White supremacy facts for kids
White supremacy is the idea that white people are better than all other races. It is a political belief that suggests white people should be in charge of society and government.
White supremacy is a type of racism. It is different from simply having different political or moral ideas. White supremacists also want people of different races to live apart. This is called racial separation. This belief has often led to hate against black people and antisemitism (hate against Jewish people). White supremacists also target Native Americans, Asians, multiracial people, Middle Eastern people, Roma Gypsies, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ people.
Groups who believe in white supremacy do not always agree on who counts as "white." They also disagree on who they see as their biggest enemy. However, many white supremacists often see Jews as a major threat. They believe Jewish people can mix more easily with other groups.
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History of White Supremacy
For a long time, white supremacy was common in the United States. This was true before and after the American Civil War. It was also important in countries like South Africa and Rhodesia. Parts of Europe also experienced it at different times. White supremacy was a key idea for Nazi Germany's Third Reich.
People still discuss how much white supremacy has shaped Western culture. In some parts of the United States, many non-white people could not vote. They were also not allowed to be part of the government. They could not work in most government jobs, even into the late 20th century.
White leaders in places like the United States and Australia often saw Native Americans and Indigenous Australians as holding back progress. They did not see them as people who had their own rights. Many countries near the Pacific Ocean that were settled by Europeans limited immigration from Asian and Pacific countries.
Many U.S. states banned marriage between different races. These "anti-miscegenation laws" were in place until 1967. South Africa had a white supremacist system called Apartheid until 1994. Rhodesia also had a white supremacist government until 1980.
White supremacists have become linked with a racist part of the skinhead subculture. The original skinhead subculture started in the United Kingdom in the late 1960s. It was influenced by Jamaican rude boys and British mods. But by the 1980s, a large white supremacist skinhead group had formed.
White Supremacist Groups and Beliefs
White supremacist groups exist in most countries with many white people. This includes North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. They are also found in areas where most people are not white, like South Africa and Latin America. In all these places, their ideas are held by only a small number of people. The number of active members in these groups is also quite small.
White supremacist groups often use a militant approach, which means they act like a military force. Because of this, governments and police watch them closely. Many things white supremacists say can encourage people to hurt or kill others. This is called hate speech. Some countries have laws against hate speech. Some countries also ban or limit certain white supremacist groups. However, white supremacist groups are very different from each other, which makes it hard to ban them all.
Religious Groups and White Supremacy
The Christian Identity movement is closely connected to white supremacy. Most other Christians see its beliefs as wrong. The Ku Klux Klan's reasons for wanting racial segregation are not mainly based on religion. But some Klan groups are openly Christian Protestant. This is because they are descended from people from Northern Europe and Germany.
Some white supremacists say they follow the Odinist religion. However, most Odinists do not support white supremacy. White supremacists make up only a small part of those who follow Odinism (a belief in the gods of Norse mythology). Some white supremacist groups, like the South African Boeremag, combine parts of Christianity and Odinism.
The World Church of the Creator, now called the Creativity Movement, promotes a racist religion called Creativity. Its main idea is about having a healthy mind and body in a healthy society and environment. The religion's goal is the "survival, expansion and advancement of the white race." They also aim to build "a whiter and brighter world." A key part of this is a "holy war" called "RAHOWA." In this war, white people must take steps to protect their race. They believe all races are fighting each other for land and resources. They see their war as a religious one. They are not Christian and are mostly atheistic or agnostic.
Related pages
- Apartheid, a system of white rule in South Africa
- Master race, the belief that one race should be in charge
- Antisemitism, racism against Jewish people, often by white supremacists
- Anti-Mexican sentiment, many white supremacists are against Mexican immigration to the United States
See also
In Spanish: Supremacismo blanco para niños
