You're White? Then You're Racist.

At the close of 2015, George Yancy published a letter entitled “Dear White America.” In this letter, Yancy addresses all white Americans and urges them to accept that they are all racists. To further clarify, he calls himself a sexist. He writes that although he doesn’t intentionally discriminate against women, he’s sexist because he’s allowing sexism to endure by being a part of a society that’s sexist. He further claims he’s sexist because he’s not consistently taking action to fight against sexism, and benefits from the oppression of women merely because he is a man. Likewise, Yancy writes that white Americans are racist because they are a part of a racist society, and they benefit from the oppression of black Americans. Albert Atkins, author of “The Philosophy of Race,” says that there are three models of racism, the belief/ideology model, the behavioral model, and the affective model. I will argue that Yancy is relying on the behavioral model of racism in his letter to white Americans.

The behavioral model qualifies one as racist based on their actions and behaviors. According to the behavioral model, in order for someone to be racist they must meet two conditions. The first condition is that the action/behavior must be acted upon people of a particular racial group, solely because they are members of that particular group. The second is that the action/behavior must result in the disadvantage of that racial group. Both conditions must be met in order for someone to be qualified as a racist.  Someone who doesn’t necessarily believe that one race is more superior than another, but performs racist behaviors, is still a racist according to this model. Someone is qualified as racist in this model if they perform racist behaviors or actions, regardless of whether or not they’re intentionally being racist. Yancy seems to be arguing that white Americans are racist, based on this model, at an institutional level.

The following is an example of how Yancy’s view relies on the behavioral model: Both a black person and a white person apply for the same job, and the black person is more qualified. If the white person gets the job, it is a form of employment discrimination. This example meets both conditions for racism based on the behavioral model. The action, hiring a less-qualified white person instead of a more-qualified black person, is predominately enacted upon a specific racial group, black people. The action results in the disadvantage of black people and the benefit of white people, qualifying anyone who contributes to the action as racist. The employer is explicitly racist because they denied the black person the job solely because they are black, even though they are more qualified than the white person. Based on the behavioral model, the white person who was hired is also a racist. The action harms black people by making it more difficult for black people to get a job, because they are more likely to be discriminated against because of their race. The discrimination of black people benefits white people by making it easier for white people to get a job, because there is less competition with black people. Although white people may not be intentionally racist when applying for a job with black applicants, according to the behavioral model, they are racist because they benefit from it.
           
​Further support that Yancy is relying on the behavioral model is that this model does not require a racist action/behavior to be intentional. White people sustain racism by living in a society that, from its birth, was racist and made in favor of white people. For example, if a white person decides to live in a predominantly white neighborhood, they are racist according to this model. They are racist because, although not intentionally racist, choosing to live in a predominantly white neighborhood sustains segregation, which is harmful to black people. It follows that sustaining segregation sustains black poverty because black people are then more likely to live in poor and predominantly black neighborhoods. White people benefit from this by being less likely to live in poor neighborhoods. In addiction recovery programs, the first step to recovery and change is usually admitting that you have a problem in the first place. In his letter to white America, Yancy is simply trying to persuade white Americans to admit that they are a part of a society that is inherently racist, making the individuals who benefit from the society qualify as racists, according to the behavioral model.