4 Practical Tips to Tackle Accidental Racism
Because let’s face it. We’re not born woke.
Like most things in life, it began with good intentions.
And by “it,” I mean all of it — the implicit bias training at work, the colorful infographics on Instagram, the workshops about intersectionality, and the fact sheets on microaggressions.
Does it feel overwhelming? If you answered yes, join the club. Navigating any situation with an indefinite list of things to do, as well as a list of things not to do, is a recipe for anxiety and disaster. I have some practical advice: Stop doing. Start listening.
Human brains are naturally wired to rely on preconceptions and expectations; these psychological shortcuts are a cumulative and unique result of lived experiences, media, and intergenerational histories, originally built within us to make quick decisions for survival. Where it gets troubling is when these behaviors meet with stubbornness and power in the modern world — resulting in discriminatory behaviors such as racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ableism, and more.
Anyone can be a racist, and many people act out of internalized discriminatory beliefs in their day to day lives. We need to get past the horror of accepting this reality and move on to the constructive approach of asking…
