'Fancy terms' vs. 'real accountability'

5 questions on race and reckoning for high school senior Elizabeth Evers

For a recent speaking gig, I was asked to be in conversation with a high school student, which thrilled me. I love talking to people from different generations than my own—whether it’s a teenager just stretching into her own passions and values, or an elder with so many rings around her trunk that she is living history (but still leaning into the future).

Elizabeth Evers, a high school senior in San Francisco, really blew me away. She not only seems academically hungry and rigorous, but emotionally mature in a way that feels so valuable to the times we are living in. Some of what she gets at in this interview actually feels like it is in dialogue with Esther Armah’s deep wisdom from a couple of weeks ago. I love feeling like we’re all having a conversation across space and time. Without further ado, a little taste of the self-examining, historically-informed future…

Courtney Martin: Why did you get attracted to studying White women and racism in the first place? Was there a moment that really woke you up?

Elizabeth Evers: I’ve wanted to be an OBGYN for as long as I can remember: I’ve always loved biological sciences and been passionate about equity, and so that naturally led to an interest in becoming a healthcare provider to people with female anatomy. Since discovering my excitement about women’s health in the beginning of high school, I’ve read as much as I can (while balancing school work) about reproductive justice.

I did my first independent study on reproductive politics in 11th grade (a program in my high school that allows you to design your own class). In this study, I was shocked by how little I knew about the eugenics movement. I had only heard the term eugenics once or twice in history class, and it had been taught as something of the past (the early 20th century); however, the principles of eugenics influenced every past and current reproductive policy we read about, and they seemed to influence every facet of reproductive healthcare. The maternal mortalities rates (about 3:1 for Black:White women) and hysterectomy rates (1 in 3 Black women will have a hysterectomy by age 50) are the most obvious examples of the ways healthcare settings value the White woman’s body and White fetus more than a woman of color’s.

Realizing how little I knew and how little I had been taught about eugenics made me question my understanding of history. More specifically, after learning about White women upholding and spreading eugenics, I questioned my understanding of the White woman’s historical role in White supremacist systems.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in your research?

In my most recent independent study, I researched the historical and current roles of White women in the politics of White supremacy. One of the books I read was Mothers of Massive Resistance by Elizabeth Gillespie McRae. McRae explains how White women were often in control of storytelling in the Jim Crow South. One of the most striking examples was Nell Battle Lewis, a journalist who “emerged as an incisive storyteller for segregation and the political project that undergirded it. Her reputation as a ‘truth-teller’ only reinforced the lesson that offered about white over black in the Jim Crow South.”

I’d always thought of White men as the ones in control of the narrative of our history. Thus, I was really surprised to learn about the countless White women who determined our modern understanding of history. [Check out this fascinating new podcast on the same topic, White Picket Fence by Julie Kohler.]

How has what you learned made you see your own school differently? (you could just pick one if you want)

I attend a private independent high school in San Francisco with 410 students. The school is known for its academic rigor, along with its wealth (it’s located in Pacific Heights). The school has a 100% matriculation rate and an annual tuition of $50,000. Every student is incredibly hard working, smart, and passionate. Almost every single teacher I’ve had has their PHD. I fundamentally love my school, and I feel immensely grateful for the education I’ve received. However, there are 52% “self-identified students of color” according to the admissions brochure, meaning around half of the school is White. I have been in many breakout rooms over the past year with all White women.

Basically, the school is pretty White and very affluent.

This often means conversations about race between White students are intellectualized. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in White spaces and a conversation that should be grounded in empathy and emotional intelligence becomes about who knows more about some historical or current event related to race in the U.S. Discussions about discrimination often end up becoming about fancy terms or vague concepts that sound nice. For example, the word “system” is thrown around instead of actually talking about White supremacy on an individual level, so that there can be real accountability.

My research has allowed me to articulate this all in a much clearer way (I hope). I think I’m now able to see the ways I struggle, along with other White students, to address White supremacy from an emotional place. Reading books and studying history as a White woman means I can read a lot of this content from an intellectual perspective, without having to deal with the emotional trauma that a woman of color may experience when reading about eugenics (for example).

What question are you still holding about how you might move through the world differently having done this research?

I’ve noticed that many leftist or liberal White men now say “White women” instead of “women” when making misogynistic jokes. And often I find myself getting pretty defensive when I hear White men slamming White women. An example of this is Bill Burr’s SNL monologue from a few months ago (I recommend watching it if you haven’t already, 3:20 in is when he starts talking about White women, specifically). In the monologue, he calls White women b*tches and heavily critiques White feminism and White liberal women. I’m glad that White feminism was critiqued on national TV; however, for a White, cis-gendered man to be discussing the topic like White men are not just as involved (if not more) in White supremacy, seriously frustrated me. It also bothered me that he thought that talking about White women’s involvement in White supremacy meant he could be incredibly misogynistic.

I bring this up because my research has left me confused about how I can work to address the role of White women in White supremacy while also recognizing the ways White women are still impacted by the patriarchy. My defensive reaction to Burr’s monologue represents what I am still trying to unpack within me. How can I hold myself (and other White women) accountable for racism, while also addressing the gender inequality we face (always remembering that whatever I face is far more severe and different for women of color).

If you could interview any historical figure, who would it be and why? What would you ask them?

My summer going into 12th grade, I read Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics by Marjorie J. Spruill. I also watched the popular FX show Mrs. America. Both the book and the show focused on the movements for and against the Equal Rights Amendment. Phyllis Schlafly was the leader and founder of STOP ERA, the organization responsible for the successful organizing against the ERA. STOP was an acronym for "Stop Taking Our Privileges" because Schlafly argued that the ERA would take away gender-specific privileges enjoyed by women.

Schlafly was a staunch conservative and advocate for traditional gender roles, and yet her lifestyle was arguably the antithesis of what she preached women must be like. Schlafly had her law degree, ran for congress, led several political organizations, wrote a book, worked on a presidential campaign, spoke and travelled all over the country, among many other activities outside of the home. I would want to ask her how she reckoned with this hypocrisy.

Schlafly is my chosen figure because she was one of the first White woman I read in depth about who worked so hard against her own gender equality. Before I learned about Schlafly, I assumed the movement against the ERA was led by White men. When I started learning about STOP ERA, I realized the ways White women aren’t held accountable historically. Their capitulation to White patriarchal power often leads their political independence to be hidden.

Elizabeth requested that I donate on our behalf to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. Thanks to Nicole Hunter for bringing us together and her wonderful friendship to both of us.