And it may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King felt that his biggest struggle wasn't against the hatred of those who were bigots as much as the apathy of those who were decent and respectable. A lot of good people feel that they don’t personally have anything against people of color, while at the same time they fail to recognize the unfairness towards people of color that is built into the system. The latter is referred to as systemic or institutional bias (and it can also be toward women, the LGBTQ community, the disabled, the aged, etc) where some groups are advantaged or disadvantaged from the start. Most forms of systemic bias are unintentional and subtle.
For instance, if engineers construct a particular community, they may not have thought about people who are disabled. Consequently there are stairs, but no elevator. There are no ramps near the entrance, no bathroom stalls that can accommodate a wheel chair, etc. This creates a disadvantage for people who are disabled. Even though the engineers didn't intend to discriminate, they did. Part of rising above prejudice and bigotry is noticing those points of unfairness that are not personal, but are more systemic, and doing something about it.
There is a moral obligation to those of us who have built-in advantages in the system to try and create a level playing field for those who are disadvantaged. This is what it means to overcome racism.
My friend, Sheri recommended this book called, "What If I Say The Wrong Thing", by Verna Myers. In this book she makes the distinction between personal bias and isms. Isms refer to the institutional barriers that our culture creates. So when someone says, “I’m not a racist” they may say that because they personally don’t have animosity toward all people of color. However, they may continue to blindly support a system that creates disadvantages for people of color. Which is still a form of racism. I’d call it passive racism and it is largely unconscious.
When you understand this distinction, it gives you a greater appreciation of why there is such a heated debate in our country the last few years. In many respects, it seems like the 1950s and 60’s revisited, where there are three groups of people: the deep-seated bigots; the indifferent bystanders; and the activists fighting for equal rights. The first group, the deep-seated bigots, have personal animosity against particular groups of people (e.g., Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Gays, Feminists, etc). The second group, the indifferent bystanders, are often decent, caring people who unconsciously support a system that is bias because they fail to see the social barriers that create injustice. Therefore they don’t speak out. The third group, the activists, realize the system needs to be fixed in order for there to be fairness and equality; that racism is more than just our individual attitudes, it includes a social system as well. The activists are often a pain in the ass to the first and second group because they won’t shut up. But when you care about someone else’s rights as much as your own, then you can’t be silent. Anymore than if your child was in the hospital and wasn’t getting the proper care or attention. You’d speak up and advocate for them.
There is a moral obligation to those of us who have built-in advantages in the system to try and create a level playing field for those who are disadvantaged. This is what it means to overcome racism.
My friend, Sheri recommended this book called, "What If I Say The Wrong Thing", by Verna Myers. In this book she makes the distinction between personal bias and isms. Isms refer to the institutional barriers that our culture creates. So when someone says, “I’m not a racist” they may say that because they personally don’t have animosity toward all people of color. However, they may continue to blindly support a system that creates disadvantages for people of color. Which is still a form of racism. I’d call it passive racism and it is largely unconscious.
When you understand this distinction, it gives you a greater appreciation of why there is such a heated debate in our country the last few years. In many respects, it seems like the 1950s and 60’s revisited, where there are three groups of people: the deep-seated bigots; the indifferent bystanders; and the activists fighting for equal rights. The first group, the deep-seated bigots, have personal animosity against particular groups of people (e.g., Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Gays, Feminists, etc). The second group, the indifferent bystanders, are often decent, caring people who unconsciously support a system that is bias because they fail to see the social barriers that create injustice. Therefore they don’t speak out. The third group, the activists, realize the system needs to be fixed in order for there to be fairness and equality; that racism is more than just our individual attitudes, it includes a social system as well. The activists are often a pain in the ass to the first and second group because they won’t shut up. But when you care about someone else’s rights as much as your own, then you can’t be silent. Anymore than if your child was in the hospital and wasn’t getting the proper care or attention. You’d speak up and advocate for them.
So when children are being taken away from their parents and put in cages; when blacks suffer disadvantages in education, job opportunities, pay disparity, and treatment by the justice system; when Muslims are banned from coming to our country because of fear-mongering; when gays or transgenders are treated differently in the military, activists respond in the same way as if it was happening to them personally. When we remain silent and indifferent it’s just racism of another form because we’re not caring for another person’s race as much as our own.
Lately, I’ve seen many people trying to defend Donald Trump saying he’s not a racist. If you mean by that he doesn’t hate all people of color, you’re probably correct. But when we understand racism includes tolerating mistreatment of someone because of their race or ethnicity (that you wouldn't tolerate yourself), by that standard, he’s clearly a racist. When you say that someone (Ilhan Omar) should go back to their country of origin, simply because they disagree with you; and you call their homeland “a complete and total catastrophe, the worst most corrupt, and inept anywhere in the world”; when you refer to African nations as ‘shithole’ countries, by definition, you’re a racist. You are supporting a system that does not see all nationalities as equally worthy of dignity and respect, rather you are espousing the belief that some people are superior or inferior based on their country of origin. And when it’s brought to your attention that children and parents are suffering unimaginable emotional distress because they are separated just for seeking asylum, and you treat them like invaders and send your army as if you are being attacked. When you cram people by the hundreds in caged areas with subhuman conditions, you’re a racist who lacks compassion because of someone's ethnicity. This is not how we treat our own people, it is only how we treat "other" people.
Here’s the bigger issue that is hard for a lot of people to comprehend: when you try to defend someone like Donald Trump, you’re also a racist, because you’re allowing the mistreatment to continue, and pretending that nothing wrong is happening. There will always be unfairness and discrimination until we see beyond our own personal concerns (the economy is good, I have job, my 401k is in tact, my political agenda is being advanced) and see the bigger picture of a social system that needs to be fixed.
We all need to separate our ism from our bias. So stop defending yourself by saying, “I'm not a racist, I have a black friend. I have a gay friend, or I’ve got nothing against blacks or Hispanics." If you're really not a racist, start supporting their cause. The next time you’re watching the news and there’s a Black Lives Matter demonstration, whose side are you on? The next time someone makes a disparaging remark about someone’s race or ethnicity, whose side are you on? The next time there’s a news piece on the abhorrent conditions of the immigrants in cages and detention centers, whose side are you on? Don't just focus on whether you are personally bias, think about the isms.
Here’s the bigger issue that is hard for a lot of people to comprehend: when you try to defend someone like Donald Trump, you’re also a racist, because you’re allowing the mistreatment to continue, and pretending that nothing wrong is happening. There will always be unfairness and discrimination until we see beyond our own personal concerns (the economy is good, I have job, my 401k is in tact, my political agenda is being advanced) and see the bigger picture of a social system that needs to be fixed.
We all need to separate our ism from our bias. So stop defending yourself by saying, “I'm not a racist, I have a black friend. I have a gay friend, or I’ve got nothing against blacks or Hispanics." If you're really not a racist, start supporting their cause. The next time you’re watching the news and there’s a Black Lives Matter demonstration, whose side are you on? The next time someone makes a disparaging remark about someone’s race or ethnicity, whose side are you on? The next time there’s a news piece on the abhorrent conditions of the immigrants in cages and detention centers, whose side are you on? Don't just focus on whether you are personally bias, think about the isms.
When you make friends with a person of color, you’re overcoming your personal bias. When you take the side of all people of color, when they are unfairly treated or disadvantaged by our social system, you’re overcoming your racism.
