We do not accept your apology, Mr. LeBlanc. 

We cannot accept your apology. 

People of color, especially Black people (whom you name in your metaphor but do not directly apologize to), have spent centuries being told to accept the apologies of whiteness. People of color are taught to stay gracious and forgiving, while whiteness continues its violent assault on them.

Accepting your apology would be accepting white supremacy. 

Accepting your apology would mean saying, “Yes it is okay for you to compare the state violence enacted against Black people to whatever topic to justify your point,” while standing on a land that has been violently snatched from Indigenous and Black communities. 

Accepting your apology would validate that Black death is simply a metaphor to be used when necessary, not a serious condition of this country that leaves Black communities in a constant state of mourning.

(Editor’s note: On February 3, The Washington Post reported: “The president of George Washington University issued an apology for making what he called an “insensitive” remark that compared support for fossil fuel divestment to hypothetical support for shooting black people.” The day before the GW Hatchet broke the news.)

(Image Credit: The Legacy Museum)