness. And when consciousness changes? Anything is possible.

What’s your experience with racism and white privilege? Share your comments below.

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