Tag: Racism

Systemic racism is a big topic, and one I believe most progressives have heard of before. I’m not the first, tenth, or hundredth to explain systemic racism. Which is why it’s baffling that I meet so many people who say “I can’t be racist — I didn’t mean to!”...

Cocoa-colored hands. Helping hands, bathing hands, cleaning and cooking hands, working hands. These are Georgia, peanut-picking hands. These are Mary’s hands. I’m two. Mary holds me on her hip while she cleans the house, while she makes everything smell lemon-scented. Mary makes the b...

Imagine strolling into a densely wooded area and discovering a tree stump. As curiosity creeps in, you decide to add up the dark rings inside to determine how old the tree is. You can trace each year of the tree’s life; it came from a long chain of seeds, saplings, and mighty oaks. Like trees,...

Very few people would call themselves racist, and getting called out on racist behavior tends to elicit defensiveness. This reflex is so culturally ingrained that its scripts are practically punchlines: “I don’t see color.” “Some of my very best friends are Black.” D...

What if I told you it could be shown very clearly who upholds racism in the USA — all we need to do is ask the right questions. Not is America racist, but who specifically in America is racist? Who upholds the racism we see happening so often within the USA, and do ...

It’s an unfortunate fact of life. Whenever visible minorities address the fact of white privilege, social inequities, or the necessity of DEI, we inevitably hear outraged cries of “reverse discrimination” and “reverse racism.” Or, as we will see, when we seek to gather ...

My favorite is when the words are kind, “your children are beautiful.” This rings true because, like most parents, my children are beauty to me. I can’t hear enough about their loveliness. On many occasions, the remarks are odd, “do you bleach her ends?” — this...

A little background. The history of racism in Canada is tied to its relationship with its Indigenous people. Canada never had slavery. Slavery did exist in the British colonies that became Canada up until 1836. But the reality was that the Canadian climate was unsuited to plantation agriculture a...

A year ago, I got news that a friend of mine, who was known for his partying, had given up drinking. Upon hearing this, it surprised me that of all the emotions I felt, I recall the distinct stab of jealousy. “Why do I feel jealous?” I wondered. If I was living the...