Lawrence Dortch, Vienna, VA. I’m tired of smiling all the time to alleviate other people’s fears of me. I am not a monster and I shouldn’t have to dress a certain way or smile when I don’t feel like it to make white people feel comfortable.
Look in the EYE, smile, say HI!
Deborah Williams Clearwater, FL Fear affects all of us. Bad people are out there but it’s not based on skin color. When you walk by, take a moment to look that fear in the eye. Smile and say HI! You will see that 99.9% of the time your fear was unfounded.
Ever had sex in the backseat?
Earlaine Williams, Oakland, CA. This is the question that was asked of me, when I was 17 years old, by the white man who was administering the driver test at the Depratment of Motor Vehicles in Richmond, CA in 1960. I was behind the wheel and he was the person who would determine whether or […]
Made-up, fear, love, in, out, together
Dev Michel Luthra, Jamaica Plain, MA. I am the child of an Indian (Asian) father and a European mother, both of whom were raised in Africa. I have spent most of my life here in the US. My brother and children were born here. I still struggle with how entitled the white elite is in […]
What my parents fear – I embrace
Lori Wallrath, Iowa City, IA.
I’m white; I fear the South.
Leighayn Green, Nutrioso, AZ. When I see the Confederate flag on something, I am wary and a little fearful of the person who put it there. My dad and his dad are from Texas. I remember my granddad exclaiming in awe and admiration a run Tony Dorsett made for the Dallas Cowboys back in the […]
I do no fear other humans.
Tricia Elliott, Plano, TX. One of my favorite authors is Grace Halsell who wrote In Their Shoes. I think it’s a humanizing experience to be a minority at least once in your life.
Traffic stops are nothing to fear.
Anne Fashauer, Philo, CA. Because I’m a white female.
I fear other Caucasian people most.
Katie Gray, Lees Summit, MO.
I’m not proud of being a WASP.
Nancy MacLeod, Philo, CA. I have ancestors that came to America in 1630- among the 1st to take advantage of the indigenous people. What is to be proud of, is how your family lived, how you live. I can be proud of my family because they were hard working and honest- but were they compassionate […]
Choosing not to live in fear.
Bill Cecil, Salisbury, MD. Awesome project!
Don’t make assumptions. Just ask questions.
Stephanie Woodworth, Piscataway, NJ. My six words are in reference to how hesitant (in some cases, even terrified) people are to talk to each other when differences are involved. It’s as if even the most well-meaning people become paralyzed at the thought of acknowledging not only our differences, but our collective level of ignorance about […]
I am feared yet I’m fetishized
Elijah L Wheeler, Gaithersburg, MD. I’m a big Black man that can feel the fear of others as I enter their spaces, yet I also hear and am told of their amazement of my aesthetic. My muscles, my skin tone, my voice…as if their “amazement” is envious, jeaolous and hateful all at once…
Won’t speak up, fear of judgement.
Shaniah Bartlett, Burlington, VT. I feel that on my college campus, I am not invited to speak out when it comes to race. Sure, they have the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, but I only see one race in the office. We have plenty of diversity events on campus, and I have attended several. I […]
We shouldn’t need to fear each other
Jen, Corona, CA. What would it take for us to coexist in love? I am Korean and since I was a little girl, I’ve seen peers and adults look down on me or exclude me for my color. I see people cry for justice, and yet they still feel uncomfortable associating themselves with people outside […]
Protestors spark change. Looters reenforce fears.
Tim Lumpkins St. Louis, MO
I don’t fear for my brothers.
Kari Pennington, Chicago, IL. I never have to worry that my brothers, my husband, or my white friends will be violently harassed, assaulted, or killed by the police, the court system, neighborhood watch vigilanties, or any other person or institutions. It happens so rarely to white men that those fears for their safety never keep […]
Two white children in Halloween photo
Dave Parnell, Carrollton, TX. Our kindergarten daughter wanted to go to her friend’s Halloween party. I saw that the address and the protective father in me did not feel safe letting her go. But I called and the black man I spoke to certainly heard the fearful white father on the other end of the […]
Don’t fear me, I’m like you.
