Robert Goffeney, Pittsburgh, PA At first, I thought it would be difficult to come up with six words to encapsulate my experience of race as a middle-aged, middle class suburban white man. Immediately after that thought, my six words bubbled up out of – somewhere. People will never cross the street to avoid passing me […]
Ann Barrentine, Bloomington, IN Still find it hard to love powerful racist white ppl… Was involved in some civil rights activity in Southern VA in the early 60’s as a young white VISTA worker from New England… Knowing about all of the racist violence in US history has left some unhealed wounds apparently. Jesus said […]
Brandy Roberts, Cottonport, LA. I am a loving mom of 2 beautiful kids. I am proud to be white, and I can not voice that to a single person, lest I be judged a racist. I have love pure and strong in my heart. I can not for the life of me understand why all […]
Brittany Price, USA. Being raised in such a racist environment makes it hard to be an adult in a totally different mind set. As far as I have come, I still judge people based on their race, including white people such as myself. It’s pathetic that still, in 2015, individuals are treated a certain way […]
Richard Cameron, Irvine, CA
Sam Smith, Stafford, TX. Ya I figured that would catch people off guard. I’ve been a salesperson now for about 10 years in Houston. Love the city and the culture, made a pretty good career out of it too. I’ve sold cars and motorcycles for a living. One thing I will readily acknowledge is I’m […]
Robert Kruk, Bloomingdale, NJ When I was a boy (13 or so) my father & I were watching the news, and an African-American demonstration was shown. After listening to a speaker, my father exclaimed the above sentence. Even at the time, I thought that it was one of the stupidest things I’d ever heard anyone […]
Grace Dinges, Portland, OR
Joseph Miller, USA In the Twitter thread that brought me here, NatGeo published two pictures of white people. Both of the six-word captions for these people included the word “ashamed.” All of the non-white people had captions that were variations on victimhood jeremiads. I reject both of these mentalities. The victimhood mentality so enshrined by […]
Paul Rojas, Tulsa, OK. I’m going to come out and say it…the same thing thousands, probably millions of people in this country are feeling, at this point. I don’t care about black people’s problems anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I care very much for the black people I known personally. I care about them as […]
Jason Zeller, San Diego, CA Even though my ancestors came to the United States after slavery was abolished and I am not aware of their involvement in any racist activities, as a white person in America I am ashamed of the vile history of racist violence and genocidal activities that white people in the U.S. […]
Alex Miller, New York, NY. White people. Some of you, not all… please notice that I said SOME…some of you have been wondering, for a while, “Why am I always called a racist?” “Why do blacks blame me for slavery? My family never owned slaves!” And that sort of gives me pause because: What, did […]
Allen Brizee, Baltimore, MD Paraphrasing Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist.
Anonymous, USA I am a light-skinned Hispanic woman. I straddle between the white world and the brown world. White people don’t realize I’m brown, and brown people don’t realize I’m not white. I “pass.” I have freckles, and I don’t speak Spanish. My accent is a Long Island one. I grew up in predominantly […]
Dan Ouellette, Wayne State The term “racist” is too often used to express disagreement with someone else. Rather than consider the benign logic behind someone’s viewpoint, it’s just easier to label them a “racist”. It’s the lazy-Susan tool intended to end a discussion, not foster it. There’s a mixed message out there if we’re willing […]
Matt Schoch, Viroqua, WI. I’ve always felt guilt and shame having grown up in a racist household. Even as an adult I’ve felt awkward around people of a different race, as if I’ve done something wrong. My hope is that my race card will help me shed the guilt and shame of being taught to […]
Dustin Weiss West Chester, OH
Aubie Hartman, Sioux City, IA I chose these six words because I think that a lot of people see white people as racist. I am not only white but I also live in the midwest. I had a teacher who moved to my hometown from a big city. When this teacher came they always tried […]
Lynn, Great Falls, SC. I tend to look white; especially when not in the sun. I’m actually a mix of: European (German, Irish, & British), Native American (Seminole, Cherokee, & Muskogee Creek), Black (African -sub-sahara regions- and Melanesian), and Middle Eastern (Syrian, Turkish, Indian (India) & Iranian)…….Somehow I ended up looking more European instead……I hate […]
Jessica Clark, Chesapeake, VA. We are not born racist.
Matthew Hartter, Seattle, WA. The feeling of uselessness leads to a desire for superiority.
