Chapter Four: 4th Step to Becoming An Anti-Racist
NOTE: Here in chapter four on anti-racist, I’m going to use the same true scenario I used in chapter three as an example of showing the different actions taken by an anti-racist. Therefore, the ending of the scenario in this chapter will be different than the ending of the scenario in chapter three. Again, this scenario is based on a true situation. Of course, only one of the versions happened. After reading this second account, ask yourself, which version do you think happened?
4th Step to becoming an anti-racist: You must understand the difference between the actions of a non-racist person and the actions of an anti-racist.
What is an anti-racist?
An anti-racist person does not hate people based on their skin color or race. An anti-racist person does not use his or her race-based powers to control and/or destroy the lives of people who are not the same color he or she is. An anti-racist person does not believe that their own race is superior to all other races. An anti-racist person does not believe the hateful things a racist believes. Anti-racist people take actions to try to change a negative racist situation, in order to stop the racist situation.
Living as a Black man, there are racist things that happen that you never forget. This day was such a nice day. There should be a law. Racist things aren’t allowed to happen on nice days. Well, regardless of the weather, I was about to add another racist situation to my life’s collection. It was a little after five o’clock. Most people were trying their best to deal with five o’clock going home traffic. I stopped to pick up something at the drugstore. As I walked through the doors, I noticed that there weren’t very many customers. I greeted the lady behind the counter. She didn’t greet me back. I didn’t think much of the fact she ignored me. Maybe she was having a bad day. I walked down the aisle to get what I came into the store to get. I smiled and said hello to a very pleasant White woman. She said hello back and smiled. I walked towards the counter to pay for my merchandise. The woman at the counter saw me and turned her back. I stood there waiting for her to come to the cash register. Meanwhile the pleasant looking White woman walked up and stood beside me. The lady behind the counter immediately addressed her. The pleasant looking White woman gave the lady behind the counter a stern look. Then to my surprise she looked the woman behind the counter straight in the face and said, “He was here first.”
The actions the pleasant woman took put a stop to that racist situation. This is the type of action needed to help stop racism. One of the main reasons racism continues in this country today, has more to do with the lack of action by non-racists, than it does with the actions of racists. There are more people who claim to be non-racist than there are people who claim to be racists. However, in order to rid this country of racism, we need the actions of anti-racists. To rid this country of racism faster, we need more people to move from non-racists to anti-racists. The movement for an equality-based society must include anti-racists who are willing to discover their battle zones and fight with all their might. Non-racists sympathizers, their well-meaning feelings, and their no actions, do nothing to help eliminate racism. While it is better for society that a person is non-racist than racist, it takes the actions of anti-racists to make positive change. Give the fight against racism your time, your talents and your money. Whatever you give, make sure it is more than your feelings. As I have said several times before, racism was done on purpose. Therefore, racism must be undone on purpose. So, which are you and what will you do?
