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As early as 1640, however, before the word "white" ever appeared in colonial law, the colonial courts began to make racialized distinctions that set up white privilege.

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OneoftheearliestexamplesoftheestablishmentofwhiteprivilegeinvolvesthreeservantsworkingforafarmernamedHughGwyn;thethreeservantsattemptedtorunawaytoMaryland.Intherecordsfromthecase,onewasdescribedasaDutchman,theotheraScotchman;thethirdwasdescribedasaNegro.TheywerecapturedinMarylandandreturnedtoJamestown,wherethecourtsentencedallthreeto30lashes-- aseverepunishmentevenbythestandardsofthattime.TheDutchmanandtheScotchmanweresentencedtoanadditionalfouryearsofservitude.Theblackman,namedJohnPunch,wasorderedto"servehissaidmasterorhisassignsforthetimeofhisnaturalLifehereorelsewhere."

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Bythe1730s,legalandsocialracialdivisionswerefirmlyinplace.HistorianEdmundMorganwrote:“OnlyonefearwasgreaterthanthefearofblackrebellioninthenewAmericancolonies.Thatwasthefearthatdiscontentedwhiteswouldjoinblackslavestooverthrowtheexistingorder.”Thelandowningeliteconstructedraceandwhitenessasatoolofcontrol,persuadingpoorandworkingclassEuropeanimmigrantstogiveuptheirlanguageandcustoms,assimilateintowhiteness,andignoretheireconomicandsocialcommongroundwithpeoplesbroughtfromAfricaintoslaveryandIndigenouspeoplesbeingforcedofftheirland. MostBlackpeoplebroughtforciblyfromAfricaandtheirdescendantswereenslavedandevenfreeBlackpeoplehadnorighttovote,beararmsorbearwitnessincourt.Blackpeoplewerealsobarredfromparticipatinginmanytradesduringthisperiod.Duringthisperiod,colonialgovernmentsregularlymadeandbroketreatieswithIndigenouspeoples,takinglandandpushingwholenationsofpeoplewestward;ourcurrentgovernmentcontinuesthisprocess.Meanwhile,immigrantsfromEurope,whowouldmergeovertimeintowhiteness,gainedtherighttocorn,money,agun,clothingand50acresoflandattheendoftheirindentureship.Often"free"whitemenfoundpaidworkinthecaptureandcontrolofrunawaysandIndigenouspeoples.SlavepatrolsandNightWatchesweredesignedtomonitorthebehaviorofenslavedandIndigenouspeople;infactthesepatrolsweretheoriginofourmodernpolicedepartments. Inother

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words,poorwhites“gainedlegal,political,emotional,social,andfinancialstatus...directlyrelatedtothe...degradationoftheIndigenousandtheenslaved.

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Ratherthantalkexplicitlyaboutthis,weofferthepopularnarrativethatweareanationofimmigrants.We neglecttomentionthewaysinwhichmanyimmigrantgroupsfromEuropewereinitiallydespisedalthoughalwaysgrantedeventualaccesstocitizenship.TheAmericandream,wearetold,isastoryofpeoplewhocometotheUnitedStates,workhard,andbecomesuccessful;leftunsaidishowsuccessismeantonlyforthosewhocananddomergeintowhiteness,onlymeantforimmigrantsfromEurope.

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Thelinein thesandhasalwaysbeenandisstillrace;immigrantsofcolor,immigrantsfromsouthofourborder,fromtheMiddleEast,fromIndia,fromJapanandChinahaveneverbeeninvitedintocitizenshipinthesamewayastheirEuropeancounterparts.ThehistoryoftheU.S.isahistoryofexcludingandexploitingimmigrantpeopleandcommunitiesofcolorwhilealsoblamingandcastigatingthemforbeingtheracialized,“dangerous”other.

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Anindepthlookatour nation’shistorywillshowthat everyinstitutionintheU.S.participated inconstructingraceandracialcategories.

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Whiteprivilege andinternalizedwhitesuperiorityarealsopersonal,institutional,andcultural.So,forexample,wetellourselvesstoriesabouthowwearenotpersonallyracistandthereforedonotbenefitfromracismwhilebenefittingmaterially(institutionalaccess)andpsychically(regularvalidation)asaresultofbelongingtothewhitegroup.

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Thisprocessofbenefittingwhilecreatingnarrativesthatwedonotbenefitworkstorenderinvisibletomanyofushowracismoperates,whichreinforcesityetagain.

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SURJhas developedathreeprongedapproachtochange:1. Delegitimizeracistinstitutions2. Fightforafaireconomythatrefusestopitcommunitiesagainsteachother3. Shiftculture(meaningtheunderlyingbeliefsfolkshaveaboutpeopleandthe

world)inawaythatunderminessupportforwhitesupremacy

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SURJbelievesthatwemustunderstandhowwhitesupremacyisintegraltoeconomicinjustice,patriarchyandotherformsofoppression.Racismandwhitesupremacykeepthemanydividedforthebenefitofthefew.Ourwork,then,istocreateaninclusive,open-heartedapproachtoorganizing,callingpeopleintoour mutualinterestinaraciallyequitableandjustworld.

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Ifyou'renotpartofachapter,joinachapter!CheckthelistonthewebsiteIfyou'renotpartofachapter,startachapter!Newchapterorientationsareeverythursday at6eST andit'sagreatfirstplacetostart.Ifyou'renotupforstartingachapter,holdahouseparty(wecansendthemtothetoolkit)GIVE

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