On the Importance of Language in Fighting White Supremacy

Impeach and convict; the 25th Amendment must be invoked. (In under 140 characters, this is the reason why.)

There’s no doubt that the coup attempt on Wednesday, January 6, was enabled by and made possible because of a broken, unchallenged system. The insurrection wasn’t just an assault on our democracy; it was a riot to uphold white supremacy in the wake of change. Horrific, yes, but unsurprising. To call this event “un-American” is to crack open the privilege so many take for granted. What we witnessed was the ugly truth: racism lies deep in our country’s underbelly and courses hot through the infrastructures that uphold selective freedom. America is not equal. It never has been, and isn’t yet.

On the night of the 6th, I was impassioned and quick to call the insurrectionists “white terrorists.” To see them labeled as “protestors” was offensive, to say the least. (I saw red, literally: may Google images pull up these entitled faces every time “terrorist” is typed into the search bar.) The white mob of Trumpians and racists—never forget the nooses in hand and the pro-Nazi graphic tees—fit the description, but what I failed to do in the moment was recognize the impact of that label. Verbiage like “terrorist” and “terrorism” had not only been co-opted, but weaponized by sanctioned institutions to perpetuate oppressive, racist behaviors.

Even through my anger, “domestic terrorists” (though appropriate in this context) didn’t sit well with me. I struggled to make sense of the conflicting emotions until a good friend was able to help me find the words. (The following realizations are credited to @vigilantlove, thanks to Dom.) To call the insurrectionists “domestic terrorists” was to other them in the same way anti-terrorism frameworks use that language to fuel Islamophobia and anti-Blackness. It’s reductive, actually, in that it minimizes the event to a singular exception carried out by a few “bad apples.” There’s nothing radical about the coup attempt: this nation was built upon colonialism and the idea of protecting white power. Racism and entitlement are institutionalized; both run deep and infiltrate how we see, think, and move about in our society. How radical could this failed coup d’état possibly be when in 2016 and again, in 2020—after four years of a horrific regime in play—Trump could win over 46% of the popular vote?! That’s nearly half of the voters. 2016’s turnout was the result of ignorance at best, but 2020? Just two months ago?

Make no mistake: had these been brown bodies in peaceful (actual) protest, blood would’ve spilled within moments of any gathering. And they certainly wouldn’t have made it so far that they could perch upon—and mock—the dais of democracy. Democracy that white supremacists have little care or respect for when it doesn’t suit them.

My angle on this is clear, but my language was anything but. I now understand that using “terrorists” or “terrorism” (even when prefaced with “white” or “domestic,” respectively) only helps perpetuate the existing frameworks that allowed someone like Trump to rise. I highly recommend exploring Vigilante Love’s page for more information; below is just a summary of what I’ve garnered from this post in the hopes of inspiring the same conversations I’ve had with friends:

The context: 

• Anti-terrorism is historically rooted in Islamophobia and anti-Blackness. Counter-terrorist programs were created to profile and target non-white demographics, and continue to do so.
• Using “white terrorists” instead of “white supremacists” only “fuels the Islamophobic and racist war on terror apparatus.” This very language has been weaponized against entire groups of non-white people. It does not address, nor does it help protect, the communities harmed by white supremacy. (And if you think racism doesn’t exist, please watch this. It’s a frustrating interview to watch, but it exemplifies how deeply ingrained discrimination is in the every day.)

Why language matters: 

• Using terminology like “terrorism” allows the government to redirect more money and resources towards counter-terrorist programs… but remember who these policing and surveillance programs target. They’re designed to criminalize Muslims, Black, and brown communities. Not white supremacists.
• Even if the definition of “terrorism” is expanded, we cannot trust its legitimacy. Just this past September, the Department of Homeland Security awarded $10 million to select projects that support the development of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention, a program that focuses on domestic terrorism. What part of that grant was budgeted towards tackling white supremacy?

This has been a reminder of how powerful language is. I hope you’ll join me in learning; we must choose our words wisely.

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xx