Constance Morton, Henderson, NV. I am multi-racial, but what you see when you look at me is my connection to Africa. But my ancestors came from the British Isles as well as walked tall and proud on their Native American soil. Why cannot I celebrate my rick heritage with pride in your presence? If we […]
I am glad they fear me.
Ernest Leon Tyree Jr Dravosburg, PA After spending 12 years in the military I learned a lot about fear and the power it holds. One the most powerful motivators is fear which is unfortunate, that being said the person who holds the power has a great responsibility to know that people fear them and to […]
Learned about race FEAR at 13.
Jay Bailinson Napa, CA In lived in Oakland CA. during preteen and early teen years. I belonged to a Boys Club sponsored by the Chinese Presbyterian Church in Oakland’s China town area. I played on sport teams in a church leagues sponsored by this church. I was one of two white boys on the team […]
From love – fear, (a) foreigner’s view (on) racism.
David Chen, New York, NY. I grew up in China listening to artists like 50 cent, Tupac, Snoop dogg (lion), and Jay-Z. I have every one of Jay-Z’s songs memorized and for a Chinese kid, that wasn’t easy. For as long as I can remember, I was fascinated by African American (is this the politically […]
Today I applied for a passport
Larry Smith (Vietnam Veteran), Saint Louis, MO. I look around and see white fear of black people (especially black men) on the rise as reflected in the rise of white gun possession. I also see things staying the same or getting worse for black people in terms of economics, education and housing. I would just […]
We all have a cross to bear.
Anonymous, Milwaukee, WI. After writing/blogging about race for over 15 years at Blackfriendonline.com there is only 1 thing I’ve learned. We all want and fear the same things, hurt to us and those we love and also failure.
I don’t want to be hated.
Juliet Rose, Banning, CA. Hi, my name is Juliet, and I’m white. Well, white-passing. I’m 1/8th Filipino and I still don’t know if that even counts to the vast majority of people, all I know is my skin is white and people have actually used that against me before. I know white people have done […]
We’re one family divided by fear.
Andrew Kerbs, Asheville, NC.
Skin not prison, come touch heart?
Linden Gibson Raleigh, NC I will never get used to being looked at by total strangers as a threat to their safety just by walking down the street. I see the fear in the averted looks, how they step aside or suddenly have something important to say to a companion, or seem to need to […]
Multi does not equal NO race.
Erin Yarbrough, Norman, OK. My husband is half black and half Korean. I’m white. Our son is three races, but I hear and fear that others don’t see him as any race. Multi-racial is sometimes a hard way to identify.
The concept of race creates fear
Peter Smucz, USA. The concept of race is actually a manifestation of a very old and fundamental human process, that of ingroup and outgroup identification. It developed for a single purpose, to facilitate harm against the outgroup, in this case the race in question. But hatred doesn’t come out of nowhere, their needs to be […]
Why do white people fear us
Anonymous, Warren, MI. Why do white people hate and fear black people to such a point that white people set a global system of a racism against black people in every way? Are white afraid of losing to black in some way or is it something deeper and hidden?
Ignorance and Fear are racism’s parents.
Allen D. Jenkins, Gulfport, MS. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… I John 4:18
Struggling to overcome my fear.
Lucy Jones, Portland, OR. I am 32 years old and white. I have had social anxiety all of my life. As a child, I was around black people often and I was comfortable, but quiet because of my anxiety disorder. This changed in college. I grew up in Ohio and went to school in southern […]
Why Does My Race Cause Fear
Steven, Aldie, VA. I feel that because of my skin color, my race, and all of the characterizations that have been made about both, there is a fear is exuded when people see me. Some of it is ignorant like the seeing a well-built black man being some type of demon or beast. Like how […]
I hate fearing for my sons.
Christina McConnell-Hicks, Lawrenceville, GA.
America: do you hate me?
Andrea Catala, Burke, VA. It seems that half of the U.S. felt fear and panic of non-whites or immigrants taking over our country. Well now I’m fearful and panicked that half the country hates non-whites. Is that true? Was this election truly an anti-establishment referendum? Or was there sexism and racism that tinged the voting […]
Why is my life worth more?
