I don’t brand myself to be a racial scholar, nor do I consider myself an expert on racism, but I have been black for a little over 26 years, so I’m pretty familiar with a variety of forms of both racism and discrimination. Just because you aren’t a skinhead, or a member of the Ku Klux Klan, or the Alt-right (yes, I am calling the alt-right racist), doesn’t mean you aren’t racist, don’t have racist tendencies, or don't make racist inferences, or assumptions. I think we should all be mindful of what types of things and statements carry racist notions so that we can all strive towards being decent human beings. Knowledge is power, and I hope this article provides some education.

I recently had a racist encounter, and I decided to write this article about it, first because it made me angry, but more importantly as a teachable moment.

Last weekend, I was leaving the epicenter in Charlotte, North Carolina and as I was walking down the stairs, a random white guy either threw a beer bottle down the stairs or dropped it and it fell down the stairs. The bottle shattered and glass went flying everywhere. Some of the women around me were pretty startled, but no one was injured nor did anyone step on the glass. Most of the people who were there on the steps were pretty angry. Me nope, I just minded my business and kept walking. 

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, another white guy (let's call him Billy) discreetly says to me in a sneaky, hushed tone, "Hey just so you know, it was the guy with the suit.” So now at this point I have several thoughts running through my head. Number 1: I know who did it. I just mind my business and so should you. Number 2: I don't even know if he did it with malicious intent and threw the bottle, or was it purely an accident and he dropped it because he was drunk. Number 3: So what if he did do it on purpose, what do you expect me to do? Hit him or something? Number 4: Why didn’t you tell any of these white men who threw the bottle? What type of stereotypes are you succumbing to? If you're so upset, you hit him, and I'll keep walking and continue to mind my business.

Back to the teachable moment part.

I'm an attorney. I'm not going to engage in a random street fight, and I'm capable of controlling my emotions. Not to mention, I was not raised in a barn or a jungle. Also, I was completely sober; I was only at the epicenter to grab a bite to eat. I'm more upset that Billy thought that telling me who the culprit was would make me have some violent reaction, than I am at the drunk who couldn't control his liquor.

For whatever reason, Billy thought that I was angry or that I would have wanted to seek some physical revenge on the drunk person. Billy apparently is subscribed to either some stereotypes or a preconceived notion about black people, men in particular, that made him believe that telling me who the culprit was would have some effect.  

This preconceived notion is what’s known as “inferential racism.” According to Stuart Hall, a leading cultural theorist, inferential racism is the representation of events and situations related to race that have racist premises and propositions inscribed in them, and formulated as a set of unquestioned assumptions.

Billy’s actual statement to me results in what is called a “microaggression.” According to dictionary.com, the definition of a microaggression is a subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a minority or other nondominant group that often unintentionally or unconsciously reinforces a stereotype. 

Racism can only occur at the individual level or a systemic level. This specific interaction was on the individual level. The interaction would be considered “interpersonal racism.” According to oppressionmonitor.com, interpersonal racism is the biases that occur when individuals interact with others, and their private racial beliefs affect their public interactions.

The moral of the story here is this: Just because a person isn't overtly racist or discriminatory doesn’t mean that said person isn’t engaging in the racist or insensitive behavior.

Important takeaways:

Am I calling Billy a racist? No.
Do I think Billy is a racist? No.
Do I think Billy meant any harm? No.
Do I think Billy is insensitive? Probably.
Do I think Billy would stand up for a person of color if he witnessed overt racism? Probably.
Do I think Billy could benefit from racial equity training? Sure, we all can.
Do I think Billy would poison an entire city's water supply? No, but if he did, that would be systemic racism; and that is a topic for another article on another day.