5 ‘Whitesplanations’ You Might Be Guilty of Without Realizing It

You believe that Black Lives Matter. You profess your allyship. You've donated. You've signed petitions. You've shown up and you're doing the work. But if you're white and engaging in BIPOC conversations, you should be on high-alert for 'whitesplaining.'

Similar to 'mansplaining,' which according to Merriam-Webster, means "to explain something to a woman in a condescending way that assumes she has no knowledge about the topic," whitesplaining is when white people condescendingly explain something—typically about race—to Black, indigenous or people of color. The kicker? In most cases, the whitesplainer doesn't have the lived experience or education to even comment from a place of knowledge on the topic at hand. In doing so, even if "your intentions are good," the act of whitesplaining reaffirms racism and white supremacy.

There's also the whitesplaining that completely denies the existence of racism. As John Blake wrote for CNN, "'Whitesplaining' is an affliction that's triggered when some white people hear a person of color complain about racism. They will immediately explain in a condescending tone why the person is wrong, 'getting too emotional' or 'seeing race in everything.'" It's racial gaslighting, which Blake explains succinctly, "The implication: These white people know more about how racism operates than those who've struggled against it for much of their lives."

Nope! No ifs, ands or buts! If you are actually trying to dismantle racism and white supremacy, the easiest way for you to start is with your own actions. And in over-talking, interrupting or assuming you know about this topic when in reality you've shown up to the conversation hundreds of years late, you're only proving that you're actually not ready to learn. If you're only comfortable in the position as teacher, it shows you're unable to give up power—even in a simple conversation or Instagram comment. And if you're a white person who resists giving up power that's a sign of...you guessed it, white supremacy.

Easy. You don't have to comment at all. At this stage in the game, your job is to be a good ally. Donate, study, amplify Black voices and continue learning. You can follow along in compelling dialogues, watch Instagram Lives with your favorite scholars and activists and simply—wait for it—listen. Listening can be a radical act when you're ready to relinquish power.

Whether you're talking amongst friends, showing up to a protest or commenting on an Instagram post, watch out for these common whitesplanations.

1. “Actually...”

In a 2016 piece, "6 Ways Well-Intentioned People Whitesplain Racism (And Why They Need to Stop)," Maisha Z. Johnson wrote, "If you’re used to being affirmed for sharing your thoughts, you might feel entitled to share them even when—no offense—you have no idea what you’re talking about." So, when you "actually..." a BIPOC, you're dismissing their worldview in favor of yours when you're probably way less equipped to in the first place regarding the topic at hand.

2. “I don't see color!”

Just like #1, this is a blatant dismissal of BIPOC's reality in a racial world. As a white person, you have the privilege of choosing not to see color. Black people, indigenous people, people of color? They do not. So saying you "don't see color" is a form a racial gaslighting where you're—intentionally or not (doesn't matter!)—denying a person who has been forced to "see color" because of the very system you're pretending doesn't exist.

3. “You must have been through some hardships growing up.”

As our own Chelsea Candelario wrote, this is a microaggression (one that she's heard in real life from a professor) that also doubles as a whitesplanation as it ineptly assumes one's entire background based on race.

4. “But my other Black friend says...”

Johnson sums this up best, "Listening to people of color is a great way to learn about racism. But please don’t just carry our quotes around like weapons to use against other marginalized folks. Too many white people use this tactic to tell us that we’re wrong about racism—citing the Native friend who doesn’t mind cultural appropriation, or the Black celebrity who disagrees with Black Lives Matter protesters."

5. “Calm down...”

Saying things like "take it down a notch," or "you don't have to be so angry," are not only examples whitesplaining, but of tone policing, which has deep roots in white supremacy. Let's take a look at activist Rachel Cargle's Instagram post where she brilliantly annotates and breaks down the whitesplanations and tone policing of a white commenter: