Ohio’s Hidden Script:
How White Supremacy Culture Shapes Politics, Power, and "Progress"
By Vix Burgett-Prunty
At first glance, Ohio’s latest political and economic developments, a bipartisan infrastructure bill, a wealthy outsider’s gubernatorial bid, and a booming capital city, might seem unrelated. But dig deeper, and a pattern emerges: these stories are bound by the quiet “logic” of white supremacy culture. Not the hoods-and-torches kind (though Ohio has that, too), but the insidious systems that prioritize power hoarding, exclusion, and the illusion of neutrality. Drawing from recent reports, political maneuvers, and grassroots resistance, this analysis connects the dots between Ohio’s record-high white supremacist activity , the GOP’s anti-DEIA crusade , and community-led efforts to reclaim safety and dignity . Here’s how these threads intertwine.
Issue 2’s "Neutral" Infrastructure Funding: Who Really Benefits?
Ohio’s Issue 2, a $2.5 billion bond package for local infrastructure, is framed as a pragmatic, bipartisan win. But white supremacy culture thrives in systems that claim to be neutral while reinforcing inequity.
The funds are allocated by a state legislature that’s 80% white and GOP-dominated, with minimal community input. This mirrors white supremacy’s preference for top-down decision-making, where Black and brown communities (like Akron or Cleveland) must plead for scraps from a distant, majority-white power structure.
Supporters argue the program rewards "well-planned projects," but historically, wealthier (and whiter) counties secure more funding. White supremacy loves blaming marginalized groups for their own disinvestment ("If only they’d applied correctly!") while ignoring systemic barriers like racist zoning laws.
The threat of the program lapsing ("Without this, projects will stall!") forces rushed approvals (sense of urgency), sidestepping equity audits. Sound familiar? It’s the same urgency used to justify policing over investment in Black neighborhoods: Act now, ask questions later.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s Candidacy: White Supremacy in Brownface
Millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy’s run for governor is a case study in how white supremacy co-opts people of color to uphold its values.
Ramaswamy, an Indian-American, parrots Trumpian rhetoric ("anti-woke," "meritocracy") to position himself as a "safe" minority. One who won’t challenge white dominance. His policies (slashing Medicaid, opposing affirmative action) harm marginalized communities, but his identity lets conservatives pretend they’re not racist. See? We’ve got a Brown guy saying it!
His promise to make Ohio the "next Silicon Valley" ignores how tech booms displace Black and Latino residents (see: Columbus). White supremacy reframes systemic exclusion as individual failure ("If you’re not thriving, you’re not hustling!").
His book Woke Inc. demonizes equity efforts as "scams," a dog whistle to white voters fearing loss of dominance. It’s the 21st-century version of "They’re coming for your jobs."
Columbus’ 2025 "Growth": Gentrification in Disguise
While the article on Columbus’ 2025 updates wasn’t fully accessible, city marketing pieces often glorify "progress" while erasing displacement. White supremacy culture shows up here through:
New downtown condos and breweries are touted as wins, while Black families pushed to the suburbs are ignored. Progress, in this script, means making space for whiter, wealthier residents.
Spotlighting a few Black-owned businesses (while underfunding Black neighborhoods) lets cities perform inclusivity without redistributing power. It’s the neoliberal version of "I have a Black friend."
The Common Threads
These stories share the fingerprints of white supremacy culture:
Power Hoarding: Decisions made by white elites (politicians, millionaires, developers) are presented as inevitable.
Defensiveness: Critique is dismissed as "woke" or "partisan" protecting the status quo.
Fake Meritocracy: Inequality is blamed on individuals, not systems.
Ohio’s not unique; it’s a microcosm. White supremacy culture doesn’t need explicit racism to thrive. It needs us to confuse access for equity, representation for justice, and growth for liberation. The question isn’t whether these systems are broken, it’s who they were designed to break in the first place?
What do you think? Have you spotted these patterns in your state? Drop a comment or hit reply.
For further reading:
White Supremacy Culture characteristics (https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/)
ADL’s reports on extremist activity (https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2024/05/23/white-supremacist-propaganda-ohio)
Royal Star’s Lashing Out: The Silent Pain Behind White America’s Insecurity https://60kandbelow.substack.com/p/lashing-out-the-silent-pain-behind?r=4zs2hy
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