From Professor Dauber's Twitter:
__________
How many impoverished black people have you lived with?
How many black men have you had meals and conversations with?
How many black people have you ever been subordinate to, for example while being a white, homeless person who is supervised by black, homeless shelter employees?
I'll take a few steps back. Have you ever in your life spent a week sharing living space with even one black person or other person of color?
I am not white with a capital W. I WILL NOT be labeled that way. Therefore, I will not refer to black people as being black with a capital B.
My years of advocacy for the homeless community, where people of color are disproportionately represented, speak for themselves.
I know where you or others are going to take this, so I'll save you the time: I have no problem being supervised by people of color. There are nice people who work in shelters; I have always said so. There are also a lot of people who aren't nice who work in shelters; the system is dysfunctional, antiquated, punitive, neglectful and abusive. The power imbalance between staff and homeless people is palpable and frequently abused. There are shelter employees who try to be supportive; they are often mistreated by shelter employees who like to be abusive. Since those who like to be abusive are lower-functioning, they outlast those who try to be supportive, who are capable of being employed for higher pay.
