You don’t have to be a KKK member to be racist. You don’t have to hate a specific race to be racist. You don’t even have to feel prejudice to be racist. Racism can be so innate that you might not even realize that its there, but it is and here’s how.
1. Identifying someone you know as the ambassador of his or her race.
Yes, I am black. No, I cannot speak for all black people. Individuals can only speak on their own experiences so please stop looking for general blankets to apply to an entire race. Don’t look at the black kids in your class when slavery is brought up. Don’t expect one person to defend the actions and thoughts of all black people. Don’t ask for “the black perspective” because it doesn’t exist.
2. Complimenting someone by saying they don’t seem [insert ethnicity]
In telling someone they don’t act like their race, you are asserting that they are the exception to an inferior group. That is racist. If I speak properly, you cannot say that I don’t, “talk black”. Proper English doesn’t belong to white people and it’s extremely ethnocentric to imply so.
3. Claiming to “not see color”
I don’t want to hear, “I don’t see color, I see people” anymore because that is ridiculous. It is unacceptable not to recognize someone’s ethnicity. The problem is not in the skin color; the problem is that there are people who view others as less because of their skin color. Instead of pretending like it isn’t there, see everyone as equal despite the visible differences.
4. Interrupting movements with the need to be reaffirmed
Clearly all lives matter, but #BlackLivesMatter started for a reason. Instead of speaking on something because you feel left out, go learn what that reason is. It has never been a question whether American white lives matter. That is not the case for American blacks and thus all lives cannot matter until black lives matter.
5. Ignoring an issue because it doesn’t affect you
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Desmond Tutu couldn’t be any more correct. It doesn’t matter how diverse your friend group is or how much you love other cultures. If you let people be treated unfairly because you aren’t one of them, you have joined the group of the oppressor. All that is required is empathy. If you wouldn’t want to be treated that way, then try to imagine why other people would likewise have a problem with it. Speaking up is necessary, and feeling uncomfortable is not an acceptable excuse.