Josh Parker Grimm, Kansas City, KS I hate it when minorities, in general, think all whites are racists. I even have a black friend who calls me a racist cracker because I’m white. It doesn’t make sense, I wasn’t born in the 50’s, and I think we all need to be equal. Maybe because of […]
A., USA. I work in an area with a lot of Hispanic or Latino immigrants from different places. I have not had many good experiences with them. For awhile I just tried to excuse their behavior as not knowing or understanding the cultural differences but it’s getting harder. Before I continue, yes I know there […]
Anonymous, Sidney, GA
Taylor Hirano, Irvine, CA. Growing up in a mostly Caucasian community, many of my fellow peers didn’t know they were racist against me. It could come from backhanded compliments like “You’re so pretty for an Asian”, to minor comments such as “My sisters boyfriend is Asian, you probably know him”. Whenever I said anything they […]
Jack Walper, Acworth, GA
Rev. Kathy Bird DeYoung, Aurora, CO. I was raised in metro Detroit in one of the white northern suburbs. Now I live in the most integrated city in the nation, Aurora, Colorado. My city of origin is more integrated now, thankfully. But, I still wouldn’t want to return. I’m frustrated by this new ethic where […]
Rachel Quinnelly, Sapulpa, OK
Teresa Figueroa, Stafford, VA.
Amy Kilfoyle, Spokane, WA.
Kees van Muyden Woodland, CA
Pauline Devlin Ann Arbor, MI Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan This is in reference to my friends and I. I do not believe any of us would consider ourselves racist, so I feel bad when I hear people casually perpetuating stereotypes.
Elizabeth Rodriguiz, Ypsilanti, MI. In the early 2000s I tagged along with my husband to his professional society meeting in Atlanta. While he went to lectures, I explored the city. I took the Metro to the stop nearest Ebenezer Baptist Church and walked through the neighborhood to get there. At the church, I actually asked […]
Joe Mallahan Seattle, WA As a white man raised in the United States, I have, by no choice of my own, indelible racist perspectives ingrained in me. While my logic and my civic values reject this racism, it doesn’t change the fact that my brain clicks to a different place when I’m interacting with an […]
William G Doyle Jr., Castle Rock, CO. From the time I could remember my father expressed his racism against African Americans. I fought him because of it throughout my life. Usually it exposed itself the most after we would go to church and listen to beautiful sermons about God’s love for all people and then […]
Olga Johnson, Wayne State, Detroit, MI Race is becoming more difficult to distinguish according to google, due to intermarriages, travel and better communications between humans on earth.
KKC, Wayne State, Detroit, MI The problem is not color, it is the way we treat people of other colors. When your white, you are seen as the “norm” so when you say you don’t see color you are taking away what makes them different and special to make them more “acceptable” white
Michael Atkinson, Herriman, UT The more I’ve learned about racism, the more I’ve realized that even if we consider ourselves kind-hearted, stalwart non-racist, there’s subtleties encoded and enculturated into our thinking and language that’s astonishingly invisible to us. We must fight this by caring enough to learn learn learn.
Kareen, Vershire, VT. Friends: Who think they are not racist by saying that.
Joel, Honolulu, HI I live in Hawaii and I’ve always gone back and forth about the word “haole”. I tend to use it but I wonder if it’s considered offensive. Perhaps it depends on the context and why you’re saying the word. I’ve used the word to describe a person; “So and so is hapa-haole” […]
Jahred Cleveland, Leander, TX
Jillian Kurekova, USA. I am a 21 year old white female living in the ghetto. I have always been the outcast. I grew up in foster homes with black foster mothers and siblings, I have lived in all-black neighborhoods and went to all-black schools. I have never felt out of place surrounded by black people […]
Tara, Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Don’t assume a persons position simply because of what their ancestors choices were. CBU HIS311
Rikki, Gallatin, TN. I’m SERIOUSLY really sick of every other ethnic group in the country being able to stand up and say I’m proud to be ___ yet a white person stands up and says the same thing and IMMEDIATELY we’re deemed racist. It’s about time us white people show the rest of the world […]
Dave Ihde, Minneapolis, MN. Don’t consider myself a racist, but feel like I get lumped in with all of perpetrators of past/present wrongs. I agree it was wrong; let’s try to move on.
