I Am A Racist
Okay, now that my title has grabbed your attention, let me clarify. I am NOT a racist, but I would be foolish to pretend that my background and upbringing had no impact on my worldview. For most, the primary factor in their beliefs is their family of origin. People often make jokes about their "racist grandparents," and while I never heard my grandparents say anything overtly offensive, I do remember my grandmother referring to the "coloreds" with a bit of disdain in her voice. There was another time a family member took me shopping and I was allowed to pick out a Barbie doll. I initially selected a doll with dark skin. My relative hesitated, then asked me to pick a different doll. I was old enough to notice the sole difference between the doll I wanted and the other dolls was the skin tone. Luckily, I was also mature enough to realize that wasn't right, but imagine the scenario from the perspective of someone younger: I was subtly being taught that color divid