Right now, racism is a huge topic of conversation because of recent alarming events. First, it was the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Then it was hate crimes against Asians. Reforming police departments or rolling out diversity training seem to be the solutions du jour. However, they are, at best, only temporary because they don’t speak to the root cause of racism.
Before I disclose my thoughts about how to address this issue, I’d like to share a story about my time working as a consultant in Africa several years ago. While in Africa, I never felt so loved and honored in my life. It was as if everyone I met accepted me for who I was without question. It seemed as if I had received a gift that I didn’t deserve—a true moment of grace. My experience touched me deeply but it also puzzled me. Why would people from Zambia to Ghana treat me so well, especially since I was white and a foreigner?
I finally asked our CEO in Uganda my burning question. He answered quite simply:
“You, as a white woman, have never done anything to harm me or my family. Consequently, I have nothing against you.”
His simple but powerful words hit home for me. I realized that most of the racism in the US doesn’t stem from our individual histories, but rather, from our inherited, generational prejudice. Sadly, we teach our children to hate others merely because they look or speak differently than we do. And we usually do it unconsciously.
The remedy—be like my dear African friends. Get to know people as individuals before judging them according to the groups from which they came. And come from a place of love that allows for honest, open dialogue.
The lyrics of the song, “You’ve Got to Be Taught,” from the musical South Pacific, perfectly sum up how we arrived where we are today.
You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught
You’ve got to be taught
To be afraid
Of people whose eyes
Are oddly made
And people whose skin
Is a different shade
You’ve got to be carefully taught