Kevin Antonelli, Vienna, NJ. I remember the riots of the 1960’s yet at the time as a young child didn’t know the reason behind them or what was going on in the world. I was raised by an Archie Bunker and lived in a W.A.S.P. town with one black family. I was a racist but […]
Rolando R. Gutierrez, Allen, TX. I am not a racist. I am a humanist. We all have the same faults including the minority defense of the racist card. The majority does not call it racist. It is called law and order. We all exercise it when in the majority. Here is another six words: Reason, […]
Michelle K. Chicago, IL Racist men who are interested in me solely for their “yellow fever”: my skin is not your accessory. Racist people who want to befriend me solely because they “loooove” my culture: my skin is not your accessory. Racist people who think being Asian is all about KPop and “kawaii”: my skin […]
Angela Han, Korea. There are people who still are racist. I faced them when I was in America, the land of freedom. Because we all look different, that doesn’t mean that we are all wrong. We are just same human with unique aspects, likewise our fingerprint.
Patricia Linderman, Mexico. I’m the spouse of a US diplomat, and we have lived in four Latin American countries for a total of 11 years. We have sometimes seen strong discrimination and heard ugly remarks against people in these societies with darker skin color. It is definitely not just a U.S. and European problem. Besides […]
Diana Varney Salt Lake City, UT
Mark Donaldson, Edgewater, CO. I’m white, grew up in rural PA in a mostly white school. I live in CO now and work in tech industry where you’re probably either white or Indian. I know I’m racist but try hard to fight against that tendency. I want to be better than I know I am.
Angela, Manchester, NH. Since I was a small child, I have thought black people were more beautiful, more brave, more…everything than whites. I am white and grew up in a very white state. I always felt other than everyone else, and thought that being black must be wonderful. I didn’t realize until I was older […]
Rebecca Hammons, Eugene, OR.
Kate McFerrin, Oak Park, IL. I recognize we need to change; the US is, without question, systemically racist. However, as one individual, I don’t feel like I have great power to change much. It’s hard to feel hopeful.
Joey Klein, Lakeland, FL. Why is it that if one disagrees with the claims of a feminist, or an SJW, that the one disagreeing is sexist, or racist? The claim that women make less money than men in the US because of systemic patriarchy can be used as an example. I’m not entirely bought into […]
Al, Atlanta, GA. I was born 51 years ago. I grew up with a father who would definitely be considered racist today, but was probably just typical blue collar in those days – kind of an Archie Bunker figure. I heard the N word at least a dozen times a week. Fast forward to my […]
R.E.A.L. Talk, High Tech Middle Media Arts, 7th Grade Trailblazer Through parts of my life people and kids that I have known claim that something is racist or to use it as a insult. I have never been the target of these insult but it bothers me every time that someone has said one. During […]
Annabel Knight, Austin, TX. We were talking about SS Disability, and he said “No, it’s not hard at all to get on disability–all you have to do is be a fat Mexican.” So wrong, I just couldn’t be silent. My husband backed me up, most of the rest of the table squirmed uncomfortably. Why is […]
Wren, Kennet, MO.
Kara Cox, Charlottesville, VA. I constantly get people making racist comments about others to me. They see blond hair and blue eyes and assume I feel the same way they do.
Vincent Zaal, Minneapolis, MN. We come from a very liberal area and are staunch liberals ourselves and yet in people’s attempts to “not be racist” they’re being extremely racist. Humans are different, get over it! Try thinking about “race” in the French adjective placement: “that human is black” rather “than that is a black human.” […]
Nichole Wesson, Long Beach, CA. I grew up what I believed to be middle-class in Dallas. I attended private, Catholic schools from kindergarten through 12-grade high school graduation. My high school class was 1/3 African-American, 1/3 white, 1/3 Mexican/Hispanic/Latino. I have done well in my career and recently returned to school to get my B.A. […]
Anonymous, Jackson, MS. Dissatisfied with black racism. But we never want to talk about it, and when blacks are tyrannically racist against white people, we just act like it’s no big deal. Black people today were not slaves, and no one I repeat NO ONE is stopping them from succeeding except themselves…but they want to […]
Olivia Chovanes, Philadelphia, PA.
Sabrina Fuentes, Apple Valley, CA. Some people are racist and some people are not. It is a fact, but some individuals believe that if they stay quiet about the matter they are doing no wrong, but it is on the contrary. We are all one race, HUMAN. It is about time we remember that.