Jasmine Balsalobre, Oviedo, FL. My appearance does not determine my morals, my passions, my hobbies, my opinions, or my relationships, so how can it determine my value as a person? Why do I get to feel safe when I see a police officer while others, similar to me in all but skin color, fear for […]
Last Jim Crow Generation In Charge!
Cleo Brown, SC. I and others in our late 50s and up are members of the last generation of children to grow up under the “Jim Crow” legal system that required EVERY white person to discriminate against EVERY black person, whether or not they were racist. This extreme inequality left a residue that caused […]
Xenophobia or racism? They are different.
Robert San Francisco, CA Fear of outsiders is not the same as hate for outsiders. Urban cultural stereotypes popularized and promoted by the very individuals in that culture have played an important role I creating fear. It’s not the reason but it is irresponsible of us not to talk about it.
Fear of Others, cloaked in color
Laura TX
My fear exceeds yours, white people.
Kokujin Cameron Salt Lake City, UT When I was in kindergarten and in class, I had to use the restroom. The teacher had forgotten and I was unaware but there was a girl using the restroom already. The bathroom is part of the classroom and has it’s own corridor which leads down a hallway to […]
I am colorblind but ignorance isn’t.
Natalie, Kansas City, MO. I believe ignorance is a key that goes hand-in-hand with fear. We are afraid of what we do not know or what we cannot understand. If we simply educated ourselves on certain topics,we may be less likely to jump to conclusions, opinions and prejudice’s. Ignorance is blind to those who we […]
Black, but I don’t fear police
Rinard, Holland New Tech High School, Holland, MI. Yes I feel there is an issue and a relationship gap between black men and police. It’s unfortunate what has been going on in our nation lately. I agree black lives matter and I can see how one may think they don’t given the recent sad events. […]
Fear/courage, Intimation/achievers, Beaten/winning
Yvonne Ovachi Bennett, Leesburg, FL. For every wrong there’s a right. Everything has a perfect opposite…. Hate/Love, Die/Live, Loss/Gain, No one/Everyone!!!!
Different hues outside; same fears inside.
Luke Brad Bobo, Ballwin, MO. We may be different hues, shapes, etc. on the outside but we share a common humanity – we have many of the same fears, same dreams, same wants, same concerns, etc.
Fear and Jealousy That Generates Hate!
Dante, Farmville, VA.
Black Female Poor Invisible Feared Alone
Gina Brown, New York, NY. THANK YOU for thinking …
Hate is learned out of fear
Nancy Robinson, Wildwood, MO.
FACADE USED TO DIVIDE A PEOPLE
Karen Bernod, Brooklyn, NY. Fear and ignorance drives HATE. The World continues to change becoming more diverse. CHANGE is always good. LOVE conquers ALL!!!
Love rises above fear every time.
Angela Grant, Roseville, CA. The only thing that’s real is Love. Everything else is an illusion.
All have same needs, desires, fears.
Chris Todd, Big Pine Key, FL. As a nurse, working with black nurses, I realized there was a bigger gulf with regards to socioeconomic class than with race. My coworkers, regardless of race, wanted their kids to go to college, not get pregnant out of wedlock, not get in trouble with the law. But my […]
Fear and reconciliation: oil and water
Dirk Elting, Honolulu, HI. People cannot reconcile their differences when they do not feel safe. We scare (and anger) one another not only through our acts, but through our criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling and contempt. What psychologist John Gottman has shown to be true for couples, I believe to be true for race relations. I have […]
We choose fear over love everyday.
Mike, Seattle, WA.
Struck for Dancing with Blacks, Why?
M C Antone, Ft Lauderdale, FL. In 1969 I told my parents that I would rather dance with the black kids at a high school dance. My father stated he did not want anyone calling his daughter a “n*****” lover. I retorted “I am and I’m proud of it” Then he struck me. I can […]
I see much. I feel everything.
Jeanie Mitchell, Atlantic Beach, FL. I’m a taxi driver. I’ve been accused of being too liberal to be a cab driver. I see so much, every day. I transport a lot of people and I hear so many stories. I fear being a white woman, carrying a white man, in this industry, more than I […]
You’re taught to fear us, why?
Jason Dunmore, Los Angeles, CA.
