Duluth, MN is a predominantly white city. Settled originally by Vikings when their ship crashed into the harbor after being tricked by freshwater mermaids, the city has not seen much racial diversity until a couple of black families moved there a while back.
While racial diversity is in low supply in Duluth, racial disparity is bursting at the seams. With 67% of the black and 56% of the Native American population living in poverty (compared to 18% of white people). With this in mind, the Unfair Campaign was created in hopes to spark conversations about racism, specifically, “white privilege”. The campaign put up these posters around the city –
As well as billboards that say “It’s HARD to see RACISM when you’re white”.
The campaign has certainly sparked conversation. According to the Star Tribune, white people are totally offended.
From the article – “Hundreds of the city’s white residents have complained that the campaign’s kick-off images and messages are offensive. The campaign, they say, blames all racism on whites”. Granted, not all racism comes from whites, just the kind that has any effect on people’s lives.
The campaign has received worldwide attention and the mayor of Duluth has recieved dozens of messages from all over calling for the death of a race traitor. Seriously. White supremacist websites are even talking about it (don’t click the link. It’s… not pleasant).
Turns out the Unfair campaign was wrong. White people can see racism just fine, especially when it’s the kind of racism where white people are accused of not acknowledging racism which is apparently a form of racism.
And racism that’s not actually racism against white people is the worst racism of all.
Oh hey the unfair campaign also has a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Un-Fair-Campaign/323955550965573?ref=ts&sk=wall
Thank you so much for writing about this campaign, Bill! I love this campaign. I got really emotional reading the list of things my skin color affords me that I didn’t even REALIZE I would have to think about were I not white. Awareness is the first step.
In 1920 Duluth hosted an infamous lynching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_O7jvgP1YU
I’ve seen that documentary on Duluth. I was just going to post about it.
http://discovery.mnhs.org/MN150/index.php?title=Duluth_Lynchings as well
Not fun to be black and in Duluth
My step-dad is black and when my brother and I would go places with him without our mom, people would notify security or just stare like they have seen an alien. I hate the feeling, it would make me so mad. People don’t realize the knee-jerk reactions they have to other races when white is the majority. Thanks for posting this. It’s sad but true