Friday Cartoon: On Williams, we want justice

The visual analogy makes the comparison intrinsically implicit because that’s the only message in the drawing.

Hi Jonathan,

I appreciate and hear that you created the concept for this cartoon out of good intentions. I hope you also can appreciate the old idea that there is a road paved with good intentions that leads nowhere good at all.

I’ve only been a casual reader over the years, but even I have noticed that the white privilege attitudes prevail here whenever subtle racial issues are discussed. Admittedly, a lot of bicycle culture handles privilege poorly. There has been a pretty recent shift to address white privilege in environmentalism in general as well.

I often think about how transportation justice and environmental justice are the only civil rights movement where I am not only an ally but I’m also fighting for my own rights. That’s a seductive thought to a white boy born and raised in SW Portland, but it’s also one I basically keep to myself because all it really shows to the outside world is that I’ve been extremely fortunate to not have to fight personal institutional discrimination during the 23.5 other hours of my day. Many of my friends and associates over the years are not nearly so lucky because institutionalized racism, sexism, hetero-centrism, and ableism work in our culture in visible and invisible ways.

I show respect for the journeys of others around me by listening more than I speak (another old idea) and by not jumping to a defensive and accusatory stance at those times when someone calls my attention to my own privilege. You should listen to the voices that are saying that this cartoon is in poor taste, if only because environmental justice can’t afford to lose any more potential allies due to misunderstandings.

The best that can be said about this cartoon is that it makes absolutely no sense because it was given no context. I believe this is actually the case. But it also shows ignorance (that’s okay, we’re all ignorant at times) because the most clear interpretation to people outside the author’s worldview is that it’s trying to appropriate the civil rights struggle to serve the cause of a struggle for a mere bicycle lane.

In any event, it’s very clearly appropriating the imagery of the civil rights movement for one reason or another. If you’re going to steal from someone else’s culture, you should make sure that it’s not offensive from their point of view.

This isn’t the first time bikeportland has been tone-deaf on racial issues. Have you considered any ideas on how to engage people of color more prominently with the editorial side of bikeportland? Certainly better inclusion of people of color is an important goal for transportation and environmental justice. Do you think it’s an important goal for bikeportland?

Best.

— Mark