Brittney Smith, Washington, DC. But since I’ve moved here I can’t help but notice that many of the stereotypes of black males are true. I’ve been chased down the street by black males, groped by black males and sexually assaulted by a black male in the street. Since then I’ve been scared of black males. […]
Zach Perrin, Cincinnati, OH. I don’t think I’m racist, in my day to day life I interact with black people a lot actually and have never once had a problem. I also know that we have systematic problems, stemming from slavery, Jim Crow, etc. that still need to be dealt with. But are these the […]
Ehron, Belgium. My daughter was born in the United States to a black mother, but a dual citizen and I raised her with the eurorequirement to the mentality to live and present in Europe, so I always refer to her as European, not American. When she walks the streets of Belgium and speaks French, people […]
Avery, Chicopee, MA. I’m white, but many of my friends growing up were children of color. I always thought that we were treated the same because nobody was overtly racist. Then I started educating myself and learned about concepts like dog-whistling and microaggressions. I was stunned to realize that I had been totally wrong the […]
Kelsey Milinkovich, Akron, OH. People always say I am just ass racist as “everyone else”. They think that I won’t have friends of another race as I and that I will not associate myself with them. One of my best friends just happens to be of another race as I. I don’t judge people based […]
Danny Denzler, Wichita Falls, TX. There’s a difference between being realistic and being racist. Police profiling isn’t racist. Look at the facts. Who commits the most crime even while being less than a 1/4 of the population? Personally, I know that not all blacks are bad, just like all whites aren’t good. I will say […]
Rushil Shah, Louisville, KY.
As a 12 year old, I had encountered in many times where people say very messed up things including something racist. Since I’m a brother of younger sisters including my older sister, I also have my own responsibility to teach my siblings about the things happening in the world like terrorism, pollution and other stuff […]
R.E.A.L. Talk, High Tech Middle Media Arts, 7th Grade Trailblazer It has always confused me when people call others “white”, or “black”, because no one’s skin is “black”, or “white”. Besides, no one names their kids the color of their skin, so why do we call them that? In the past I have made myself […]
R.E.A.L. Talk, High Tech Middle Media Arts, 7th Grade Trailblazer Even if I haven’t really been discriminated against by groups of people thinking they are superior to other groups of people, I feel that as a white person I am being mis-represented by white supremacy groups and neo-nazis. I feel that certain groups of people […]
Keira Glover, England. I was sat on the train yesterday reading Tolkiens ‘Lord of the Rings’ when a black woman sat down next to me, she kept leaning over my shoulder so I assumed she was a fan and that she was reading along, I even slowed my pace to give her more time to […]
Sydney Gahwyler, College Park, MD.
Luke Pomranke, Petoskey, MI. I feel that I always need to be careful about what I say so that I am not accused of being racist. At times, I will make the exact same comment as someone from a different race but I will be accused of being racist while the other person will not […]
Roxanne Darling, Haiku, HI. It’s my personal belief that it’s incredibly challenging to not be racist, regardless of one’s race. Not wanting to be, think, or act racist is not the same as not being racist. So I hereby present myself as a work in progress, as I unplug decades (centuries?) of neurological programming that […]
Ashley Seidl, Lakeland, FL.
Heather Mast, Houston, TX. I’m tired of not being able to express my own opinion for fear of being labeled a hate monger or racist! Im sorry for injustice done but I did not victimize anyone. Many are too fearful to “do anything” to help one another of a different race because then, in turn, […]
Dee Oh, TX. Why isn’t it racist for other people to say that because I’m white, I’m a racist? I am attacked solely because of my skin color from black people. Only from black people. Why isn’t that racist? I add to a conversation that statistically, more blacks are killed by other blacks than by […]
Rev. Paul Nulton, Vernon, NJ. I grew up in a very racist family and church. My grandfather subscribed to magazines like “The Cross and The Sword” – John Birch society rants about how African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics (all foreigners) were less human than white folk. I remember the minister ranting about Dr. Martin Luther King in […]
Nicole Valenzi, New Smyrna Beach, FL. My experience with race only started really when I entered public school. Until then, I can count on one hand the number of non-white people I interacted with. My mother told me part of the reason she took us out of our sheltered private school was because I pointed […]
Caitie Rudd, Burlingotn, NC. Elon University
Max Moreno, TX. Hello, my name is Max and I am a racist. I have known this for along time. I no longer want to live in the shadows of this part of me. Today, I am here to say to my family and all my friends that I am a racist. I am not […]
Carl Williams, Chicago, IL. Though I love my city Chicago, racial issues persist. The “Blacklash” of President Obama’s election is real, palpable. At my age, 52, I’ve never felt like I must so vigorously defend myself for just being who I’ve always been, a Black man. I can no longer talk about race without being […]
Travis Rems, Venice, FL. Never considered myself a racist….but as I get older, I wonder…or is the world just changing?
