Activating: But I am Not a Racist!

Step 1. Activating: but I am not a racist! 

Have you, or have you heard a family member or a friend, pronounced any of the following sentences:

I know people of color.

I don't see color.

I marched in the sixties.

You are judging me.

You don’t know me.

You are generalizing.

I disagree.

The real oppression is class.

I just said one little innocent thing.

Some people find offense where there is none.

You hurt my feelings.

I can’t say anything right.

Who have you heard some of these sentences from?

In what context have you heard those words? 

How do they make you feel?

What sentence resonates with you the most, why?

Diverse authors on ethnic studies affirm that everybody is a racist. Do you agree/disagree with this statement? Why?

Step 2. Reflecting 

Choose one of the following sentences. Explain why you agree or disagree with the sentence:

• The concept of. race is a socially defined construct used as a way to fraudulently divide people into groups ranked as superior and inferior.


• Biologically there is only one race: Human Race


• The earliest definitions of racial groups in colonial times focused on dehumanizing two groups, "lndians" and "Africans" for the purpose of stealing of the land from the indigenous people and creating the "White/Black" divide to justify slavery


• 'Children of color are still disproportionately living in poverty. They are more likely to be members of low-income families who cannot afford health insurance or primary doctors.


• People tend to think of race, ethnicity, and culture as being interchangeable aspects.