Racism is a form of discrimination and prejudice against people based on their race or ethnicity. Whether we realize it or not, racism really does affect everyone and the varying degrees of it permeates every aspect of our lives. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to embark on an anti-racism journey.
Raising your own awareness of any biases and stereotypes can be key to breaking down barriers. Below are some tips on how to not be racist.
Recognize Your Prejudice
No one is completely prejudiced or not prejudiced at all. Everyone possesses stereotypes and biases to some degree that affect how they interact with individuals from other races.
In fact, our brains are wired to recognize differences, which evolved to protect against the general threats of the world. The biases we have are still running on this same internal system. If you think things like, “I’d never do anything racist,” you might want to check yourself. Research shows people who claim they’re never prejudiced are the most likely to be prejudiced.
Intention
Like starting any new habit, how to not be racist requires a conscious decision to pursue as a goal and way of being. Intention brings mindful presence and awareness to what we say and what we do.
Setting the intention to have an open heart and open mind in order to be anti-racist affects how one shows up. Present-moment awareness links with our intention to pull us out of autopilot and into conscious pursuit of our goals.
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As psychologist Rick Hanson explains, whatever you hold in attention has a special power to change your brain. “Attention is like a combination spotlight and vacuum cleaner: It illuminates what it rests upon and then sucks it into your brain—and your self.”
Setting the intention to pursue anti-racism will help adjust one’s life lens, and it will deactivate the trance of autopilot. This will help you tap into your internal motivation to be anti-racist.
Learn about yourself and about others
Learning, first about yourself and then about others is a major step to how to not be racist. You might think your anti-racism journey should start with learning about others. But developing more self-awareness first can be key to helping you gain insight into your beliefs. Part of the root of biases we have stems from our personal shortcomings. By learning to accept ourselves more authentically, we can then improve as a society.
Learn about others as well – other cultures, other people’s experiences, etc. Read books and articles, watch movies that describe other people’s experiences. Learn from many different people, and you’ll see there are many ways to tell the same story.
Interact With People of Different Races
Nothing beats first-hand experience when it comes to developing an anti-racism culture. Talking to people who are different from you, working with people of other races and interacting with them in all sorts of circumstances will help you gain the most insight about their value systems, thought patterns and ultimately help you understand them better.
Avoid usage of stereotypical language
Avoid normalized, micro-aggressive comments like:
“What are you?”
“You sound white”
“I don’t really see you as Indian.”
“You have really big eyes for an Asian person.”
Cultivating empathy is key to rehumanizing the dehumanized. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. How would you feel being on the receiving end of such comments? Use language that creates connections and it breaks down the “us and them” divide.
Ideally, you would take a comprehensive approach rather than just selecting one or two of these offerings. Challenging and actively fighting bias is a psychologically intense and long-term dedication, so the more resources you have to support your efforts, the better.