Nicole Moriarty, Tallahassee, FL. I’m white and I’ve been living in the south for about 5 years and this crazy thing continually happens to me: white people see the color of my skin and assume, wrongly, that I harbor the same ignorance and racism that they do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware of my […]
Cheryl L. Jones, Kansas City, MO.
Clay Terry, Cincinnati, OH. I just want to put it out there that I have a multitude of African American friends, not all black people are ignorant. However, most of them are. I did not grow up racist nor are my parents racist. I developed my way of thinking from observing the black community around […]
Heather Simms, Suffolk, VA. Something that has bothered me throughout the years is the immediate perception because I am a middle class white individual that I automatically have some sort of racism integrated into my DNA. I respect and love everyone regardless of color, ethnicity or appearance. Racism is a concern in our society but […]
Jaime F Galdamez, Madera, CA. This reads a certain way, but in “dog whistle” political speak it reads, to me anyways, like so…. We, the white people, who are outright or overtly or subconsciously or unconsciously racist and/or partial to racist sentiments, etc… We who are full of white resentment and anger towards blacks, Browns, […]
Sean, CT. I’m not proud to be white, because there’s so many different kinds of white and I’m not proud of my skin color, I’m proud of my culture. Sunday dinners. Seafood. Irish bread. That’s what I identify with, not the color of my skin. And to call me racist for that is complete shi*.
Nicholas Thomspon, Denton, TX. We discussed racism in my freshman sociology class. “Institutions are racist” is not an original thought of mine, but I do fundamentally agree with the idea from a sociological perspective.
Justin Walker, Bennington, VT. As a police officer I quite often get the “you only stopped me because I’m black” or some variant of that excuse. Well I work the nightshift and it is impossible for me to to who I’m pulling over until I get to the car. Until I get to the car […]
Marnie Singer, Fremont, CA. I used to think I wasn’t racist; but when I joined Transcendence Gospel Choir and was accepted and loved, I realized how much I still had to learn, how much I still had to UN-learn.
Ken McWilliams, Conway, SC.
Hayley Franklin, Virginia Beach, VA.
Antwan Lester, Baltimore, MD. Other people say racist things all the time some people tell me to die, but i don’t cry or reply I just walk away and stay positive because this life is mine not his and people do all the wrong things without thinking about the kids who could be in danger […]
Brad Crump, Floral Park, NY. As a Presbyterian Pastor I serve a diverse congregation (Guyanese, Jamaican, Black, White). As a teacher I work for a Middle School in Springfield Gardens (97% non white). While I spend every day serving the diverse cornucopia of NYC I am seen by many as the problem, the privilege, the […]
Charles, Brandywine, MD. I am 49 years with no White Friends. I have never invited a White person to my home. I work with White people all day every day, I have served beside White people in the military, and I play softball with 95% White people every weekend and holiday, but I have never […]
Nick Wheatley, Louisville, KY. I have heard so many people make racist comments and then use this as an excuse for not being racist. Racism isn’t about who you’re friends with. Racism is about making a race feel inferior to your own.
Scott Waldman, Aurora, CO.
Stephanie DeRoose, Baltimore, MD. During a service trip to Washington DC, I encountered many nice and talkative people while I walked the streets. I made a comment to another volunteer and her response was, “It’s because they’re black isn’t it?” I had never experienced such rude commentary and didn’t know what to say. My comment […]
Lucian Hand, Bozeman, MT. To those of us who deplore racism, “racist” is a deeply offensive epithet – use such powerful words with discretion.
Patricia Hogan, Missoua, MT.
Amber Francisco, Rittman, OH.
Michael, Dallas, TX. I went to an all black school where I was 1 of 20 or less white kids. I was beat up, chased home every day, picked on and called white trash. I was bullied to the point of finally dropped out, and decided to get a GED.
Gunner Goshen, UT Just because I have confederate flags and my family comes from the south does not mean I am a racist.
Anonymous, Spokane, WA.
