My OWN Racism

Racism.

-It exists.

AND it exists within US...

...In our minds, our thoughts, our emotions, our judgments, our stereotypes, our jokes, bounded in what we label as "demographics," embedded in our society, our friends, our politicians, our lawmakers, our police, our teachers, our children, our parents, our grandparents, our history, even our education. 

Racism undeniably exists within US!

We are ALL byproducts of both our history and our (current) society, and that is why it was so easy for me to remain ignorant of my own racism. 

Night after night I searched online (I hate to admit this) trying to understand my own racism, but truly I was desperately hoping I would find something to prove me wrong.

I didn't.

Instead, the most powerful yet simplified answer to what I found is this: 

Race is human categorization.

-Think about that... categories of human? 

Our most outward human categorical difference, race, is embedded within us, however race is not a genetic or biological difference. -It is a human construct.

In fact, race was invented to justify our DIFFERENCES -not in color as it seems but, in power and in status. We just used color (race) to deem the difference. 

Yet we fear the very thing we control ourselves with -RACISM. 

We fear our own guilt and the judgment of others, but mostly we fear the change that follows the acknowledgment of our racism. 


-But, why?

Because that change would be in all of which racism exists within: 

...our minds, our thoughts, our emotions, our judgments, our stereotypes, our jokes, our "demographics," our society, our friends, our politicians, our lawmakers, our police, our teachers, our children, our parents, our grandparents, our history, and even our education. 


To be honest, I myself as a Hispanic non-white female have been willfully ignorant of the systematic racism in this country and in our society. 

-Racism I experienced. 
-Racism I saw and see my family experience. 

It was easier to ignore because fighting something so massive, so powerful seemed fruitless. 

So, from a young age my own racism grew from my acceptance of different treatment and judgment but, also in hiding... -hiding myself.

Life was easier when I "fit-in" with the people around me rather than when I embraced my difference. Because, as I said before we are ALL byproducts of our history and our society and for me, difference felt less than. 

So, my way of dealing with feeling "different" contributed to the racist but prominent white supremacy ideal.

If you've read this far, I ask you to focus on the emotion you feel and I challenge you to ask yourself why? 

-Because emotions, in their truest form are just thoughts with energy behind them. So... 

What thought is producing that emotion?

&

Why?

And the answer to end racism...? STOP categorizing humans.