As white progressives fall over themselves to show who’s virtue signaling harder in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, the degree of absurdity has reached (with apologies to “Spinal Tap”) level 11.
Case in point: On Monday, members of the UCLA Daily Bruin Editorial Board apologized for not having any black students among them, and atoned for not declaring support for Black Lives Matter “sooner” following Floyd’s death.
“We recognize that this lack of inclusion is an unacceptable disservice to the UCLA community, and for this we apologize,” the Board wrote. “The long process as we attempt to remedy our own lack of inclusivity and diversity, however, is no excuse for silence on our part in the present.”
To help repent, and “rather than speak on […] pertinent national issues with a glaring lack of Black voices,” the Board interviewed members of the Afrikan Student Union so readers could benefit from their “guidance.”
When asked about the response to Floyd’s killing from UCLA and campus police, the ASU’s Alexander Dunkwu said Chancellor Gene Block had sent an email proclaiming “Black Lives Matter”; however, it was co-signed by the head of the UC Police Department which Dunkwu said is “very hypocritical.”
“Just the police thing in their entirety just is something anti-Black,” Dunkwu said. “You can’t be hearing me say ‘Black Lives Matter’ and have this institution that is the cause of this, cosign that.”
Dunkwu and fellow ASU member Alexandria Davis then responded to the question of how UCLA students could show support for BLM and “anti-police brutality”:
DUNKWU: I would say, avoid performative allyship. I know there’s been a lot of things like Black Lives Matter chains, and although awareness is key, I feel like there’s a way to move in respect to the community that’s going through this. So just reaching out to somebody who’s Black, asking, “How can I support you,” “How are you” – things like that. Just being there for people, I feel, and also the idea of awareness and avoiding performative allyship.
DAVIS: Yes, I agree completely with what (Dunkwu) said. Avoid performative allyship, inform yourself of what actually is going on, and the history of police brutality – but also the history of what the police are and where they come from, which is rooted in slavery. I think it’s important not to depend on information that you’re receiving by asking your Black friends – so not depending on them to educate you, but rather you educating yourself.
And I understand some allies to the community have felt the need to take it upon themselves to engage in action – or they’re so angry and frustrated that they want to engage in action. But imagine how angry we are, and ensure that these actions and things that you’re engaging in are rooted in supporting the safety and the needs of the Black community, rather than just disregarding that completely.
Davis concluded the discussion by noting the ASU is “supportive of taking action” against not only police brutality, but the “current political climate that is basically taking [their] lives away.”
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