op-ed: writer latifah miles launches “ask a black chick”—a judgement free forum for white women to talk race

So, 26-year-old writer Latifah Miles has created a space called “Ask a Black Chick”—a Q&A forum for white women to present their racial quandaries to a patient, understanding black woman. Miles, along with a group of 50-or-so black female contributors, aims to decrease white backlash and racial tension by fostering a judgement-free conversation. “One of my white friends told me once that she doesn’t want to ask a question because she doesn’t want to sound ignorant or rude. That speaks volumes to me,” Miles said. “She would rather walk around in a cloud of ignorance than be wrongly labeled a racially insensitive person. Totally understandable.” she told Cosmopolitan.com.

When the experience of confronting race and racial implications and dynamics, as a person of color living in white society, can be pretty traumatizing, should white people be helped through the painful, ugly bits where POC, generally, have to face on their own? Is that tailoring the conversation about anti-blackness to fit the comfort of white people or is it our job to offer to educate them? What do you think? 

Read Miles’ entire interview with Cosmopolitan.com and tells us what your thoughts about this are!

By Erin White, AFROPUNK contributor

Photo by Chacha N’Kole