Yeah, we've got a black president, so we're supposedly in a post-racial society. Yeah, right. We also hear a lot of comments on the line of, "I have _____ friends!" The Good Men Project lists five ways in which we might, perhaps unconsciously, participate in racism.
1. You are afraid of people of color. One might dismiss this by calling the feeling "unfamiliarity." This fear is likely from the culture around us that frequently portrays people of color as scary by talking about black on black violence or using the terms "thug" and "gang."
2. You disregard international atrocities against people of color. These atrocities are based on attitudes that came from capitalism and colonialism.
3. You disregard intersecting identities. A person of color from Mexico is different from one from Africa, and both might also be gay. Know the people as individuals as you know the people of your own race as individuals.
4. You tokenize your workplace. The one minority person in the group shouldn't automatically lead the diversity campaign.
5. White silence. One shouldn't take a stand against racism only when one is "comfortable" or when there is no accountability.
Racism is still quite pervasive and will require a response from everyone.
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