White people love telling us to 'get over’ enslavement. But how can we get over something that's STILL affecting Black people today? They use all kinds of tactics to discount our oppression – including using this sneaky “white lie.”
The “Irish Slave Myth” is frequently used by white supremacists, primarily online and using memes, who want to undermine Black people seeking justice.
Irish immigrants did face some discrimination, though how much is debated by historians. Some even endured “indentured servitude.” But they NEVER experienced racialized chattel slavery.
Countless social media posts have gone viral, spreading misinformation like the idea that "Irish slaves" built the White House – a bonafide lie. White supremacists will work hard to do everything except dismantle the system that continues to harm and kill Black people!
Today, they also use this myth to undermine the inequities and brutality that Black people face. They're contributing to a long tradition of diminishing Black struggles for liberation in an attempt to dodge historical responsibility and silence us.
But false “white suffering” could never silence our movement.
Although racists seem more interested in erasing history than solving today's issues, we need to keep speaking the truth to power. We can never be undermined nor silenced by them when we know our history!