1.Racism is not necessarily
about holding hate in your heart toward other people or consciously believing
you are superior because you’re white.
2. There is no such
thing as reverse racism.
3. There are different
rules for white people and people of color when talking about race.
4. It is not racist
(nor is it “creating division”) for people of color to talk about how they
experience the world differently than white people. Colorblindness is not a
thing to aspire to.
5. If you have been
told that it IS racist to see or talk about color, that was probably in a
situation where you were pointing out race in a completely irrelevant context.
6. Use descriptors of
race that are both inclusive and empowering.
7. Develop a
listen-first ethic when a conversation turns to race, rather than insisting
that race is irrelevant.
8. You can prevent
knee-jerk defensiveness by actively working to de-center your experiences as a
white person in conversations about race.
9. When someone hits a
sore spot and you realize you’ve said, done, or felt something that you didn’t
realize could be insensitive, avoid rationalizing your actions.
10. The solution is
not to “stop making everything about race” and just all come together as one.
We have to be anti-racism, not anti-talking-about-race.
