Read on Twitter
We are all racist. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. We all have stereotypes and ideas that have been fed into our brains either consciously, or unconsciously, by society and the media we choose to consume. Rather than obsess over whether or not you are racist... 1/7
spend time acknowledging your own perceptions of others and instinctive stereotypes you have about different groups of individuals. The sooner we all acknowledge the parts we aren’t so proud of, the sooner we can start to make progress. 2/7
Some tangible action you can take now to work on this is to, [1] Interact with people who don’t look like you or identify as you do. [2] Learn to get comfortable in situations and around people and conversations that make you uncomfortable. 3/7
[3] Listen to the experiences of others that aren’t like you (aka change the media you consume), watch TV shows, listen to podcasts and music produced by and for communities you don’t come from. [4] Stop being afraid to correct and call out the narrow minded behavior... 4/7
of friends, colleagues, family, significant others, and realize when you yourself are in the wrong. Making mistakes and saying the wrong thing is human. I believe correcting someone is showing them that you know that they can be and do better. 5/7
Even if it’s awkward in the moment, they will appreciate it in the long run. Keep in mind there is a kind and encouraging way to do this that is more constructive than an aggressive tone that can stop someone from making any future progress for fear they will misstep again. 6/7
As most of us are not in positions to make institutional policy reform I believe that this is how we individually, and collectively, move forward. I know I’m yelling into the void that is twitter, but I’m asking you all to work to set a better example for the next generation. 7/7
