When commenting on blaming all Germans, all Nazis, for the atrocities he faced for three years in the concentration camps of WWII, Viktor Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning,

“As for the concept of collective guilt, I personally think that it is totally unjustified to hold one person responsible for the behavior of another person or a collective of persons.”

This did not make him popular among his countrymen, but he recognized that living a life of bitterness and revenge would only impact him negatively.  Instead, he found a way to have a positive impact on the world, and through that on himself.  He goes on to write in Recollections: An Autobiography,

“In 1946, I lectured in the French occupation zone of Austria. I spoke against collective guilt in the presence of the commanding general of the French forces. The next day a university professor came to me, himself a former SS officer, with tears in his eyes. He asked how I could find the courage to take an open stand against collective guilt. ‘You can’t do it,’ I told him. ‘You would be speaking out of self-interest. But I am the former inmate number 119104, and I can do it. Therefore, I must. People will listen to me, and so it is my obligation to speak against it.’”

We do not share the collective guilt of those who made terrible choices, or who behaved wrongly.

But we do bear the responsibility of taking action in some way.  Protesting to bring attention to a situation only goes so far.  Educating yourself and taking action is the only way to move toward lasting change.  I’ve offered a few opportunities to do that below.

I can’t recommend this movie strongly enough – I’ve shown this in undergraduate level Multicultural Counseling courses for years.  It might make you uncomfortable.  It might make you feel something you are not used to feeling, but it will definitely enlighten you.  The Color of Fear.  For a brief sample, try this clip – What It Means to Be American.

This is an interesting discussion on White Anti-Racism : Living the Legacy.

Want to take action?  Here’s a great NPR article titled Beyond Protests: 5 More Ways to Channel Anger into Action to Fight Racism.

Here are the UN’s recommendations on fighting racism: https://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/

In times like this, it is hard to know WHAT to do, but you can DO something.  You can take some form of responsible action.  At the very least, you can make a meaningful decision to learn more.