African Americans are second class citizens
Mary Ann Costanzo, Beacon Falls, CT. Most of us will not admit that we are biased against black, African Americans. We are not intelligent enough to understand that most of our racism is due to ignorance and fear of our society, government, and culture. Instead of targeting the real sources of our problems (government, corporations, […]
White male. Teenaged me wasn’t feared.
Chris Snyder, Grand Rapids, MI.
My blackness should NOT equal fear.
Attalah Shabazz, Richmond, VA. Wipe the slate clean, don’t generalize, there is more to me than my skin color. I am more than what society teaches you about me. Give me a chance, give us all a chance. Throw away all of you presumptions.
I’m tired of fearing the police.
Brier, Olny, MD. I’m white, but I’m poor, I drive a beat up car, often with people of color in my car, I am not a threat to anyone. Don’t come at me with your hand on your gun. Don’t pull me out of my car and put me in handcuffs because I wear hand-me-down […]
Yes I do fear Black men
Rachel, Tulsa, OK. Black men are many times more likely than White men to be thieves, rapists, and murderers. When I see a Black person I am more fearful. This is a natural reaction, it is the same reason that most White people in my city live in White neighborhoods, because living in those Black […]
White police officers frighten me.
Erin Jones, Landover, MD.
I will not steal your purse
Henderson Smith III, St Louis, MO. I told this lady in Cinn, Ohio after she grab her purse when she looked and saw me walking down the supermarket aisle. I explain to her that I was an Logistics Engineer at GE Aircraft Engines and a Captain in the Air National Guard.
Fear and hatred are always present.
Stephen Levitas, Bethesda, MD. Georgetown Day School This is what we are up against. It is what must be dissolved.
Fearful of offending, I say nothing
Sherry Buss, Bethlehem, PA.
I fear for my family’s wellbeing.
Shannon M., Killeen, TX. My fiance is black. My son is mixed. At THREE years old my son has already encountered racism. Every time my fiance walks out of the house, I worry. When he gets angry at someone or something in public, I get scared and try my hardest to calm him down – […]
Local News feed fear of Blacks
Mike, St. Louis, MO.
Race and fear shouldn’t be related.
Emily Jane, Saginaw, MI.
Fear of change, differences, and unfamiliar.
Dawn Fleming, Lansing, MI.
Fearfully and wonderfully made, beyond flesh.
Kelly Nicole Kerstetter, Bowling Green, OH.
Racist relatives “mulatto”. Couldn’t tell them.
Tim Brown, Millington, TN. I grew up in a very large Southern white family of absolutely insufferable racists. While researching our family’s genealogy, a cousin of mine found that the US Census listed many of our not-so-distant ancestors as “mulatto”, a term generally reserved to describe people who were half white and half black. We […]
Angry Black men are so scary
David, Submitted via: NPR’s Talk of the Nation. The potential for violence from an angry black man is so much higher than any other source it’s scary. An unarmed black man is a threat unless proven otherwise.
All power I see is white
Erin, St. Louis, MO. In my world today I associate power with people who are white. All my teachers and school leaders, white. My parents, white. The police in my area, white. All forms of power and authority in my life are white and this is how its been since I was little. Fear those […]
Why do people fear black people
Julian Henderson Holland, MI
Two steps forward, one step back
Mary Lambert Merrick, NY I lived through the Civil Rights Movement. I once walked out of a store in SDouth Bend IN and was confronted with a full scale KKK march. I remember the riots of 1968–I lived in a mixed race neighborhood and we often sat on ourporch and watched the fires buring a […]
Fear that racism will never end
Joan Pleune New York City, NY Brooklyn I was a 1961 freedom rider. When I look at Brooklyn today through a lens of race, life seems better for only a handful of lucky souls.
I don’t want to be racist
P Morehead City, NC I am a white female and I am not racist at all. But sometimes I find myself with thoughts or fears that feel a little racist. Where is this coming from? I don’t want to have those thoughts or fears about other people because of their race. That is wrong.
Layers of hate, culture of fear
Eric Embrey Seattle, WA
I’m afraid of Mexicans.
Charon Winterson Tucson, AZ I’ve always had a fear and hatred of Mexicans and I feel bad for it.
Why, white woman, fear black woman?
Debbie Austin, TX
Democracy and segregation cannot co-exist. We all suffer.
