We have all dealt with it or have seen it at some point. The issue of racism is still a prevalent and problematic dilemma dealt with daily. At one time or another, we have all held preconceptions, harbored negative thoughts, held biases, or drawn conclusions about a specific person or another race group grounded in our personal experiences, what we have gathered from others, or what has been retained through the media. Learning to combat this ism and repudiating being an offender of negativity is a form of wellness.
If you struggle with unwanted thoughts, preconceptions, or covert negativity geared toward a specific person or race group, then follow these directives to help you not only deal with racism but fight against it.
1. Check Yourself: Am I Racist?
Exploring your motives and thoughts regarding this is essential. It's a self-check that has to be examined. Although it can feel silly to do, you may have to ask yourself a series of questions. Am I a racist? Do I really believe that a specific race is innately lesser or exceptional to another race? Do I believe that a specific race group's decorum, moral, or social behavior is a peculiarity that belongs only to a particular race? If you're anything like me, then you answered no to all of these questions. With that in mind, again, if you're anything like me, then you may not be racist, but you may be liable for harboring racial preferences.
Racial preferences: the preference of being with people of your race due to familiarity, naturalness, learned reasons, or other learned behaviors. I confess that I have periodically exploited racial preference—especially when it comes to my people, Black people. An example of this is that I love to see Black people prosper—this doesn't mean that I don't love to see others be successful, but for me, I love to see my people do well. Whether it is starting a business, receiving accolades, acclimating to arduous environments, climbing higher in positions and their aspirations, or just flourishing in what they want to do, I love being a witness to it and admire my people for striving for greatness!
While having a racial preference isn't necessarily wrong, when applied the wrong way, it can prove to be detrimental and can be an open gateway to racism.
2. Come to Grips with Yourself
Coming to grips with yourself can be a formidable task to face because it requires you to excavate and look deep within yourself. That said, if you did answer yes to any of the questions listed above, then you may just have to come to grips with yourself. Admit that there might be some specific fears that you have about people of another race. Acceptance is always the first step in coming to grips with yourself in any situation.
3. Work on Your Perspective
With a tender subject such as racism, working on your perspective figuratively and realistically is vital. Working on your perspective can take both time and practice. Being able to intentionally look beyond skin color is a choice. Like with any other form of change, the more you implement the practicalities, is the more you will neutralize and naturalize a perpetually right perspective. Choose to look beyond a person's "shell" and concentrate on their "essence." Without a doubt, you will begin to see that everyone is different—no racial group shares all the same traits, values, characteristics, and traditions. And while each person is extraordinary, you will quickly find that all of humanity has common interests—purpose, meaningful relationships, a sense of belonging, community, financial establishment, and other pursuits. Think about it: while we all may be different, we are all very much the same! With that considered, meeting and interacting with people from other racial groups is a possible solution to this. It is a great way to connect and rid yourself of any negatively inspired learned thoughts or behaviors.
4. Meet New People
Meeting new people is always a great way to connect, network, and acquire insight. Having a real conversation with real people will help in gaining experience with other racial groups. Consider this, one bad experience with an individual from a specific racial group does not reflect the experiences you will have with other individuals from that racial group. Meet new people and ask questions about their life experiences. Make forward movements to adjust your outlook. This can happen through sharing a meal or doing an activity together. Engage, interact, and be proactive in networking and connecting. Prove yourself, your learned behaviors, and learned reasons wrong. Conclusively, you will more than likely find that you have more in common than you may have conceptualized.
5. Stand Against It
Lastly, racism has reigned and continues to prevail because it proceeds to be passed down from generation to generation. The cycle of generational racism will stop when you purpose in your heart to stop perpetuating the thoughts, stereotypes, and negativity of the past and begin to procreate fresh and optimistic observations about people of another race. With that in mind, there is only one race that ultimately exists—the human race. When this truth is acquiesced to, we can then become a more effective force in dealing with troubling global issues holistically. After all, it is always better to stand holistically than to stand divided. Take this into consideration, "United we stand, but divided we fall."