I watched the events unfold Wednesday with the same feelings I felt when Kony 2012 happened: an appreciation of good intents and hearts, coupled with a nagging feeling of misdirection. My principle when it comes to anti-racist activism is that it starts with the systematic dismantling of internalized prejudices and assumptions that are ingrained within us from the moment we set foot in this society. It starts with assumption and awareness. Without it, any sort of solidarity is twisted into hypocrisy.

The nonviolent protests of the civil rights movement were to draw attention to the cruelty and inconsistencies of white America. The images of children being attacked by dogs and slammed with fire hoses were targeted toward the conscience of America. The people who engaged in nonviolent protests were trained, sometimes for months, not to fight back. It was a grueling and emotionally taxing process, where white allies played the part of the aggressor. They were putting their lives on the line. They were prepared to die.

That isn’t my criticism; my criticism is that this throwback to the civil rights movement seems to capitalize on the horrors and the bitter victories of that era without an idea of the sacrifice and courage it took to look the white man in the eye and say, “I am not backing down.” We are not being radical in demonstrating against this. We are simply calling attention to one tiny aspect of an unjust system that should have been dismantled a long time ago while thinking that puts us on the same footing as those who were beaten in the streets.

I am troubled by the use of the phrase “institutionalized racism” that seems to be thrown around in the description of this protest. The point of using the word “institutionalized” to describe racism is to acknowledge its perverse hold on every aspect of our lives. The majority of people participating in this protest are white – by virtue of the fact that 87 percent of our campus is.

Someone who benefits from privilege in an institutionalized system of racism fundamentally cannot demonstrate against themselves. They can only stand in solidarity with those who try to dismantle the system, and they can and should think critically about the ways they have benefited from the system.

By focusing on the segregation of the greek system, and not the pervasive racism on campus – the racism that I have experienced as a person who has never really come into contact with the greek system – is still a problem and is one that is not addressed. As a person of color – specifically, an Asian American – my voice is still unheard, even when this protest is ostensibly to protest “racism.”

By painting Judy Bonner (or mysterious alumni groups , greeks, etc.) as the aggressor, we transfer the blame of an “institutionalized racism” onto a key actor, thus lessening our own culpability. To me, this cannot be considered a nti-racism activism until there is an active push to confront the ways racism has shaped this campus – and not by scapegoating the greek system while giving everyone who shows up to this rally a free pass. Racism is not a matter of prejudice. It is a matter of assumptions and unconscious benefits.

Obviously, this event can bring a lot of publicity and attention, which has huge potential for affecting things positively. The act of protesting the greek system’s segregation is one that nobody can discount as inconsequential. But I feel that this protest is not about the inherent ways institutionalized racism affects all of us; by painting it as a push to “end racism,” it absolves us of any responsibility in the matter and promises that once the sorority systems are sorted out, almost everything is fine. This event is protesting the decisions of The University of Alabama that make us look bad. We shame the University for its mistakes and its racist microaggressions; we refuse to include ourselves within that category.

I cannot help but note the irony of the event title. Gov. George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door to prevent desegregation from happening. What do we stand for?

Lin Wang is a senior in New College.