Paul, Colorado Springs, CO. I am not the enemy. I am a 40-year old white, middle-class male- the prime demographic; according to some. It hurts me when people assume that I’m bigoted, racist, sexist or homophobic. To many racial and gender-based groups; I am looked at as the enemy. Neither I, nor my family has […]
Rusty Loiselle, Huntsville, AL. I don’t have a problem with anyone of any color. Color is not something we had a choice in. I have a problem with ignorance, thugs, people who are morally bankrupt and think the world owes them a living. I have a problem with people who think that they should receive […]
Jaden Grigg, 8th Grade Holland New Tech High School, Holland, MI. Because I am white, people believe I’m racist. But that’s not the case. In the news, it shows how white people (and police) are killing people who are not their race (mainly African-Americans). With all of this in the news, they automatically think that […]
B., Ann Arbor, MI. Understanding Race Project – University of Michigan It’s just another way of saying you’re racist. (What does it say about you, that you have to deliberately ignore an intrinsic part of my identity in order to see me as a human being?)
Joe M., USA. retired police officer…
Austin Hackeloer, Antioch, IL. Just becasue I am white doesnt mean I owned slaves or that I hate people that are different.
Gage, MT.
Anonymous, USA.
Trevor, Escondido, CA.
Tom Grey, Bratislava. Fighting anti-black racism with pro-black racism increases racism. Vouchers for education would reduce racism the most.
Logan Money, Summerville, GA. As southern citizens, we are often accused of being racist, homophobic, and resistant to change. Some are, but not all of us are. Most of my friends are minorities and that includes homo/bisexuals. as a matter of fact, most of the major towns are culturally diverse.
Corey, USA. 93%-95% of African-Americans voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012. Is it a coincidence that Obama is African-American? African-Americans can call each other “n*****” and freak out when white people use the word in a non-insulting way. They call white people crackers and they don’t care. If someone commits a crime towards an […]
Taryn, Tulsa, OK. Being white in Oklahoma for the last 15 years is annoying sometimes. I grew up in a very tolerant family in CT then CA and was the minority in a mainly black neighborhood. My first boyfriend and love was black. all my friends were black. I was actually racist against white people. […]
Melanie Douglas, Peyton, CO. I have transracial adopted kids. They have better hair than I do, they have better skin than I do, it is really something that they got everything I could ever want for them outside of my gene pool, and all I ever want is to be in their gene pool. I […]
Julia Page, Moses Lake, WA.
Skyler MI I come from a small town that is heavily populated by Mexicans so I was never really exposed to other races like Caucasians, Blacks, Asians, or any other race besides Mexican. It was very rare to see any other race and if I did see other races it was when I would go […]
Jamie, Omaha, NE.
Aaron Harmon, Sacramento, CA.
Trey Bloesser, Savage, MT. I don’t think anyone in the world has never said, or thought something racist however these people are not true racists and are still good people.
Sam, Wakefeild, MA.
Russell Anderson, Phoenix, AZ.
Carl DuPont, Coral Gables, FL. How many times have I heard this? One million. One many times has it prevented me from being hurt? Zero.
Nancy Bashista, Dover, DE.
Katie, USA. My family is proudly multicultural and many shades of brown, from my pinky-beige to my cousins’ deep cocoa tones. In the past year I have been accused of being racist more times than I can count. When I ask why they would say that the answer is always the same, “You’re white, all […]
Johnny Boyd Blue Springs, MO. Sometimes I catch myself thinking things about people, or making judgements, based on their race or appearance. I know it’s wrong, but I learned to see differences at an early age.
Jenna, USA. Every culture or race seems to have this deep inter connection with their skin color and culture and heritage. People seem to embrace their ‘uniqueness’ and take pride of where they are from and who they are. I am white. I am proud to be white. But why do those words sound so […]
Submitted via Twitter: @josephedison
Michael Havis, Brooklyn, NY. I think the word racism no longer defines the conversation we should be having. The image of racism in America is of the KKK or southern slave owners with whips. Being racist and being a good person are not mutually exclusive. Racism today isn’t being a part of lynch mobs or […]
Benjamin F Friton, Brandywine, MD.
Michael Bowser, Baltimore, MD. I found that there is no time in my day to hate or dislike another human being, regardless of race, color, or creed. I believe this behavior is instilled in many through others at a young age, and before the individual has the opportunity to make rational decisions for themselves.
Ellesha, Canada.
Nicole S., Overland Park, KS.
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 […]
Aidan O’Connor Grand Rapids, MI People can be raised up to be rasist but no one starts their life doing it. Rasism is not even a thing when you are born, you don’t even know what it is. Being racist is a choice you make. If you chose to be racist it is the wrong […]
Jann Patterson Hayden, ID The major bad things that have happened to me were because of black people. I was mugged by a group of black teens and my son had a gun held to his head at work by a pair of black thieves. I am afraid of black people that I don’t know […]
Dominick Woodridge, IL
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.
