Have you ever asked yourself, “am I racist?” Or, are you a person of color or an ally who has been put in the position to explain why something was racist or someone was acting racist? I get it and am here to help!
In honor of the July 4th holiday when we celebrate our wonderful country, I wanted to offer some unsolicited wisdom to help make us even better. The good news is that you probably aren’t racist. Yay! But, and this is a big but, you might do or say things that are racist-ish. You might be racist adjacent.
Let’s define being racist:
Being racist includes showing prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that your race is superior. It is based off a system in place that oppresses one group by another.
To help you figure out if you fall into this category, I’ve come up with 24 racist-ish things you might say. Also, I added 6 ways to know if you have come down with full blown racism without knowing it.
Make America great again by sharing this post to stop the trend of racist and racist-ish behavior.
Am I racist ish? 24 ways to know if you need to do better.
You might be racist adjacent if you’ve ever said:
1. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. (Yeah you do.)
2. I have lots of Black friends. (If you have never been to their house, met their families or called them to say hello, you probably aren’t friends. Also, if you have to count your Black friends, you’re probably racist ish.)
3. I’m colorblind. (Being blind is not a good thing. You miss a lot.)
4. [insert name of Black person] is so well spoken. (It should not shock you that a person of color can speak as well as you.)
5. What is the ghetto like?
Nope. Not the ghetto.
6. Why do Black people [insert anything]? (I’m not the spokesperson fyi.)
7. I don’t even see your color.
8. You’re one of the good ones. (Like for real?)
9. Why can’t “they” be more like you?
10. You all look alike. (No. You just don’t take the time to really look at us.)
11. Do you know [insert name of random Black person I’m supposed to know just because we’re both Black]?
12. Can you teach me how to Dougie [or any dance]? (I don’t dance on command and don’t appreciate you assuming where my talents lie.)
13. I bought watermelon just for you.
14. Have you ever been to Africa?
15. What are you? (You ask “what” a thing is. You ask “who” a person is.)
16. I was only kidding. Don’t be so sensitive.
17. If Black people didn’t steal then retailers wouldn’t follow them around in the store.
18. Are you on welfare? Did you grow up on welfare? (Or really talking about welfare at all. )
19. Do you know your dad?
Black dads are not extinct.
20. Are Black men really [fill in the sexual blank] or Are Black women really [fill in the sexual blank]?
21. Why do you always bring up race?
22. Why isn’t there White Entertainment TV? Or White History Month? (There is. It’s called every channel that’s not BET and every month of the year including Feb!)
23. You’re a reverse racist. (A person of color might be prejudice and if they are call them on it. But since there has never been a system in place to oppress White people, reverse racism is not a logical concept.)
24. Something that continues an argument with me over any of these points.
This is the side eye you’ll get from me if I see or hear any of these things.
Am I Racist? You might be racist AF if:
1. You have ever touched a Black person’s hair or skin without asking. (We are not animals to pet, thank you very much.)
2. You assumed your Black “friend” was a single mom, poor or otherwise downtrodden. (Spoiler alert: she might be all those things but it’s the assumption that’s racist. And she’s probably just someone you know, not your friend.)
3. You have called Black friends/supporters “my Blacks”. (You don’t have possession of anyone. There was a whole war about that. )
4. You often refer to Black people as animals, thugs or of having low intelligence. (You’re white supremacy is showing!)
5. You commonly refer to Africa as a country, or worse, a sh@t hole. (Look at a map, friend.)
6. You have ever, under ANY circumstance, used the N word and don’t feel bad about it. (Under no curcumstances can you ever, EVER use that word.)
What did I miss? Leave a comment and I’ll add them in.
Pocket sized version to pin for later:
