At a May 13 concert in Portland, Oregon, poet and educator J Mase III performs “When White People Tell Me They’re Progressive” at the Reconciling Ministries Network Benefit Concert to expose fake white allies.
In the video clip, the poet calls out white people who claim they care but remain silent as injustice happens to Black people. Here is an excerpt:
“I hear
Black Muslim teenager pushed off high school building
I hear
white silence
I hear
white noise
Only the TV is the political system
and I can’t reach in deep enough to turn it down
I hear
me screaming to be seen
at white folks
that only see nice
That are more offended by my usage of the word fuck
then the fact that the police pulled a gun on me last week for laughing too loud while Black”