Tim McMurphy Fresno, CA Does that make me racist?
Louis Goldsmith San Antonio, TX My brain confuses me or is it my mind or my soul or …
Sonny Kniep Davis, CA
Jo Pembroke, NC Why call me racist because im white and believe in traditional values… i feel its not fair I can help what people did before my time. if so shouldn’t black Americans hate Africans for selling them to European traders also??
Rogina Vaughn Vallejo, CA Why does it seem the sore will never heal? We waste so much time being rascist, however in death, our skin color doesn’t matter!
Tony James Brooklyn, NY Can I buy equality?!…Because i don’t see it for free..NO WHERE! No lol.
Dominique Peranich Half Moon Bay, CA Everyone, whether they admit it or not, is racist. People may not realize this, but due to stereotypes, bias, and where someone may have grown up, they may feel a discomfort or distrust towards other people of a different race or background. For instance, many people when stuck driving […]
Jake Skillman Greenfield, IN Even as a small child I loved diversity, insisting on going to Korean school on Saturdays with my friends, checking out language books in Romanian, Japanese, Spanish and even Swahili. It’s crazy, because I grew up on a country farm, living in a trailer. Some how that automatically made me a […]
Cynthia McCullough Port Orchard, WA Race studies student. Americans seem to think that being colorblind is a solution when in fact it is a tool to maintain White supremacy. The colorblind mentality is the denial of the history of people of color and supports the institutional racism deeply embedded in American culture as many can […]
Connor Eaton New York, NY In New York, people of all races live together. But people of all races all have their own thoughts on all the other races. This is nothing special. What is special is that it is culturally acceptable for any race to say whatever they want about any race, EXCEPT for […]
Rachel Roseville, MN
BC Memphis, TN I’m not saying racism is okay, but we need to stop trying to find the culprit and the victim. Everyone experiences being stereotyped by their race, and everyone stereotypes other people by their race. I am tired of people telling me that because I’m white I am the cause of racism. I […]
Betsy Nash Virginia Beach, VA
Anonymous San Francisco, CA
Chanel Tate South Holland, IL This is something my African-American mom would say to me all the time when I was a kid and I called her out on saying something derogatory or stereotypical about other races. She’s dead now and it’s harder and harder for me to remember the sound of her voice, much […]
Joan Maxwell Chicago, IL This happened to me in college in 1971. I was an education major, and a black student spoke to our Philosophy of Education class. He asked the students to raise their hands if they felt they were not racist. I raised my hand. I was the only one who raised my […]
Sam Canada I have absolutely no problems with the different kinds of cultures that are now migrating into Canada and the Americas. I think hearing stories and traditions from friends and strangers about their cultures, religions and ethnical backgrounds is intriguing, and makes the world a much more exciting complex place. HOWEVER. What I don’t […]
Josh Raymond Studio City, CA Despite what people say, or the balances of social power, I was born white and am continually judged on that. People make assumptions based on my skin color and like any other victim of racism I can’t change who I am or the color of my skin. There is no […]
Lisa Wilson Eugene, OR
Eileen Jacobowitz Sacramento, CA I’m more likely to feel more comfortable around a person who is of a similar education/income level, regardless of their skin color. I’m not proud of this, but it’s true.
Lynn Lomibao Los Angeles, CA To clarify, my statement isn’t intended to create further divisions among “people of color” or to point the finger or to say that white folks aren’t racist. My point is to acknowledge that people of color can be racist, too. Case in point: I learned that people see me differently […]
Chuck Aston Hedgesville, WV I’m a university educated white male raised in a small New England town in the mid-50s. Races mingled in school and socially without friction. I served with black military personnel in the 60s and worked with and managed black personnel in the 70s without race issues. My attitude has sadly and […]
Rhonda Cavanaugh Normandy Park, WA My statement reflects how I feel when I don’t understand and ask questions of those who are further along in the antil racist work that we all do. I grew up in a white area but always managed to have friends of color. I didn’t always understand where they were […]
Beth Secor Houston, TX This situation I am going to describe happens to me relatively frequently. Another white person, more often than not a stranger or someone I know in passing, will make the assumption that because I also am white, that I too share their racist views. This other white person will lean toward […]
Anonymous Chadbourne Residential College
Glossolalia Black Minneapolis, MN And you called me a racist.