Lee Anne Bell New York , NY As a white person in this country I am disgusted by the lack of public will to challenge institutionalized racism. As a student of our ugly racial history, I know that we will never move forward as a country until we acknowledge and atone for our racial past. […]
Injustice fear pity hope faith joy
Armando Caracas, Venezuela The people feel the injustice but hope and faith were always in their minds and day by day and life
United we stand divide we fall.
Rashawn Love New York City, NY Brooklyn Only when people stop stop see the difference in each can we build a foundation that can’t be broken by fear of others,the hate of the unknown, and the greed of personal gain.
Integrate. Know me; don’t fear me.
Laurie Johns Tuscaloosa, AL I am white. I attended integrated public schools in Montgomery, Alabama from 1st through 12th grade graduating from Sidney Lanier High School in 1983 as part of a white minority of around 30%. I believe having an integrated school experience allowed me to know and be familiar with black people and […]
My fears are for my grandchildren.
Joyce Fountain Elgin, IL
People often fear what is unfamiliar.
Joyce Hansen Seattle, WA
Fear, invisible, ignore, move-on, refuse and rise.
Adell Richardson Seattle, WA
Seattle, please stop fearing black folks.
Roland Groce, Jr., Seattle, WA. All 52 years of my life has been affected by white privilege and racism. My son is bi-racial, now graduated from college and approaching grad school at a racist institution (University of Washington). I am concerned that at the UW, Asian people have taken over and continuing to carry out […]
Fear outpacing evolution creating humanity’s denial.
David Mooney Seattle, WA Humanity will evolve faster when we alleviate our fear of each other.
Fear of difference makes us intolerant
Elsie Pettit Nashville, TN
Wasn’t taught “discriminate…so I don’t.
Christina Hermann Mentor, OH My dad was in the military so we knew and were friends with people of other races from other countries. Like any other community you’re friends with whomever you get to know and have a connection with. However like everyone else I was exposed to media and fed a culture of […]
Conversation: the greatest antidote for fear
Lori Blachford Des Moines, IA
Good news: Whites fear racist label
Caitlin Sullivan Seattle, WA White people, even the most overtly racist ones, hate being called racist. As long as that’s true, maybe there’s hope for change, or at least a conversation. When white people say racist things and are not called racist, they often continue. But when that label is used, they are often shocked […]
IT HAS TO BE SOMEONE’S FAULT.
Pamela Jole Franks Phoenix, AZ It seems to me that at the bottom of all racism is fear and a desire to have someone to blame for our problems.
Race. A wall to hide behind.
John King Catonsville, MD A wall made of no real human substance but fear. A wall where differences find a comforting place to self-justify. A wall behind which no growth occurs. A wall for the sake of a wall only.
KKK crosses even now ~ North Carolina?
Nancy H Long Springfield, IL I drove through North Carolina over Memorial Day weekend last year and passed a house with its lawn covered in KKK crossed and Confederate flags. I wanted to stop and take a photo, but I was afraid someone would see and object. I actually feared for my life. It may […]
Black folks: please forgive white ancestors!
Linda Robinson Philadelphia, PA All of us are shaped by the culture and historical period in which we developed as children. That culture almost becomes a part of our DNA – it’s that imbedded in us. The white slave-traders of centuries ago in Africa were shaped by the cultural idea that dark-skinned peoples of Africa […]
Black neighborhood. Stop light. Lock doors.
Ginny Adams North Platte, NE I learned this from my parents while growing up in Detroit; 60* years later I still find myself struggling not to react this way.
Is Anything Wrong With Racial Profiling?
Fred Moolten Canonsburg, PA Please forgive the provocative title. I don’t mean it literally, nor am I even sure what is meant by “racial profiling”. What I do know is that I and many other members of the white majority who consider ourselves fair-minded, face a dilemma that demands attention. Recently, I have read eloquent […]
Everyone at my church is white.
Cole Chandler Waco, TX It is difficult to stand in solidarity with one another and overcome our fears of one another when we continue to segregate ourselves in our supposedly integrated society. We are not even diverse, much less reconciled. What a tragedy.
I was taught to fear Others.
Steve Peters Seattle, WA
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