New Definitions is a poetry series curated by The North Star that seeks to redefine common terms from a socio-political lens. These “new definitions” will give proper context to what America is and what it has the potential to become, for better or worse.

Defining White Supremacy

White su·prem·a·cy (noun):

/(h)wīt so͞oˈpreməsē/

1. The belief that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races.

2. The social, economic, and political systems that together enable white people to maintain power over people of other races.

   Synonym(s): Racism, entitlement, xenophobia, complicity, nationalism

   See Also: Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, Birther conspiracy, border wall, Central Park jogger case, caged children, “very fine people”, “go back to where you came from”, housing discrimination, David Duke, Islamophobia, voter suppression, gerrymandering, Neo-Nazism, over-policing, police brutality, school to jail pipeline, slavery, sharecropping, segregation, poll taxes, economic inequality, The Colfax Massacre, Tulsa Race Massacre

   Example(s): 12.5 Million Africans kidnapped from their homeland and owned as property. John Punch sentenced to slavery for life. The daily abuse of The Little Rock Nine. Attack of Emerson Bentley for teaching African Americans. The kidnapping, torture and murder of fifteen-year-old Emmett Till for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The acquittal of the two white men responsible for the previous. The unnecessary killings of George Floyd, Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and so many others past, present, and future.

About the Author

As the son of an Army veteran, Daniel Keck has enjoyed the diversity of the world and now resides in Euless, Texas. Currently on furlough due to the global pandemic, Daniel has taken the time to return to his self-taught interest, including a collection of emotional and thought-provoking daily poetry and prose to be published after recall.