Upset with BALIF board mess
I was upset reading the article "BALIF board members quit" [March 21]. I was enraged and, at the same time, exhausted by the seemingly impossible fight to get activists, progressives, and social justice warriors to stop tearing down allies and focus on our real enemies.
Multiple members of the BALIF board quit due to verbal abuse by fellow board members. When they took issue with the abuse they were accused of today's secret phrase, "white fragility." How convenient. Labeling someone allows the labeler to disregard anything and everything the other person says since they clearly "just don't get it." In this case, the complaints of multiple board members can be ignored since they are just fragile. Were it not so tragic it would be hilarious to read BALIF Co-Chair Annick Persinger's take in this mess: "The BALIF board has had many difficult conversations around these issues (current and historical exclusion of transgender and queer people of color). During those conversations, there were requests for POC and white allies to mind their tone and to be civil. Tone policing is rooted in racism and sexism. Similarly, requests for civility are rooted in historic attempts to civilize people of color and women, and, as a result, are inherently unequal."
Insane.
Being polite and respectful has come to mean racist and sexist? I'm certain she does not feel that way when it's her side demanding respect. It's this type of attitude and name-calling that helped get Donald Trump elected and may well again. We need to pay more attention to our real enemies rather than tear others down for not being PC enough.
Joseph Barrett
Oakland, California