We all want to think, "I'm not racist."
But many of us have done, said, or thought racist things.
I've done, said, and thought racist things, and that's even with being on the receiving end of blatant and subtle racism my whole life.
I've seen too many people try to use a squirt-gun excuse ("I'm not racist") to back out of responsibility for the blazing inferno of racism.
Saying or thinking "I'm not racist" is never going to cut it. And neither is just rushing to label someone a racist.
Please sit with me for a moment and consider your role and the dynamics at play when it comes to racism (especially in the United States of America).
You might not be racist deep down in your bones (though you also might be)—but you can still do, say, and think racist things. Yes, even you.
Especially if you are white, it is imperative that you do everything you can to humble yourself and recognize that there is not only such a thing as systemic racism (which is about way more than just one person being racist or not), but also intergenerational trauma (from the perpetration of both individualistic and systemic racism), and perpetrator-induced trauma.
Especially if you're someone who can believe that the effects of sin have trickled down from Adam and Eve, it should be no surprise that the effects from institutional slavery and mass genocide on American soil have trickled down from the 1700/1800/1900s.
The estimated population of Native Americans in 1492 was in the millions. The population by 1900: 237,000. Why? Because we de-valued those lives (and referred to them as "merciless Indian Savages" in our own Declaration of Independence).
"We the people" in our Constitution was read as white, land-owning males in almost all of our states for 100+ years. Why? Because we de-valued black and brown and female lives.
Particularly, keep these in mind: generational trauma, and perpetrator-induced trauma. Perpetrator-induced trauma is part of why people are so uncomfortable talking about racism. It's why people either rush to deny ("I'm not racist," "Racism isn't a thing anymore") or rush to say, "Please just tell me what to do" (so we can be done with this conversation and not be uncomfortable anymore). Ever wonder why it’s so frustrating to bring some of these things up because of the response? This is at least partially why.
It's not enough to say "I'm not racist," and it's not enough to just accuse people of being racists. We have been and are still being shaped by systems corrupted with racism.
Please humble yourself enough to be quick to listen and slow to speak. To learn that which you cannot learn in just one day, one week, one YouTube video, or one Google search.
Please listen to the voice of the oppressed.
Listen to the stories and the voices of those who have suffered and are suffering.
Read about our history not just through the lens of the victors, but through the lens of those who were tossed aside on the way to "victory."
As you learn and listen, if you do or say something racist, please own it. Apologize for it. Seek to learn from it.
And please, please stop using “I'm not racist” as an excuse to not listen, lean in to the discomfort, and become an active part of the healing and reconciliation necessary in this country.