Understanding White Guilt and Moving Beyond It

Acknowledging the Right Voices

A commenter on TikTok recently asked me to talk about not feeling white guilt, and I’m happy to discuss it. But before I dive in, I want to acknowledge that there are better educators to learn from—especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color who are doing the work. It’s crucial to prioritize their voices and compensate them for their labor. One of my favorite creators is Portia Noir, whose insights have deeply shaped my understanding of these issues. I encourage you to follow and support her.

White Guilt as a Function of White Supremacy

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from her is that white guilt—like white tears, white fragility, and other emotional responses—is ultimately white supremacy. These reactions serve as defense mechanisms that keep white people at the center of racial discussions rather than focusing on dismantling oppression. White guilt often makes conversations about racism more about the feelings of white people than the harm done to Black, Brown and Indigenous communities. It’s a way of maintaining control over the narrative, even when the intent is self-reflection or remorse.

How White Guilt Manifests

White guilt shows up as a feeling of personal responsibility for all historical and ongoing racial injustice. But guilt alone isn’t useful. It often leads to behaviors that serve white comfort rather than real change—like overcompensating, centering oneself in conversations, seeking validation from Black people, or performative allyship (e.g., putting “BLM” in your bio but taking no real action). I’ve caught myself doing this—going out of my way to accommodate a Black colleague in a way I wouldn’t for anyone else, as if I needed to “atone.” That’s not allyship; it’s an attempt to absolve myself of guilt. True allyship isn’t about seeking forgiveness—it’s about showing up, learning, and taking meaningful action consistently.

The Harm of White Guilt

At the end of the day, white guilt doesn’t harm white people—it harms people of colour. It places additional emotional labor on them, forces them into the role of caretakers, and shifts focus away from systemic issues that actually need dismantling. Instead of getting stuck in guilt, we need to move forward by taking responsibility in ways that make a real difference.

Shifting from Guilt to Action

That means supporting Black educators, financially and otherwise, engaging with anti-racist literature, and examining our own biases without demanding validation or absolution from people of color. White guilt can be a stopping point, or it can be a checkpoint on the way to better allyship. Let’s make it the latter.