REBOOT: Proximity Isn’t The Flex You Think It Is

Hello {{ first name | friends}},

It’s time for the monthly trawl through the archives. It’s a couple of years since this article on proximity was first published and it still rings true. I’ve updated it with some new links and a couple of relevant Instagram galleries, but otherwise, it’s pretty much as originally written. Check it out…

I know some white people may be offended by this but it needs to be said: proximity to a Black or Global Majority person doesn’t make you an expert on their experience. For sure, you have a ringside seat to many of the oppressions they face. And because you care about them, you can empathise with their pain but, and it’s an important but, you don’t have the same experience - viscerally - that they do. It’s another of those cases where you need to know what you don’t know.

In the past, I’ve talked about the “Black friend defence” - the use of a Black person you happen to know as a way to undermine the validity of what the Black person in front of you is saying. There’s also the “Black partner defence” which is (you guessed it) the use of a Black person you’re married to or partnered with to undermine the validity of what the Black person in front of you is saying.

It’s time for that to stop. Seriously, it’s another manifestation of white supremacy. And I have to wonder if your Black friend or partner appreciates being used this way.

Now, if you’re doing it with context, that’s one thing. I publish a whole newsletter and I have said stuff in here you can quote, but when you do that, remember that I am not a monolith. I have had certain experiences around the globe that inform what I write and speak about, and how I do that. Many of those experiences give me things in common with Black people around the world; but some are unique to my own cultural background. If you have learned things on your journey that you believe reflect a collective view, you certainly can share those, but be mindful of the fact that you might not know it all. After all, who does?

Instead of going straight for the Black friend defence, question your own motivations for using it. Are you doing it because your actual Black friend said something relevant to what you’re talking about? Or because you have a number of Black friends who share this opinion and it’s therefore a kind of collective expression? That might be ok.

Or are you doing it because you’re looking for backup for something you’re not sure of yourself, and want to escape being challenged? If it’s the latter, then that’s a problem.

To wrap this up, there’s a world of difference between telling someone “I have a Black friend and all Black people feel this way” and saying “My friend x, who is Black, feels this way”. Context and nuance matter in this, as in everything. So, remember to pause the next time you’re thinking of using your proximity to Blackness or to a Global Majority person to take down someone else’s argument. Pause and figure out it if this is really the best approach for all concerned. Nine times out of 10 it isn’t.

[2025 update: my challenge to you all is to notice when the temptation to use proximity as a a defence creeps in and then choose to do something different.]

Thanks for reading,

Sharon

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I am an anti-racism educator and activist, the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2022, 2025. All Rights Reserved. This newsletter is published on beehiiv (affiliate link).