Why Racism Exists… and What We Can Do to End it
Ripping out Racism at its Roots
Here’s how we end racism in one word: exposure.
We don’t end racism by simply throwing up signs and giving talks on diversity & inclusion… using buzz words that trend well with PR.
Why? Because we need to address racism at the roots… and the root cause of racism is simply this: lack of exposure.
Racism happens when we adopt someone else’s beliefs about a certain race that they too knowingly or unknowingly adopted over time.
These beliefs could have been programmed in the household… in the school… or in cultures…
But one thing is for sure… one isn’t BORN racist.
They were either spoon-fed an opinion about a race, OR they formed their own opinion of a race based on one isolated incident from limited exposure and interaction, and that scarred their perception of that race, indefinitely — until they have their own personal experience and repeated exposure to other races.
The bottom line is this… any conscious or unconscious bias was due to either never having had exposure or having limited exposure, where they can count on the one hand the number of interactions with another race.
At the cultural level… racism can easily spread when people speak ill about another race, based off of one incident or “word of mouth”. These generalizations and stereotypes feed on each other and we end up creating a culture of racism.
— all because people formed opinions about these races from an isolated incident. Furthermore, they could very well have made up their mind about a race based on only one or two individuals they interacted with.
Let’s put the topic of race aside for a second here to drive home a point…
let’s say you meet someone new… maybe it’s a server at a restaurant, the cashier at the supermarket, or your neighbor who’s still a stranger.
In that first encounter they may seem rude or unpleasant. And you immediately form an opinion about them.
And the next time you see them, you still carry that opinion about them, but then one day… they do something generous, impressive or admirable even… like paying you a complement or offering you a gift or saying something that impresses and resonates with you.
Suddenly, they are on your good side.
In both of these scenarios, one incident changed your opinion of them.
Imagine if you 10x’ed this exposure and interaction with them…
Then you might have 90% incidents where they were pleasant.
It’s the same thing with exposure to anyone who isn’t you…
anyone of a different face…
a different race…
a different history…
a different mother…
a different opinion on one topic…
and so on.
The more exposure you gain… the more facts, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and fulfillment you gain… from enriching your life with diverse fresh perspectives that reflect another person’s colorful life, their depth of experiences, their breadth of knowledge, their unique way of thinking, etc.
There is so much we can learn from each other. 💚
There was a time in my life when I failed to see the value in talking to strangers or even to people… I was what some might call “anti-social”, but never did I fail to learn something new when I striked up a conversation with a stranger or when one approached me. At minimum I would get in a good laugh and get a much needed break from my troubles and mental chatter. This was back when I lived in my head — a lot.
Back to the specific topic at hand and driving this point home…
The way to end racism and to walk the talk of diversity & inclusion is by creating opportunities to experience all races
— to be in the presence of a broad spectrum of individuals from all walks of life.
To bring about change, we need exposure to experience diversity first-hand… and the inclusion will then happen organically and naturally… as we come to realize we share way more things in common than differences.
And the differences that we do have more often than not make things way more interesting… they make topics of conversation more novel, curious, and makes you think.
Perhaps another example might help here…
let’s take someone who consciously knows he is racist. When he sits down to talk to another individual of another race about life… he comes to realize the person he’s speaking to isn’t all that different… in fact, they share the same values & opinions on life and what they want out of life… but that the only obvious difference is…
the other person looks different.
And at the end of the day, don’t we all look different from each other?…. Well unless you have a twin.
And wouldn’t it be boring if everyone we talked to looked exactly like us?
I would run for the hills! 😆
Not only would it be creepy, but I’d grow tired of seeing only my own face everyday… it’d be a different spin on groundhogs day hahaahh
Here’s what it all boils down to…
The Black Lives Matter campaign, the Diversity & Inclusion movement… these are public initiatives and externally projected efforts.
But Ending racism is an inside job. And has to be uplifted from the roots.
The roots at the individual level, at the culture level… at the conscious level.
In organizations, in corporations, in businesses, in communities, in cities, in the household.
And it all begins with creating opportunities for more exposure to MORE ethnicities, more genders, more orientations… understanding their culture, their history, their aspirations…
What’s important to them, what their struggles are, what they value… their why, what they stand for, what they want in life...
Only through these deeper meaningful interactions… authentic, open, lighthearted judgement-free conversations will we truly know another individual…
… to be able to truly witness and appreciate the value of their colorful background, rich perspectives, talents, skills, wisdom from their struggles — to benefit from the creative solutions and innovation they can bring to the table.
In closing, ending racism isn’t about fancy slogans, touchy feely TV ads, and reactive protests.
It’s about CREATING space and opportunities for exposure.
So how do we do this?
We can organize local events around a common interest… start from a common ground we can easily relate on.
Some examples: health & fitness, success in life and business, personal growth, stand-up comedy, wealth creation, a social cause, etc.
And the space for this could be at cafes, fundraisers, happy hour venues, yoga studios, workshops, retreats, work lunches, conferences, etc…
Where everyone can come together, starting on the same page, collaborating on a common cause, geeking out over a common interest…
I’m curious, what ideas do you have around creating opportunities for more exposure? so that instead of limiting ourselves to opinions and ideas from only people that look like us… we can also benefit from other colorful perspectives (colorful not only in race but in rich ways of thinking)? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you’re an advocate for ending racism, then let’s go beyond the talk of “Black Lives Matter” and start participating in and experiencing what it truly means to walk the talk of “Black Lives Matter”.
Don’t stop at having one colored person in your life. Try more colors. Try more exposure.
🖤❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤍
This is what makes our life more colorful and rich.
Namaste
Kelly
