From “US: The Resurrection of American Terror” by Rev. Kenneth W. Wheeler
In response to Gov. Ron DeSantis and to all who believe as he does, I want to say this to my country: America, you codified laws protecting white supremacy. This is who you are. You upheld slavery and its progeny, Jim Crow segregation. This is us, America. This is who we are. From 1942 to 1945 you imprisoned many innocent Japanese in internment camps, some who were American citizens, none of whom had anything to do with the attack upon Pearl Harbor. This is us, America. This is who we are. We have the distinction of being the most violent nation on the face of the Earth because our guns have become our gods and racism and white supremacy have fueled a great deal of violence that has been exacted upon Black people. This is us, America. This is who we are.
It’s time to tell the truth and stop hiding behind the veil of a false innocence. Our failure to speak the truth keeps white people wedded to and trapped in a historical narrative that is at best problematic and at its worst a lie. It’s time for white people to confront the truth. It’s time for white people to name their demons. As long as white people continue to claim innocence they will continue to spill the blood of innocent people, especially innocent people whose skin is not white.