Being Liberal is Not an Oppression Pass

Being Liberal is Not an Oppression Pass

From Tell it Proud by Christina Blacken

April 16, 2026 · 30 min

About this episode

In this episode, Christina Blacken discusses the concept of an 'oppression pass' and debunks common myths held by liberal individuals regarding racism and white supremacy.

Today's episode is a throwback to one of my favorite episodes I produced on a previous podcast of mine called Sway Them in Color. In this solo episode, I unpack the concept of what I call an oppression pass, which is the belief that because you are liberal, marginalized yourself, like black people/have one black friend/are married to a black person/have black children you don't participate in or perpetuate in white supremacy. My dear friends, I'm here to let you know oppression passes are being handed out like it's six flags, but they don't exist. In this episode I unpack five key narrative myths many liberal people, in particular white people (although anyone who claims to be liberal can fall into these traps), believe around racism that keeps white supremacy alive including: myth 1: I know/am married to/friends with a black person, therefore I am not racist myth 2: systemic racism doesn't exist, social outcomes are always from individual effort/character flaw myth 3: the only form of protest that's acceptable is peaceful protest myth 4: I am marginalized myself (gay, poor, have a disability etc) therefore I can't be racist myth 5: I identify as a liberal, thus I am not racist

People in this episode

Host: Christina Blacken

Topics covered

  • liberalism
  • racism
  • white supremacy
  • oppression
  • social justice
  • narrative myths

Keywords

  • oppression pass
  • liberal
  • racism
  • white supremacy
  • narrative myths
  • social outcomes
  • protest
  • marginalization

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sway Them in Color

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