When I opened my Instagram app on Monday, May 25, I was met with posts and stories expressing sadness, fury, and every feeling in between. People all over the world had posted in solidarity with George Floyd, the most recent victim in a long line of Black people who have been killed by America’s first responders.

Reading Instagram posts from white allies calling for police reform should have given me hope, but something about it felt misguided. The people I knew to have so clearly benefited from systemic racism were now calling for its reform. What they failed to recognize was their own roles in perpetuating it. While well-intentioned, these social media activists have introduced a dangerous hypocrisy that has made them oblivious to their own participation in the racial divides that plague our nation.

As a white liberal woman, I am not immune to this hypocrisy — to pretend I am would be utterly tone-deaf. I’m well aware that I, too, am part of the problem. I would like to acknowledge the harm that I have done by being a white person in this country. I want to do better, and I know many other white people share that sentiment. By addressing this hypocrisy and taking some responsibility for the state of race relations in America today, I hope to ignite a productive conversation about how we can become better allies.

Over the last week, many white people have begun to embark on the long journey toward racial equality that lies ahead. We’ve attended protests. We’ve donated to bail funds and human rights organizations. We’ve written emails and made phone calls demanding accountability for the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. We’ve made a list of required readings to educate ourselves, our peers, and our family members about race in America. We’ve reached out to our Black friends offering support and solidarity.

But to unite against racism — nay, to become antiracists, we must do more. Let’s make a promise: To continue to show up for this cause once the viral videos and hashtags are no longer trending. The fight for racial justice isn’t a trend — it’s a movement.

When we strategize ways to become more inclusive, let’s recognize that we are imperfect. That in fighting for a more just society, we are natural hypocrites because we have benefited from this injustice. And that to become antiracists, we must be willing to give up a fraction of our privilege.

To the brands speaking up in solidarity with the Black community, there’s more to do. Posting that Black lives matter is just the first step. Now, do the work to make your products and services more accessible to marginalized communities. Ask yourselves: When we’re past this “media moment,” when you no longer see this as an opportunity to make a profit, will you continue to fight? When the news turns its attention away from reporting on police brutality and when the protests die down, will you keep making noise?

To the senior executives addressing employees during this time of crisis, consider this statistic: 12% of the U.S. population is Black but fewer than 1% are CEOs at Fortune 500 companies. What are you doing to ensure your Black colleagues feel empowered at your company? How are you diversifying your organization and creating opportunities for more people of color to move up as senior leaders? Take a good look at the members of the c-suite. Chances are, most of them are white and most of them are men. If you work for a company that doesn’t have a single Black executive, swallow your pride and speak up until you work for a company that does.

Make a promise to yourself and your employees that you will do better.

Moreover, it’s time we educate our families about privilege. If we live in a society where Black parents still need to teach their children how to avoid getting murdered, the least we can do is explain to our children that they live in a country where they have unfair advantages simply because of their skin color.

Your children will ask you hard questions that you may not be able to answer, and that’s okay. Once they begin to understand what systemic racism is — and more importantly, why it exists — they can start working to change it.

The long road to antiracism that lies ahead will require us to confront our own privilege and take responsibility for this moment in America in a way that many of us never have. Let’s be clear: It won’t be easy — no fight ever is. But if we don’t own up to our roles in perpetuating this unjust system, how can we expect to hold others accountable?

Originally published on Medium