" If you are White and have a Black “friend,” but have never been to their home, you don’t really have a Black friend."

I'm often struck by the ableism in the anti racism movement.

I'm autistic. I don't have any friends of any color, at all. Especially not people I can go in their houses and they can go in mine. I tend to avoid people because I often offend them without realizing It or meaning to. (But intent doesn't matter, only impact matters.) I don't drive so meetings and rallies are out. Organized religions aggravate my OCD so churches are out. I become mute at times when stressed. So according to articles like this, I"m part of the problem.

Yet there are some things I can do, and most of us can do. For example:

1. investigate and challenge one's own implicit biases.

2. Listen to Black people. Read Black people's writings. Believe Black people. Educate ourselves.

3. Investigate areas of our lives where we can facilitate -- or deny -- fair treatment for all. For example, I tutor math. I can treat all learners as capable and worthy of my efforts and respect, or I can give in to societal conditioning which tells me that some learners (POC, poor, immigrant, etc) will never get anywhere so I shouldn't be too concerned about them. Similarly, a retail clerk can treat BIPOC customers as legitimate customers, a real estate agent or bank employee can treat prospective BIPOC clients as legitimate, etc.

4. Put our money where our mouths are. Support Black businesses. Bank with Black banks or credit unions. Recommend Black businesses.

Even though I don't get out much and have no friends of any color, I am not part of the problem if I do what I can to make a difference.

Please let's stop assuming that we all have the same abilities -- to get around, to communicate, to create and maintain social relationships, etc -- and that those of us who can't do what everyone else can do are therefore part of the problem.

I know the initial quote in this comment is a quote from a Black person. As far as I'm concerned, Black people go thru so much s#!+ they can say whatever they want and I"m good with it. Call us devils, call for all white people to disappear ... sure, bring it on I say.

But when a white person promotes such ableism, I have to call it and draw the line. In fact I feel so strongly about this that I've posted this reply in the comments section to your other article that you linked to in this one. I see how you speak so easily about going places, talking to people, making friends, dating, etc. To me and those like me, that's about as feasible as sprouting wings and flying like a bird. Yet, being autistic doesn't make me more racist. Instead, autism lets me see racism, by analogy, in ways that that most white people never have to think about at all. I am anti-racist because I see how racism hurts us all.