Robin Elstad Cushing, MN
Ashton Aikens Columbus, OH Have you ever noticed the racism is a learned behavior. Think about it if your raised and see everyone being treated the same and never look at a person’s skin this is how you view the world, were as if your shown that a person with a.different skin tone is inferior […]
Ralph Mancinelli Philadelphia, PA
Lily Cohen New York, NY I wasn’t born racist. My parents didn’t raise me to be racist. For the first twelve years of my life I was not racist. It all changed after my parents had to move to a Black area, and I had to attend a Black school. Needless to say, I didn’t […]
Mary Leslie Tappahannock, VA I’m not racist, I don’t want to kill or torment people because they aren’t white like me. My mother taught me not to use the “N” word. But that isn’t a complete truth about racism. My mother taught me not to use that word by yelling at me to Never Ever […]
Lyn M. Anton Buffalo, NY Born in 1954, I grew up in a very small, very white town in the North. Obviously, these were turbulent times in many ways. I believe it was 1959 when the NYS Board of Education sent a young, Black woman to our school district as a speech therapist. Now, amongst […]
Robert C. Reynolds Sapulpa, OK The media wants so badly to play the poor little innocent boy card for young Blacks who meet violent ends, but they blithely ignore evidence that speaks otherwise, all for ratings.
Harrison Young Waco, TX
Elizabeth Ragad, Covington, LA. I’m so tired of Black people pulling the race card when things aren’t going there way. And YES there are racist Black people too! It’s NOT just a “White Thing”. White people do not hold a monopoly on racism. All races have good, bad, rich, poor, kind, cruel, loving, hateful, selfless […]
Nixi Chesnavich Pittsburgh, PA I was raised by a racist. My grandfather had a bias against everyone who wasn’t exactly like him. Even as a young child, I could see that the stereotypes he tried to instill in me were simplistic and dehumanizing. I chose not to hate. I chose to see all people as […]
Olga Kazakova Oakland, CA I was robbed at a gun point by two black men a couple of years ago. Now when I see black men walking towards me and no people around I cross the street. Does it make me a racist? I live in a very beautiful, diverse but high crime city.
Diana Wolf Round Hill, VA
Lauren L. Long Island, NY I notice that there are an overwhelming number of white people who refuse to accept that they have racial biases. This is certainly NOT the case with every white person out there at all, just to be clear. But when a black person says something about race, they immediately want […]
David Monestero Upland, CA I do not consider myself a racist person. I go through my day to day feeling like everyone is created equil no matter what. I think anyone that walks around with a constant chip on their shoulder feeling like the whole world owes them something will always have issues that are […]
Thomas Hei Newcastle, WA It doesn’t matter if one uses the N-word maliciously or benignly not intending to harm, it can still be racist. If I accidentally hit someone in my car, I am still held accountable.
Ethan Pickering Washington, DC …a drink. Because he stumbled into the bar hammered. But he was Salvadoran and I am white. Nevermind that I was speaking to him in Spanish (NOT my first language). Nevermind that I was conversing with other Spanish speakers who were drinking–some who were drunk–at the bar. Nevermind that nobody else […]
Robert C. Reynolds Sapulpa, OK All races and societies have racist individuals. Yet because I am caucasian, I feel I am singled out, profiled as a racist by non-whites, merely because of my appearance. That is as wrong as any profiling of hoodie-wearing black youth as up to no good. Who speaks up on my […]
Michael Skinner Alexandria, VA Does an altercation between two persons of different races automatically equal racism by one or both of the participants?
Ken Hutchison USA Martin felt disrespected, indignant, and incensed that somebody was following him. He saw that the follower was overweight and flabby, so he did not feel threatened. He was an athlete who was skilled at martial arts, and he did not like being disrespected. He knew that he could beat up the follower […]
Kenna Hensen Philadelphia, PA I’m so ashamed to say I have racist thoughts. I grew up in a small suburban town believing that no matter your ethnicity, racist remarks where never appropriate. I moved into a large urban city 5 years ago and found my thoughts and feelings on racism being altered by my experience […]
Steve Mathys Fishers, IN
Francis F. Columbus, OH
Madeline Meyers Madison, WI
Carstens Smith Minneapolis, MN I quickly learned in the 80s, when my employer mandated attendance on race and diversity, to stay very, very quiet. My comments, questions, and any opinions were met with “Well, you’re white so you don’t understand…” So despite the assumption by some that I am so privileged and racist that I […]
Liberty Boersen Holland, MI The confederate flag is basically a “punch in the face” to African Americans….
