One thing to improve race relations — you can do this right here, right now

Segregation is the foundation for racism — it is hidden, insidious, ubiquitous. So please, take a moment and consider the ways that segregation affects you. Expose it. What is the level of interracial mixing in the following areas of your life:

Where you live
Where you shop for goods
Where you shop for groceries
Where you eat at restaurants
Where you worship (if you do)
Where you go for entertainment
Where you go for vacation
What music you listen to
What movies you watch
What books you read
What friends you have
Where you get your hair cut
What company you keep during lunchtime at work
What companies you use to cater your parties (if you do)
What DJs and musicians you hire for weddings
What sports you watch
What sports you engage in
What radio stations you listen to
What alcoholic beverages you drink (if you do)
What magazines you read
What online groups you belong to
What art/theater/concerts/art you attend

It’s pretty sobering once you think about it: I mean, really, even how we drink alcoholic beverages is segregated? Here’s one way to start to get out of the segregation current: Pick one category — just one — and branch out. Try something from a different racial background. You will probably feel uncomfortable, and that’s okay. Staying in our comfort zones will never get us there. Branching out, little by little, will. I guarantee you, the world will expand.

For those of you who say that there’s no minorities in your area and nothing for you to explore, I challenge you to look more closely. Depending on the community, minorities can be a very invisible population. Part of addressing segregation is learning how to re-train your eyes. (when in doubt, ask a librarian!) Look and see who is around you. Look and see who isn’t.

For those of you who say that white people snub you when you go to white establishments, I challenge you to look more closely. It is true: you need to be careful where you go in order to be treated like a person. But there are places that are safe and that are white, there are people who are safe and who are white. Depending on where you live, you might not have any choice *but* to go to white establishments for your goods, etc, and staying within your racial group is oftentimes the absolute safest place to be. Also: integration does not mean solely integrating with the white community, but any racial community not your own. So if you don’t want to start with the white community, why not start with the Hmong, the Nigerian, the Indian communities — that is, other communities near you? Any act of integration lessens the ability for “othering” and increases the strength of one’s understanding, compassion, and solidarity on this earth.

We can’t stop all the heinous acts of racism in the world, but we can do our part. And living racially integrated lives is one way to do our part.